ARCA Rookie Dakoda Armstrong
Earns Menards Pole at Talladega
Mikey Kile Will Also Start on Front Row
Series PR Report
Dakoda Armstrong, driver of the No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge, completed a qualifying lap at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway in 51.346 seconds (186.499 mph) Thursday to earn the Menards Pole Award Presented by Ansell and the first starting spot for Friday's Talladega ARCA 250.
The pole is the first for the 18-year-old Armstrong, who was seventh in line for the qualifying session. His previous best start in ARCA Racing Series competition came earlier this year at Daytona, where he started fourth. Armstrong will receive 15 bonus points in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings for qualifying first.
Armstrong had already proved his superspeedway might earlier in the day by finishing second in the opening practice behind Steve Arpin and the No. 55 Mike's Hard Lemonade Toyota.
Though he acknowledged that a top starting position may not be as important in a long event on a pass-heavy, competitive track like Talladega, Armstrong did not discount the significance of winning the pole.
"It means we have the fastest car," said the Penske Racing developmental driver. "Now it'd just be great if I could lead 94 laps like that."
Mikey Kile rebounded swiftly after changing a motor late in Thursday's practice. Driving the No. 25 Tag Heuer Eyewear Toyota as the 26th car in the session, Kile turned a lap in 51.419 seconds (186.235 mph) to take the second starting spot.
"I'm not worried about the motors," Kile said. "Toyota has built us good engines and we'll have the chance to run up front, so I'm not too worried."
Kile's position on the front row gives him 10 bonus points, meaning third qualifier and current series runner-up Justin Marks (51.513 seconds/185.895 mph) scored just five points for his third position. This leaves Steve Arpin, who led by 10 points after his win at Texas Motor Speedway, as the series points leader.
The Talladega ARCA 250 will take the green flag Friday at 4 p.m. Central, with live broadcast coverage provided by SPEED. More information is available on the Web at ARCARacing.com.
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards
Talladega Superspeedway
Starting Grid, Talladega ARCA 250 (4-23-10)
POS
NODRIVER/HOMETOWNTIMESPEED
NODRIVER/HOMETOWNTIMESPEED122Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN51.346186.499
22Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN51.346186.499225Mikey Kile/Westlake LA51.419186.235
25Mikey Kile/Westlake LA51.419186.235332Justin Marks/Rocklin CA51.513185.895
32Justin Marks/Rocklin CA51.513185.895431Tim George Jr./New York NY51.514185.891
31Tim George Jr./New York NY51.514185.891555Steve Arpin/Fort Frances Ontario51.537185.808
55Steve Arpin/Fort Frances Ontario51.537185.808677Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ51.625185.492
77Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ51.625185.492751James Buescher/Plano TX51.668185.337
51James Buescher/Plano TX51.668185.337809Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL51.696185.237
09Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL51.696185.237930Terry Jones/McGregor Ontario51.721185.147
30Terry Jones/McGregor Ontario51.721185.1471035Hal Martin/Galliano LA51.732185.108
35Hal Martin/Galliano LA51.732185.1081115Alli Owens/Daytona Beach FL51.764184.993
15Alli Owens/Daytona Beach FL51.764184.9931266Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA51.807184.840
66Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA51.807184.840135Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA51.840184.722
5Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA51.840184.722144Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL51.877184.590
4Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL51.877184.5901560Patrick Sheltra/Indiantown FL51.918184.445
60Patrick Sheltra/Indiantown FL51.918184.4451616Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL51.920184.438
16Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL51.920184.438171Chad McCumbee/Supply NC51.962184.289
1Chad McCumbee/Supply NC51.962184.289186Brandon McReynolds/Mooresville NC51.986184.203
6Brandon McReynolds/Mooresville NC51.986184.2031975Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL51.992184.182
75Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL51.992184.1822011Bryan Silas/Stuart FL52.023184.072
11Bryan Silas/Stuart FL52.023184.0722136Robb Brent/Shelby Township MI52.094183.822
36Robb Brent/Shelby Township MI52.094183.8222281Craig Goess/Greenville NC52.340182.958
81Craig Goess/Greenville NC52.340182.9582344Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN52.384182.804
44Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN52.384182.8042452Bill Baird/Sturgis KY52.412182.706
52Bill Baird/Sturgis KY52.412182.7062582Sean Corr/Goshen NY52.497182.410
82Sean Corr/Goshen NY52.497182.4102643Kyle Martel/Lebanon PA52.554182.213
43Kyle Martel/Lebanon PA52.554182.2132738Alex Kennedy/Aztec NM52.715181.656
38Alex Kennedy/Aztec NM52.715181.6562842Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL52.848181.199
42Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL52.848181.1992914Chase Mattioli/Long Pond PA52.928180.925
14Chase Mattioli/Long Pond PA52.928180.9253076Jerick Johnson/Faribault MN53.090180.373
76Jerick Johnson/Faribault MN53.090180.3733159Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA53.600178.657
59Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA53.600178.6573248James Hylton/Inman SC53.712178.284
48James Hylton/Inman SC53.712178.2843323Mark Gibson/Winder GAProvisional
23Mark Gibson/Winder GAProvisional3434Darrell Basham/Henryville INProvisional
34Darrell Basham/Henryville INProvisional3528Brent Cross/Cortland NYProvisional
28Brent Cross/Cortland NYProvisional3626Brad Smith/Shelby Township MIProvisional
26Brad Smith/Shelby Township MIProvisional3706Wayne Peterson/Pulaski TNProvisional
06Wayne Peterson/Pulaski TNProvisional3810Marc Easton/Lake Saranac NYProvisional
10Marc Easton/Lake Saranac NYProvisional3968Larry Meadors/Louisville KYProvisional
68Larry Meadors/Louisville KYProvisional400Rob Jones/Bowie MDProvisional
0Rob Jones/Bowie MDProvisional4158Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OHProvisional
58Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OHProvisional4294Jason Basham/Henryville INProvisional
94Jason Basham/Henryville INProvisional
