Brian Simo Sears Point qualifying

Brian Simo of Carlsbad, Calif., qualified 15th of 48 drivers for Sunday's 
NASCAR Winston Cup race in Sonoma, Calif.  Substituting for Hut Stricklin in 
the No. 90 Hills Bros Coffee Ford, Simo covered the two-mile Sears Point 
Raceway road course in one minute 18.062 seconds at an average speed of 
92.2344 miles an hour.

"I hoped to be in the front half of the field, but I didn't know if that 
would play out," he said.  "This is only my second time at single-attempt, 
one-lap qualifying.  I didn't know what to expect from myself or the car.  
Right now, the car and the team are ahead of me," he said, reflecting his 
limited track time in the car.

Sunday's 112-lap race is scheduled for 12:30 pm PT.

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Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945