Front row start for Spirit of Daytona Racing at Laguna Seca

Looking to score an encore pole position at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Visit Florida Racing came up just a blink of an eye short.

Richard Westbrook, who will share the No. 90 VISITFLORDIDA Corvette DP with Michael Valiante in the 2-hour sprint race for Round 4 of the 2014 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, notched a 1:18.788-second lap on Saturday to score second on the grid for Sunday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix.

Westbrook won the pole for last year’s race and was focused on doing so once again. While the pole ambition was not met, Westbrook knows that locking in a front row start could be critical on a track that is notoriously challenging to pass on.

"Last year we had a one-lap wonder car, and this year it feels like we have a better car for the race,” said Westbrook. “It wasn't very smooth going into qualifying. We had a clutch issue in Practice 2, and I thought we were going to have the same issue in qualifying. The guys did a good job to band-aid it up, so I can't say it hindered me in qualifying but it was always in the back of my mind that it could come back. We will get that changed for the race. The car is behaving well for the race. Of course I wanted pole - I'd be lying if I said I didn't - but starting from the front row is great for our recovery.”

Spirit of Daytona Racing