Phoenix: Spirit of Daytona DP qualifying report

Qualifying Session for Spirit of Daytona at Phoenix

The famed fifteen minutes of qualifying time for the Spirit of Daytona 09 and 07 Pontiac-powered Crawfords proved to be crucial for Saturday night's race. The Spiralz/SpeedCom Communication/Chemcraft sponsored 09DP placed 10th and the 07DP sponsored by Waste Services Inc. and Southwest Waste Services Inc. placed 13th. The much fought over positions were well deserved after numerous hours of labor was poured into getting the DPs' setup perfect for racing.

With a sudden turn of events, the usual driver lineup for qualifying the 09DP changed and Marc-Antoine Camirand turned his first every qualifying laps for the Spirit of Daytona. Co-owner/driver, Doug Goad, usually qualifies the 09DP but was feeling under the weather. Camirand, the French Canadian driver, turned the car's fastest lap time of 58.72 seconds placing him in prime position on the grid for Saturday night's race.

Camirand, feeling more confident and comfortable in the 09DP, was able to get the car to hook up in the infield section of the track and that is where he made up time on his competitors. The DP's setup for qualifying was close to perfect and the session doubled as a test session allowing the team to pinpoint the gear setup. After turning consistent and fast laps in the 09DP, Camirand was looking forward to the race on Saturday night. " We have a good racecar here. It will do really well throughout the full 250- mile race. This was my first time qualifying the DP, and my first time in a while qualifying any racecar. Tomorrow I will start out on the grid and really enjoy the time out on the track," said Camirand.

The 07DP also had a change up for the qualifying session. Bob Ward, owner/driver of the 07DP, usually does qualifying sat the session out and Roberto Moreno took the wheel. Moreno used the qualifying session as a practice session to get more time behind the Crawford's wheel. Moreno liked the track and felt like the car will perform well for the race. " I needed time behind the wheel in order to tell the team how to improve the setup even more. The car is a little stiff, but it will be fine for the race. This is my first time on the roval but not my first time at the track. In 1986 I raced here with Galles Racing in the IRL and it was my first oval track. That will always be in the back of my mind while I am racing on Saturday night," reflects Moreno.

The dry and dusty conditions were not strong enough to hinder the Spirit of Daytona's qualifying performance. The team will be ready to take on the heat and anything else nature decides to unleash on Saturday night. If the 09 and 07 DPs have to compete in a sandstorm or rainstorm the momentum will not be stopped.

-www.spiritofdaytona.com