Rain Cancels Qualifying, No. 12 Penske Dodge Will Start 30th
October 31, 2009
TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 31, 2009) - David Stremme, driver of the No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger, will start Sunday's restrictor-plate event at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway from the 30th position after today's qualifying session was canceled due to inclement weather.
Stremme completed two practice sessions on Friday. In first practice, Stremme posted a fast lap time of 50.375 seconds at a speed of 190.094 miles per hour, placing him in 30th place overall. Stremme's fast lap of 50.547 seconds at a speed of 189.447 miles per hour in final practice was good enough for 19th overall.
With the cancellation of qualifying, the field was set by 2009 owner points per the NASCAR rule book. Currently 30th in the standings, the No. 12 team will line up on the inside of the 15th row for tonight's 188-lap event.
"You could tell there wouldn't be much action on the track today as soon as you looked outside," said Stremme immediately following NASCAR's announcement. "Qualifying at Talladega is not as critical as it is at other tracks. You can go from last to first a few times throughout the race, so it doesn't matter where you start. We'll rest up today and be ready to move through the field tomorrow."
The Amp Energy 500 can be seen live on Sunday, November 1st on the ABC television network. Race coverage is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128.
Driver: David Stremme
Starting Position: 30th
Pole:
# 48 - Jimmie Johnson
Penske Racing Teammates:
#2 - 6th
#77 - 27th