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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">GRAND AMERICAN ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">30/01/2004</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Wilden Takes Pole for Grand-Am Cup Daytona 250</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Beede Takes Touring Pole In Acura</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2"><B>Wilden Takes Pole for Grand-Am Cup Daytona 250</B><BR> <BR> Kenny Wilden captured the pole position for the Grand-Am Cup Series Daytona 250 on Thursday with his 2:06.106 lap in the Doncaster Racing No. 91 Porsche 996. Wilden bested the Grand Sport track record previously held by Brett Shanaman by more than a second with his qualifying lap.<BR> <BR> "The car was great. We didn't change the car at all. The track was a little slippery than it was earlier today. The car still worked very well," said Wilden. "I think the chances (of winning the race) are really good. They've won the championship the last few years, so Doncaster knows how to build a car. It's just a question of we haven't tested this car. This is the first day it's been on the track. As long as the bugs have been worked out of it, which I'm sure Porsche has already done, it should be good."<BR> <BR> Devon Powell took the outside pole position for the Daytona 250 with his 2:06.558 lap at 101.266 mph in the Powell Motorsports No. 11 Firebird, while Mark Plummer took the third position in the BGB Motorsports No. 36 Porsche 996 with a 2:06.684 lap at 101.165 mph.<BR> <BR> Bob Beede, who captured the 2003 Grand-Am Cup Sport Touring II class championship, made his debut in the Sport Touring class in style by posting the fastest qualifying time in the class. Beede clocked a 2:12.692 lap at 96.585 mph in the No. 27 Acura RSX-S of Bill Fenton Motorsports.<BR> <BR> "We came down here for testing the first part of January, and we were struggling. We couldn't get used to the cars. My co-driver Eric Curran and I, we experienced a lot in testing. He really worked with Steve, the crew chief, to get that car set-up. The work of those two guys did really paid off. I was here in January and couldn't drive the car. It was two-seconds a lap slower, and I couldn't get comfortable in it. Right from the get-go today we've been running really strong. We're just loving the car," said Beede.<BR> <BR> Ian James turned the second-fastest time in the Sport Touring class, recording a 2:13.386 lap in the Team Lexus No. 2 Lexus IS300. John Schmitt, who took the ST I driver championship last season, posted the third fast time with his 2:13.897 lap at 95.715 mph in Bill Fenton Motorsports' No. 29 Acura.<BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>