[LSC9901]

Patrick Carpentier pulled off a major upset by winning his first career pole for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Carpentier drove his Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge to his first pole in his 17th Sprint Cup start and will lead the field to the green in Sunday's 17th race of the 2008 season.

"It's amazing," Carpentier said. "You would've told me I would struggle on the road course last week and get the pole this week, I would have told you that you were crazy."

The qualifying sessions was halted for about a 90-minute rain delay after only 24 cars took laps. Once the skies cleared and the track dried, the rest of the field took their laps with Carpentier turning his surprising lap of 129.776 mph.

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[saltysenior]

what track is closest to canada????

[LSC9901]

Watkins Glen might be closer than Loudon.

[Bob Tanner]

Either the guy should get an Academy Award for "Best performance Climbing Out of a Car," or the guy was genuinely happy with his pole run yesterday. My personal bet is on the latter. As I said in a previous thread, I t think that NA__AR needs more enthusiasm like that today.

Did "playing before a home crowd" have anything to do with it? I doubt it. There sure wasn't much of a crowd which braved the rain yesterday to watch him make his run, was there?
Did NA__AR "manufacture" the run to get some hype build up for the upcoming Montreal race? Probably not, but it does bring up disturbing visions, and it's something some of us wouldn't put past NA__AR doing.

Whatever, I'm personally happy for the guy. His smile is infectious. When he says, "I just want to drive stock cars (good luck there, Patrick!) and want to be around NASCAR a long time," you just gotta like the guy. He's proof that there are a lot of good guys from the Swamp.

Score one point for George Gillette, who brought Carpentier to the series.

Besides, from what I recollect, Patrick is the first Canadian (I know he lives in Vegas but he has retained his Canadian citizenship, hasn't he?) to ever earn a Cup pole?

[WestCoast]

Ron Fellows is still the top Canuck, as far as Nascar stats are concerned:

Three NASCAR Busch Series Wins (1998, 2000, 2001)
Two NASCAR Truck Series Wins (1997, 1999)

MR. POLE AWARD: Ron Fellows has five career poles at Watkins Glen International. Fellows has gone to victory lane three of the five times he had won the pole award.

* Two NASCAR Busch Series Pole Awards (1999, 2000)
* Three NASCAR Truck Series Pole Awards (1997, 1998, 1999
_________________________
Good for Patrick, I'm surprised, as he was somewhat of an "underachiever" in CART.
He also got the lite Pole in Montreal.

[Nevadastars]

I'm happy for him, but my guess is he will be mid-pack by lap 30. Did anyone happen to notice the lopsided differences between qualifying and the last practice session?

Carpentier starts on the pole and was 36th in final practice.

Montoya was fastest in the final practice, yet qualified 32nd.

Labonte is second quick in qualifying, but 21st in final practice.

The majority of cars ended up this way, which I thought was really odd and should provide for an interesting race.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

I'm happy for him, but my guess is he will be mid-pack by lap 30. Did anyone happen to notice the lopsided differences between qualifying and the last practice session?

Carpentier starts on the pole and was 36th in final practice.

Montoya was fastest in the final practice, yet qualified 32nd.

Labonte is second quick in qualifying, but 21st in final practice.

The majority of cars ended up this way, which I thought was really odd and should provide for an interesting race.

It's because the Chosen 35 devote all their practice times to race set ups. The Non-Chosen have to devote all their time to the qualifying set ups and they have full qualifying set ups in the cars when they run for time.

Thanks for pointing this out, Don. It's just a perfect example of how unfair and unequitable the Chosen 35 Rule is. Carpentier hasn't snowball's chance in Hell of staying close to the front once the green falls.

[Nevadastars]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Carpentier hasn't snowball's chance in Hell of staying close to the front once the green falls.

That is pretty much what Wally Dallenbach just said in the pre-race show. In fact, he said he could be 20th by lap #2.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

That is pretty much what Wally Dallenbach just said in the pre-race show. In fact, he said he could be 20th by lap #2.

Yeah I just heard that as well. It will be interestin to see how things go.... I think Carpentier will drop like a rock..... Labonte not near as fast.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Yeah I just heard that as well. It will be interestin to see how things go.... I think Carpentier will drop like a rock..... Labonte not near as fast.

