The No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara of Wayne Taylor Racing will start Friday night’s Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Crown Royal 200 at The Glen from the inside of the second row after qualifying Thursday afternoon at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Defending race-winner Brian Frisselle, who with co-driver Max Angelelli currently sits just one point out of the series championship lead, clocked a fast qualifying lap of 1 minute, 5.326 seconds (135.015 mph) this afternoon over the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road circuit situated in New York’s Finger Lakes Region. It was the third-fastest lap among the 35 car-and-driver combinations entered for Friday’s 200-mile (or two-hour, whichever comes first) event.

“It’s always disappointing when you’re not on the pole, but it was a good run and it’s the top-three cars in the championship who are in the top-three again, so it was an overall solid session,” said Frisselle, who co-drove the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford Riley to his second career Rolex Series victory in as many weekends here last August. “We need to improve the car some more, and I think we can. Once we do, we should have the car to beat. It’s tough, doing all of practice and qualifying all in one day, but it’s the same for everybody, so it’s not too terrible. From here, we just have to put our heads down for the final practice session (this evening) and really try to work on some balance issues and try to get the SunTrust car up front. It’s a good place to be for the start of the race, here – on the inside. Whatever happens at the start of the race tomorrow night, it’ll be a matter of just taking what comes to you and keep your head down and hand off the car in good condition. Don’t force anything. I’ve learned my lesson and I’m going to be focused tomorrow night. ”

Jon Fogarty scored his third pole of the season in the No. 99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley he shares with Alex Gurney. Memo Rojas qualified second in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley he shares with Scott Pruett. The front-row starters are tied for the Rolex Series championship lead, while the SunTrust team is just one point behind with four races remaining.

“I’m happy with the outcome today,” said team owner Wayne Taylor, who twice co-drove to victory at The Glen with Angelelli in the SunTrust car in 2005 en route to that season’s Rolex Series championship. “We’re happy with P3, and I think Brian and all the guys did a good job. You know, starting on the inside line heading into turn one at Watkins Glen is a good place to be. I think we have a good car and a good spot, so hopefully we’ll have a good race tomorrow and leave here in a good position in the championship.”

The top-five in qualifying were the following teams:

1. Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing (No. 99 Pontiac Riley) with Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney (1:05.069 at 135.548 mph)

2. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (No. 01 Lexus Riley) with Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett (1:05.315 at 135.038 mph)

3. SunTrust Racing (No. 10 Ford Dallara) with Brian Frisselle and Max Angelelli (1:05.326 at 135.015 mph)

4. AIM Autosport (No. 61 Ford Riley) with Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins (1:05.336 at 134.994 mph)

5. Penske Racing (No. 12 Porsche Riley) with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas (1:05.730 at 134.185 mph)

Race time Friday is 6:30 p.m. EDT, with SPEED-TV’s delayed broadcast set to begin at 8 p.m. Complete results from all on-track sessions, as well as live timing and scoring during the race, can be found at www.grand-am.com.

– SunTrust: The Official Bank of Motorsports –

SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation's largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients.  As of June 30, 2009, SunTrust had total assets of $176.7 billion and total deposits of $118.8 billion.  The Company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels.  The Company also serves customers in selected markets nationally.  Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services.  Through various subsidiaries the Company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, investment management, equipment leasing and capital markets services.  SunTrust’s Internet address is suntrust.com.