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Qualifying report

Chris Cumming takes Grand Prix of Kansas pole

Cumming, driving the No. 08 entry of RSR Racing, had a fast lap around the six-turn, 2.37-mile layout in 1 minute, 11.839 seconds.

#08 RSR Racing ORECA FLM09: Chris Cumming, Alex Tagliani, Rusty Mitchell

#08 RSR Racing ORECA FLM09: Chris Cumming, Alex Tagliani, Rusty Mitchell

Richard Sloop

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – Chris Cumming won his first TUDOR United SportsCar Championship pole Friday night when he had the fast lap during qualifying for Saturday night's Grand Prix of Kansas on Kansas Speedway’s infield road circuit.

Cumming, driving the No. 08 entry of RSR Racing, had a fast lap around the six-turn, 2.37-mile layout in 1 minute, 11.839 seconds.

“The RSR car the guys gave me was fantastic,” Cumming said when asked the secret to his fast lap.

No surprise there as RSR, spread between the No. 08 and the No. 09 cars, have won the last three PC poles.

“Just extremely well-prepared cars,” Cumming said. “They roll off the truck ready to go.”

Cumming, who finished second – a single point behind champion Michael Guasch after winning three consecutive races at the end of the season – in last year’s PC class when it was part of the American Le Mans Series, will team with former Indianapolis 500 polesitter Alex Tagliani.

Second in PC qualifying was Frankie Montecalvo of PR1/Mathiesen Motorsports with a fast lap in 1:11.878. He will co-drive with Gunnar Jeannette in Saturday night’s two-segment race.

Third was Sean Rayhall of 8Star Motorsports with a time of 1:11.989. Teaming with Rayhall will be Luis Diaz on Saturday night.

Fourth was the RSR No. 09 car with Duncan Ende driving. Sharing the car will be another former Indy 500 pole winner in Bruno Junqueira.

In the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Series qualifying, Craig Duerson won the pole in the No. 27 Performance Tech Motorsport entry with a lap in 1:16.183.

Duerson arrived in Kansas second in points, six behind leader Mikhail Goikhberg, who qualified eighth.

Andrew Novich qualified second-fastest in the No. 61 Comprent Motor Sports entry with a lap in 1:16.308.

Third-fastest in Lites qualifying was 16-year-old Matt McMurry of Performance Tech Motorsport. His fast lap was in 1:16.393 and comes just a couple of days before he heads to France to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Saturday night’s race will mark the debut of an unusual format for the PC and Prototype Lites series.

The race will be divided into two 45-minute sprints. The amateur drivers in the PC tandems drove the car in Friday night’s qualifying session and must drive the first segment on Saturday night. That first segment will not pay series points but will set the starting grid for the second, points-paying segment.

In the second segment the pro drivers will be allowed to take over the wheel.

In both segments, the PC and slower and smaller Lites cars will be on the track at the same time.

Jim Pedley - NASCAR Wire Service

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