Rookie Sean Caisse will
start his first ARCA
RE/MAX Series race from
the pole position after
tearing off a top
178.365-mph (30.275
seconds) lap at Kentucky
Speedway this afternoon.
Caisse will hold the top
spot in the 41-car
"Drive Smart! Buckle-Up
Kentucky 150" field when
drivers take the green
flag at 8:00 p.m.
The 22-year-old driver
originally from Pelham,
N.H., finished second to
Joe Gibbs Racing rising
star Joey Logano in the
2007 NASCAR Busch East
Series standings, and is
racing for former
IndyCar and NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series
driver Shigeaki Hattori.
The team qualified for
its second race of the
season this afternoon.
Caisse closed out the
series practice session
sixth on the grid after
turning his fastest lap
at 177.107 mph (30.490
seconds).
"I've never seen this
place, but I watched a
couple videos of past
NASCAR Nationwide and
Craftsman Truck Series
races here. I've never
been on a
mile-and-a-half except
earlier this week when
we went to Rockingham to
shake this car down.
Basically, it's a brand
new car. Germain
(Racing) went through
it, put their special
stuff in it and I was
comfortable with the car
right away.
"I knew we had a car
that could sit on the
pole. That's a bonus,
but I'm more concerned
to that we have a good
car in race trim. I'm
focused on winning this
race. It's only 100
laps, 150-miles, so it
should go quick.
Hopefully, people
respect each other. I
haven't raced with any
of these guys so I have
to learn who I can race
with and who I can't. I
have to earn the respect
of the veterans and the
other rookies in this
race because I'm not
running for points,"
Caisse said.
Robb Brent, third in
practice, will join
Caisse on the front row
after turning his best
of two qualifying laps
at 177.591 mph (30.407
seconds) in the No. 00
Orchard Chrysler Dodge
Jeep Chevrolet.
"We had a good set-up
because we brought the
same car we had in
Kansas where we ran so
good (fifth). We really
didn't do much to it
today in practice. The
tracks are pretty
similar, that's why we
were faster out of the
box. The car was pretty
good to go out and
qualify the way it was.
We almost ran as fast as
those guys in race trim.
We have a great racecar
and should be able to
race to the front and be
back where we belong,"
Brent said.
Jesse Smith, quickest in
practice with a
178.731-mph (30.213
seconds) lap that
matched the standing
series qualifying record
set last July by Erin
Crocker, will start
third after posting a
177.200-mph (30.474
seconds) lap in the No.
30 Lloyd's Barbeque Spam
Hormel Jones Group
Dodge.
"We're not too
disappointed with it
(the run); it gives us a
good starting position
for tonight's race. We
should be able to go out
there, be up front and
hopefully lead when it
counts on the last lap.
We can't change too
much. We'll make it a
little bit looser
because we were tight
there, but we feel like
the car is pretty good.
It wasn't the best there
for one lap, but we feel
like it'll be good 10
laps into the race,"
Smith said.
He will share the second
row with Michael Annett,
who turned a 177.136-mph
(30.485 seconds) lap.
Annett was second in the
today's practice session
with a fast 177.819-mph
(30.368 second) lap.
Canadian-born Ryan
Fischer rounded out the
top five qualifiers with
a 177.003-mph (30.508
seconds) lap in his No.
25 TufTruckdirect.com
Chevrolet. He will share
the third row Tayler
Malsam who charted a
176.396-mph (30.948
seconds) lap in the No.
4 Dodge Development
Program Dodge. Malsam
broke into the top 10 in
the series standings
following his 14th-place
finish in Rockingham,
N.C., last Sunday. He
will start tonight's "Drive Smart! Buckle-Up
Kentucky 150" ninth in
the series standings and
265 points behind
Carter.
Nine-time and defending
series champion Frank
Kimmel qualified 11th
with a 174.610-mph
(30.926 seconds) lap in
his No. 44 Ford Drive
One Ford. He will start
tonight's race ranked
second in the series
standings and 35 points
behind leader Matt
Carter, who qualified
16th with a 173.745-mph
(31.080 seconds) lap in
the No. 46 Stine Seed
Ft. Dodge Animal Health
Pork Ford. Kimmel will
make a bid to become the
second five-time race
winner in Kentucky
Speedway history.
