BNS: Stafford III: Joey McCarthy rain notes

Joey McCarthy to start rain-delayed Stafford Busch North race from pole

Joey McCarthy notched another first in his four-year NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch North Series career on Saturday when he won the Bud Pole Award for the Carquest Fall Final at the half-mile Stafford Motor Speedway. McCarthy, who set the fastest time in qualifying for the 150-lap event, will have to wait until next Saturday to run the actual race because heavy rain forced the event to be postponed.

McCarthy's TrustCompany Bank Chevrolet team struggled in practice, curtailing the amount of laps that McCarthy could get during the single ninety-minute session. But those problems were worked out thanks to his J.T. Mase MotorSports crew, and in time trials, McCarthy posted a fast lap of 20.087 seconds (89.606 MPH), and none of the other 28 cars in attendance could beat it.

"I'm excited, I wanted to get a pole all year," he said. "The guys worked so hard, I owe it all to them. They gave me a great race car all year, and I guess we got it. We've got the right powerplant under the hood right now and that makes all the difference. We've got a good car, and I'm really looking forward to the race."

McCarthy detailed the team's work through the morning practice.

"We had some problems with the shocks and a couple other little problems," he said. "We didn't get a lot of laps, but we've got a bunch of experienced guys on the crew and having guys that know what they're doing really pays off when you don't get a lot of practice like we did today."

Saturday's make-up date starts with an on-track pit party, followed by half-hour practice sessions for the four divisions running that day. The Busch North Series will take to the track as the third of four races on the day, following the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series feature.