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Maxwell Scores CTSC Pole at The Glen

Scott Maxwell rockets to Continental Tire Challenge pole at The Glen…

Photo: Vincent Wouters

Photo: Vincent Wouters

Scott Maxwell will start Saturday’s Continental Tire 150 from the pole, following an exciting, mixed-condition qualifying for the fourth round of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season.

Maxwell reeled off a 2:00.514 lap time in his No. 15 Multimatic Ford Shelby GT350R-C, edging out the No. 33 CJ Wilson Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport of Danny Burkett by 0.084 seconds.

The two drivers exchanged provisional pole throughout the 15-minute session, as the track dried out and led to quicker times in the closing moments.

However, a rain shower after the checkered flag dashed hopes of any improvement by Burkett on his final lap.

It marked Maxwell’s second Continental Tire Challenge pole of the season, one year from the Ford Shelby’s debut race, which also saw the longtime Multimatic development driver start on pole.

Maxwell will share the wheel of the car with Billy Johnson in tomorrow’s two-hour and 30-minute race.

The No. 09 Automatic Racing Aston Martin GT4 of Charlie Putman will start third overall and in class, thanks to a 2:02.328 lap time, followed by the No. 35 CJ Wilson Porsche of Till Bechtolscheimer in fourth.

Rob Ecklin completed the top-five in the No. 99 Automatic Aston, with Cameron Cassels sixth in the No. 12 BodyMotion Porsche, which led Thursday’s opening practice session.

Three of the nine GS class cars did not set a time in the session.

The ST class was an all-Mini front row, with Derek Jones and James Vance benefiting from changing track conditions to put their Mini JCWs on top.

Jones posted a 2:19.332 in his No. 73 entry on his final lap. It was 0.166 seconds quicker than Vance, who also made a late improvement.

It marked Jones’ first career Continental Tire Challenge pole, as well as the first top qualifying run for the JCW team.

Jones will share the wheel of the pole-sitting Mini with Mat Pombo on Saturday.

The No. 93 HART Honda Civic Si of Chad Gilsinger, who led the majority of the session, had to settle for third, thanks to a final-lap run of 2:19.807, followed by the sister No. 92 entry of Steve Eich in fourth.

Unlike the GS category, the ST class cars qualified on Continental wets, which shook up the running order compared to the practice sessions, which were topped by the RS1 Porsche Caymans in the dry.

The Continental Tire 150 is set for 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday.

RESULTS: Qualifying

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

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