DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Max Angelelli prevailed in a back-and-forth battle in qualifying Thursday at Daytona International Speedway to capture the pole for the 48th Rolex 24 At Daytona. Angelelli secured the top position for the opening round of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series with a lap of 1:40.827 seconds (127.108 mph) in the No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara.

Ozz Negri will start from the outside of row one after running 1:41.100 (126.765 mph), in the No. 60 Crown Royal Ford Riley, edging out Michael Shank Racing teammate Michael Valiante, 1:41.110 (126.755 mph) in the No. 6 Ford Riley.
“The car is great,” Angelelli said. “It’s really easy to drive. It’s fast. We have everything in place, and we’re really looking forward to the race to get a good result. Now it’s up to us as drivers to make it happen. The SunTrust car is just fast – unbelievable.”

The opening practice session was marked by three single-car incidents that damaged contending cars driven by four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Lucas Luhr and Martin Ragginger. All three cars are expected to be ready to race following extensive repairs.

The defending Rolex Series Daytona Prototype champion GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team initially made plans to fly in a spare car – driven by Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty to the 2007 championship – after Johnson crashed in the infield when a slower car moved in front of him. However, the team decided to rebuild the damaged car with parts being flown in from Riley Technologies in Concord, N.C.
“I put myself in a position with a GT car that I shouldn’t and paid the price,” said Johnson, who was unhurt in the incident. “I hate it that I tore up equipment and put the guys in this spot. It looks like we will get this fixed and hopefully everything will be good for tomorrow.”

Jeff Segal won the GT pole in the final lap of qualifying with a track record lap of 1:49.282 (117.275 mph) in the No. 69 SpeedSource FXDD Mazda RX-8.
The Rolex 24 takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on SPEED.