Special from Speed51.com – Cole Rouse set the fastest time at Winchester Speedway, earning him the pole position for tomorrow’s 46th Annual Winchester 400 at the famed Indiana half-mile.
With a lap time of 15.360 seconds, Rouse averaged more than 117 miles per hour around Winchester Speedway to earn his spot at the front of the field for tomorrow’s 400-lap ARCA/CRA Super Series 400-lap season-ending event.
After qualifying, Rouse was honored to be able to say he will start up front for this prestigious event.
“It’s a big event,” Rouse told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. “A lot of great guys and great cars. It’s good to get a pole here for my team and everybody. I’ve got to thank Toyota, KBM, all the guys involved at JBL.”
As far as tomorrow’s race, Rouse intends on leading early and often now that he has a front-row seat for lap one.
“It’s a long race, it’s 400 laps. Being able to stay up front and run our race will be important. We’ve got to be there at the end. We would like to lead the most laps tomorrow.”
Along with the prestige of the Winchester 400 and its signature Winchester rifle trophy, the ARCA/CRA Super Series will determine its 2017 champion tomorrow. Johnny VanDoorn qualified second for the race, placing him highest in the qualifying standings of the four championship contenders.
This season marks the first time the ARCA/CRA Super Series has utilized a “Championship Chase” format to crown its champion. VanDoorn will be battling with Dalton Armstrong (qualified fourth), Wes Griffith (qualified 19th), and Logan Runyon (qualified 24th) for the title.
However, VanDoorn is not concerned with the championship this weekend. He is far more interested in adding his name to the list of Winchester 400 winners.
“Honestly, I’m not really concerned about the championship deal,” VanDoorn said. “Winning the [Winchester] 400 would mean more than winning the championship. If we happen to win a championship along the way, that’s a bonus.
“I’m not paying too much attention to what the other guys are doing. I’m just focused on doing what we’ve got to do.”
Race fans can watch all of the action from the 46th Annual Winchester 400 weekend live on Speed51.com via a pay-per-view broadcast. Purchase a live video ticket today by clicking here – http://speed51.com/speed51-tv-2017-winchester-400-winchester-speedway-in/
-By Zach Evans, Speed51.com Southeast Correspondent – Twitter: @ZTEvans
-Photo Credit: Speed51.com
Winchester 400 Qualifying Results
1 51 Cole Rouse 15.360
2 71 Johnny VanDoorn #C 15.407
3 18 Noah Gragson 15.444
4 4 Dalton Armstrong #C 15.461
5 26 Travis Braden 15.468
6 26T Rick Turner 15.470
7 81 Terry Fisher Jr 15.476
8 99 Raphael Lessard 15.482
9 51O Brandon Oakley 15.490
10 2W Donnie Wilson 15.494
11 12B Harrison Burton 15.538
12 66 Stephen Wallace 15.568
13 71N Ben Welch 15.575
14 51N Stephen Nasse 15.580
15 5 Hope Hornish 15.595
16 20 Jack Dossey III 15.614
17 26S Chandler Smith 15.649
18 41 Hunter Jack 15.699
19 7 Wes Griffith Jr #C 15.703
20 131 Kyle Crump 15.767
21 47S Dakota Stroup 15.815
22 5M Mason Mingus 15.843
23 1 Jon Beach 15.861
24 6 Logan Runyon #C 15.910
25 28S Jack Smith 15.920
26 26V Brandon Varney 16.039
27 23 Billy VanMeter 16.204
28 40 Jordan Miller 16.535
29 91 Rich Segvich 17.428
