AJ Allmendinger has set the fastest time in qualifying at Sonoma, the first of only two road course races of the NASCAR season.
Allmendger, who held off a determined Marcos Ambrose, to win at the Sprint Cup’s other road course race at Watkins Glen last year, will share the front row with Kurt Busch.
With race winners all but guaranteed a spot in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, Allmendinger will be one of the hot favourites to win the race.
Although known as a road course specialist, it was his third career NASCAR pole and first on a track which requires drivers to right as well as left.
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Allmendinger set a time of 1:14.385, 0.166-sec faster than Kurt Busch; who lost his best lap when brother Kyle spun at Turn 10 to bring out a red flag with 7:03 left in the final 10-minute session.
“It’s a solid start, but the prize is tomorrow,” said Allmendinger.
“We knew that, if we go do our job, and if I do my job tomorrow, and we have solid pit stops, and we just take care of business, at the end we should give ourselves a chance. And that’s all we can ask for.”
The road course races over recent years had always drawn focus on Marcos Ambrose, but his replacement, Sam Hornish Jr., will have plenty of work to do starting down in 24th.
QUALIFYING: Toyota – Save Mart 350 : Sonoma Raceway