From Track Release
February 4, 2005
11:29 AM EST (16:29 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- While occasional Nextel Cup Series competitor Scott Pruett was winning the pole position for Saturday's Rolex 24 At Daytona, two Cup regulars left the California testing sessions early to get extra track time Thursday for America's most prestigious sports car race. Pruett was the fastest qualifier, running a lap of 1:49.012 (117.565 mph) on the 3.56-mile circuit in the CompUSA Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley. The top 30 positions were set in Thursday's qualifying, and all nine of the Cup regulars will start in the top eight. Of the Cup regulars set to compete in Daytona Prototypes, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle participated in Friday's practice sessions. The pair will co-drive the No. 49 Crown Royal Ford Multimatic with sports car veteran Scott Maxwell -- who qualified the car 16th -- and defending Cup Kurt Busch, who is set to arrive Friday. "We were really happy with our California car, and we needed to get more time in the (Daytona) Prototype, so we felt good about leaving there," Biffle said. "It worked out. I got some seat time here." "Me and Greg needed more time in the car, and there's not much practice here Friday for all three of us to get time, so we felt it would better for both programs," Kenseth said. "We're taking this serious, and we're coming here with a 'try to do good' attitude. Even in the test last month, we really didn't really have that much time in the car, having four drivers, so we wanted to get a little more time (Thursday). "I wish we were a little faster overall, but we're all running about the same speed and we're comfortable in the car," Kenseth added. "We're a little down on straightaway speed, but we seem to be faster than the other cars in the infield." Chip Ganassi Racing qualified three cars in the top five. In addition to Pruett's pole winner, Jamie McMurray's New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley will start fourth, qualified by Stefan Johansson, while Casey Mears will start fifth in the Target Lexus Riley qualified by Scott Dixon. Tony Stewart will be in the sixth-starting car, the CITGO Pontiac Crawford qualified by Andy Wallace. Terry and Bobby Labonte will be gridded seventh in the Pontiac Doran qualified by Jan Magnussen, while Jimmie Johnson's Pontiac Crawford was qualified eighth by Butch Leitzinger. At least one of the NASCAR drivers isn't worried about finding enough sleep throughout the endurance race. "I'm pretty good at it, running all the Cup and Busch races the last few years," Biffle said. | 
