HAMPTON, Ga. — Jake Garcia led a ThorSport Motorsports sweep of the front row during qualifying Friday for Saturday afternoon’s Fr8 208 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at EchoPark Speedway.
The 20-year-old driver guided the No. 98 Ford to a lap of 32.05 seconds at 172.980 mph to earn the top qualifying spot by .047 seconds over teammate and two-time series champion Ben Rhodes in the No. 99 Ford.
It was Garcia’s first pole of the season and the fourth of his career.
“It’s great to start out front here at Atlanta,” Garcia said. “It’s hard to pass and if you can control a lane, you can put yourself in a good position to get stage points. It’s really special to start on the pole here. It’s a home track for me and I’m excited to lead the field to green in front of a Georgia crowd.”
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will start third in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, while Tyler Ankrum starts fourth in a McAnnally-Hilgemann Chevrolet.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start fifth in a Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports.
ThorSport Ford mates Cole Butcher and Ty Majeski will start sixth and seventh, respectively.
Trans Am Series veteran Adam Andretti qualified a Chevrolet eighth for Niece Motorsports in his very first Truck Series effort.
