Mechanical Problem Spoils Smith's Qualifying Run in Talladega

October 30, 2010

TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 30, 2010) -- A starter issue on the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet was the culprit in Regan Smith's 39th-place qualifying effort Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith will start on the inside of Row 20 for Sunday's AMP Energy Juice 500 Sprint Cup race.

"We felt that we had the muscle to post a strong qualifying run, but the starter problem that surfaced before qualifying proved costly," stated Smith. "The good news is that it happened today and not tomorrow. Starting in the back here is not that big of a deal. The key is to stay in the draft and stay away from multicar wrecks."

Smith's qualifying lap on Talladega's 2.66-mile oval included a time of 52.799 seconds and a speed of 181.367 miles per hour.

The pole winner was Juan Pablo Montoya (184.640 mph). Rounding out the top-five in order were: Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Joe Nemechek and Jeff Burton.

Sunday's race will be televised on ESPN at 11 a.m. MT (noon local time). A 60-minute prerace show airs on ESPN2 at 10 a.m. MT (11 a.m. local).

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