WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Qualifying at the AMD at the Glen was a dramatic affair which helped give rowdy Finger Lakes’ NASCAR fans their money’s worth after the past two years have been scrubbed due to rain.
This year, sunny track temperatures produced a slick 2.5-mile road course which has crew worried about tire wear. Pole pro Ryan Newman was thought to have the front row, inside groove sewed up — until former open wheel standout Kasey Kahne drove a stunning lap to blow Ryan away.
Kahne, who’s already won a few poles and races this season, was thwarted when 2004 Nextel champ Kurt Busch bettered his fastest practice time by a couple of tenths of a second to snatch the top spot.
Mississauga’s Ron Fellows, whose day job is driving th factory Corvettes in the American LeMans Series, but starts his 15th Nextel Cup race Sunday, said he blew his run in the fast Glen Esses.
Without enough owner points in the Cal Wells Tide #32, Fellows had to time into the race. One slip and he heading for the Peace Bridge, home.“Last year Wells had the points and we didn’t have to worry,” Fellows said after explaining how he blew the Esses and lost valuable time and positions.
In the end, Fellows will start the 90 lapper sitting on the ninth row in 18th beside Casey Mears.Fellows, who practiced six tenths of a second quicker than his qualifying round would have sat on the fourth row, just ahead of Kevin Harvick and last year’s Glen winner Tony Stewart, also beating out other invaders such as Scott Pruett and Boris Said.
“We just bundled it in the Esses,” continued Fellows of his starting position run. “The car didn’t turn like it did in practice, and I went in there pretty hot. There’s a couple things the car did better, but we just messed up the Esses and that cost more than a half a second.”
Without pre-race Glen practice, Fellows said that the test two weeks ago at Road Atlanta didn’t mean much.
"We came here and started from scratch getting the car to handle."
From being the top invader in practice to starting behind Pruett and Said, only former Trans-Am racer Brian Simo is in the show, starting 41st.
Other road racing specialist to miss the race are Johnny Miller, Max Papis (trying Kenny Wallace’s car), Tom Hubert, David Murry, and Dale Quarterley.In Saturday’s Busch Series, which qualifies race day, Fellows feels he can improve on his seventh position run.
He’s driving the #33 Outdoor Channel car owned by Kevin Harvick.
UPDATE: NASCAR.COM has a story on Ron on its main site.... talking about him being fast on Saturday.
Words and Photos By Bruce Bonham
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