DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Considering he hadn’t driven the car until a day prior, Marco Wittman’s effort Saturday in Motul Pole Award 100 qualifying is all the more impressive. Wittman said the primary benefit of being fastest qualifier for a qualifying race is the emotional boost it provides. In the GT Daytona class, Ryan Hardwick claimed the class pole for the Motul Pole Award 100. “This is all new for us, this entire qualifying process,” Hardwick said after turning a lap of 1:46.831 (119.965 mph) that made him the best of 19 GTD qualifiers for Sunday’s race. Since the Motul Pole Award for the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona is determined from the results of the qualifying race, Saturday’s effort doesn’t count as Hardwick’s first career pole position. “It’s really rewarding for me to put together a lap like that in the conditions that we had today,” Hardwick said.

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