Patrick's desire today is to just finish in the top 20 and hopefully lead one lap. He admits that he has no experience at this track.

[wingkey1]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

I'm happy for him, but my guess is he will be mid-pack by lap 30. Did anyone happen to notice the lopsided differences between qualifying and the last practice session?

Carpentier starts on the pole and was 36th in final practice.

Montoya was fastest in the final practice, yet qualified 32nd.

Labonte is second quick in qualifying, but 21st in final practice.

The majority of cars ended up this way, which I thought was really odd and should provide for an interesting race.

It's the old - those out of the top 35 have got to use all of their pre-qualifying practice time and the qual effort to set up to be quick early, while those in the 35 can use the pre-qual through post-qual time to search for set ups that work over the longer term(run).

The "good" this weekend is that there is no impound after quals so the "out of the top 35'ers" can move to/towards their best (personal/team) race set up. Unfortunately this no impound situation makes it painfully clear in some instances just how far off some are from being race competitive.

Be nice to be wrong here, but ----

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by wingkey1

It's the old - those out of the top 35 have got to use all of their pre-qualifying practice time and the qual effort to set up to be quick early, while those in the 35 can use the pre-qual through post-qual time to search for set ups that work over the longer term(run).

The "good" this weekend is that there is no impound after quals so the "out of the top 35'ers" can move to/towards their best (personal/team) race set up. Unfortunately this no impound situation makes it painfully clear in some instances just how far off some are from being race competitive.

Be nice to be wrong here, but ----

Right on the money. I have yet to hear any good, valid reason why, competition-wise (and isn't THAT what racing is all about), the Chosen 35 Rule has anything positive going for it.

<SLAP!> Oh, I forgot... "If "My" driver doesn't qualify, what am I going to do then?"

Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OrionBen]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Watkins Glen might be closer than Loudon.

Glen is closer but Michgan is even closer.
But Loudon is the closest race track from Montreal, Pat fan base home.

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Either the guy should get an Academy Award for "Best performance Climbing Out of a Car," or the guy was genuinely happy with his pole run yesterday. My personal bet is on the latter. As I said in a previous thread, I t think that NA__AR needs more enthusiasm like that today.

It is definitely the later. I follow him since his formula atlantic and this is one guy that money and fame hasn't change much.

Definitaly more driver like him would be needed, the only other two driver that I put in this category is Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray. You rarely seems them angry.

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Did NA__AR "manufacture" the run to get some hype build up for the upcoming Montreal race? Probably not, but it does bring up disturbing visions, and it's something some of us wouldn't put past NA__AR doing.

I don't think so either, lately GEM car have had good qualifying result for the 9 and 19 cars. But I wouldn't pass it behid NA$CAR

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Besides, from what I recollect, Patrick is the first Canadian to ever earn a Cup pole?

Second cup Canadian Pole Sitter.
Toronto's Lloyd Shaw capture the pole for the 1953 Internation 2000 at Langhorne Speedway, PA.

Originally Posted by nevadastars

That is pretty much what Wally Dallenbach just said in the pre-race show. In fact, he said he could be 20th by lap #2.

He manage to lead the first 4 laps and stay in the top 5 for the first fifty lap, but he lost his break then and manage finish 31st with only back brake for the last 2/3rd of the race.

Did he lost his break because he's a rookie that overdrive or that the team is new and did not get the right brake type, I don't think we'll know, but they learned for the September race.

That team is constantly progressing this year and they are confident for the second half. The only fear I have is that Pat mentioned that they have miss the race so few times that they have use most of the race sponsorship for the race this season. They had a local car dealer today and hopefully it won't mean money cutback and regression when they start (driver and team) to know the car for the second go around of track this season

Originally Posted by wingkey1

Unfortunately this no impound situation makes it painfully clear in some instances just how far off some are from being race competitive.

Wait for next week-end Daytona Impound qualification where Carpentier will get his second pole
The the top-ten will have 8 non-top 35 car in there, which have the non-top 35 qualifying in Q setup while the chosen-35 will go with race setup because of the impound.

[Bob Tanner]

When I remember Carpentier's performance at Montreal last year, this year, with more stock car experience and being in front of a hometown crowd, he should be awesome (apologies to Jeffie-Pooh for stealing his copyrighted adjective).