Scott Speed Snags the Pole for Nationwide Race

In his debut, Scott Speed successfully secured the pole position for today's NASCAR Nationwide race in Las Vegas. Speed joined a crowd of only nine drivers before him to qualify on the pole in their first Nationwide effort.

Speed took the pole in his Toyota Red Bull No. 99 car at a speed of 182.451 mph. Right behind him was Greg Biffle, who will start on the outside pole in his CitiFinancial Ford.

Denny Hamlin qualified third, and Kyle Busch, in his Z-Line Designs Toyota, came in a close fourth.

Busch has had an eventful time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He qualified on the pole in the Sprint Cup race, only to have to move to the rear of the field due to an engine change.

Busch also successfully crashed a wedding in Victory Lane over the weekend. As he headed there for his photo shoot for pole qualifying, a couple from Laramie, Wyo. was fulfilling their life long dream of marrying at the speedway.

The happy couple were minus a witness to their nuptials, so after his pole celebration, Busch happily stepped into the wedding to fulfill the role.

From Victory and Wedding Lane and returning to Nationwide qualifying, young Steve Wallace had a great run, qualifying in the sixth position. Seventh through 10th included: Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Mike Bliss, and Speed's teammate Brian Vickers.

Drivers who did not qualify for the Nationwide race included: Derrike Cope, Kertus Davis, John Borneman III, and Mark Harmon.

Kevin Harvick's crew chief Ernie Cope remarked that he was very surprised by Speed's taking of the pole. While he recognized that Speed was second in practice, he certainly acknowledged that Speed had been "flying under the radar" for the qualifying session.

So, with Speed Demon and Happy Harvick leading the Nationwide field this afternoon in the Sam Town's, look for a great battle from the time the green flag waves.