Bell Scores First Career Pole at VIR

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Jaxon Bell scored his first career IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge pole in qualifying for this afternoon’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway.

Bell, in the No. 23 Koch-Copeland Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, reeled off a 1:52.771 lap time to outpace series debutant Finn Wiebelhaus in the GS points-leading No. 13 McAleer McCumbee Racing Ford Mustang GT4 by 0.467 seconds.

Cao Chaves qualified third in the No. 54 Panam Motorsport Toyota, followed by Hannah Greenmeier, whose three-race pole streak by Heart of Racing Team was broken.

Paul Holton completed the top-five in the No. 46 Team TGM Mustang.

While the 15-minute GS qualifying session ran without any red flags, there were multiple spins in the grass, including at least two from the No. 6 LAP Motorsport Mustang of Scott Thomson, as well as the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Byrce Ward.

TCR pole honors went to the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Bryson Morris.

Morris recorded a new track qualifying record lap of 1:54.920 late in the session to have initially edged out the No. 5 KMW Motorsport with TMR Engineering Honda Civic FL5 TCR of Rocco Pasquarella by 0.046 seconds.

However, Pasquarella was involved in an incident with the No. 18 BHA Hyundai of Lance Bergstein on the back straight that led to a heavy crash by Bergstein, whose Hyundai sustained heavy damage and bring out a session-ending red flag with four minutes to go.

Pasquarella lost his two fastest laps as a result of causing the red flag.

It promoted the No. 93 MMG Honda of LP Montur to a front row start.

The Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix gets underway at 2:15 p.m. EST with live coverage on Peacock as well as IMSA’s YouTube channel, commercial-free courtesy of Michelin.

RESULTS: Qualifying

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John