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TRANS-AM: Simo on pole for Detroit Johnson Controls 100 Trans-Am

7 August 1999

DETROIT, Mich. - Brian Simo, of Carlsbad, Calif., earned his fifth pole of the season to front a 32-car field in the Johnson Controls 100 BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am Series race on the streets of Belle Isle, Mich. Simo, driving the No. 2 Valvoline Ford Mustang Cobra, posted a top time of 1:33.159 (91.237 mph), while Michael Lewis, in the No. 12 AmeriSuites Mustang Cobra, was second-fastest at 1:34.611 (89.837 mph). Chris Neville, in the No. 88 Tomy Bahama Mustang Cobra qualified third, followed by Johnny Miller IV, in the No. 64 Automationdirect.com Chevrolet Camaro and Tony Ave, in the No. 6 Clover Enterprises Camaro.

The track layout is really nice, with lots of passing opportunities, said Simo. One of the keys here is the traffic, and that the track surface always gets quicker.

Neville, the Drivers Championship points leader, will be performing double duty, providing in-car television commentary while he competes for the checkered flag.

Im going to be doing a little less commentary than Dorsey (Schroeder) has, and if it interferes with my racing I can pull the plug, said Neville. Racing is our primary objective here.

Defending Johnson Controls 100 Detroit race winner Paul Gentilozzi, in the No. 1 Johnson Controls/HomeLink Mustang Cobra, qualified seventh despite suffering a damaged suspension component after he and Tomy Drissi, in the No. 15 Drissi Advertising Mustang Cobra, made contact early in the qualifying session. "I'm coming around a blind corner and he (Drissi) pulls out into traffic and he got me," said Gentilozzi. "The contact bent my right front lower A-arm and caster link. It happened early enough in the session where I hadn't yet posted a very quick time and it was a short enough session that there wasn't time to fix it. There's a lot more in this car, we just didn't get the opportunity to show it."

The 42-lap, 99.162-mile Johnson Controls 100 Trans-Am race will be televised Monday, August 9, on the Speedvision Network, beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

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