Series Newton, Iowa qualifying report

HMIEL SETS WORLD RECORD TO LEAD IOWA QUALIFIERS!

Newton, Iowa.......Shane Hmiel of Pleasant Garden, N.C. is now the fastest Sprint car driver in the world! Hmiel qualified his Rotondo Weirich/Benic Enterprises Maxim/Gaerte Chevy Saturday at 146.444 mph, breaking the previous record of 146.145 set four years ago by Darren Hagen.

Hmiel will start on the pole for this evening's 50-lap USAC AMSOIL National Sprint race at the 7/8-mile paved oval.

Bobby East also set a new Iowa Speedway USAC Silver Crown track record of 143.000 mph in his Ford Racing/Club Sport Beast/Ford to win the pole for the 100-lap Silver crown feature. His speed eclipsed Hmiel's record of 142.560 mph set in 2008.

Bobby Santos III of Franklin, Mass. won the pole for the 30-lap USAC Mopar National Midget race at a speed of 136.974 mph in his Santos Motor Sports/K & N Air Filters Beast/Esslinger Ford. Darren Hagen shares the front row with Santos in the Midget race, while Henry Clarke sits aside Hmiel in the Sprint feature and Brad Sweet is on the front row with East in the Silver Crown 100-lapper.

Clarke's speed in the Sprint car qualifying also eclipsed Hagen's previous world mark.

-source: usac