Root Rockets to Pole at Watkins Glen

Photo: Porsche

Max Root has scored pole for this afternoon’s Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by The Cayman Islands round at Watkins Glen International.

The Moorespeed-Wright Motorsports driver reeled off a 1:47.446 late in the 30-minute qualifying session to edge out Sebring pole-sitter and Pro class points leader Seb Priaulx by 0.011 seconds.

Root’s time came with seven minutes remaining in the session.

Thursday pacesetter Kay van Berlo will start third in the No. 3 Kelly-Moss Road & Race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car followed by TJ Fischer in the No. 58 Topp Racing entry in fourth after a last-lap improvement.

Team Hardpoint EBM’s Riley Dickinson completed the top-five overall and in Pro.

Pro-Am pole honors went to the No. 99 Kelly-Moss Porsche of Alan Metni, who outpaced a recovering Efrin Castro after an accident in practice on Thursday.

Matt Halcome, meanwhile, will start from the Pro-Am 991 class pole in his previous-generation Porsche fielded by Goldcrest Motorsports.

The grid for Race 2 on Saturday will be set based on the second fastest qualifying lap or the fastest race lap in Race 1.

Race 1 is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. ET with live coverage on PorscheCarreraCup.us, Trackpass on NBC Sports Gold and IMSA.tv.

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