IRWINDALE, Calif. – One week after earning his first ARCA Menards Series West victory, Jesse Love added a General Tire Pole Award to his young resume.
Love, 15, took the No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota to a lap of 18.059 seconds (99.673 mph) around the half-mile paved oval, topping a field of 16 competitors.
The Menlo Park, Calif., teenager has driven late models, dirt midgets and a winged sprint car so far this season, in addition to his time with Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA West ranks, but has come into his own in the heavier stock cars over the past two weekends.
Love’s pole-winning lap was more than a tenth of a second faster than the second-quick No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Lucas Oil Ford of Trevor Huddleston, who turned in a time of 18.185 seconds (98.983 mph) to earn the outside front-row starting spot.
Rolling off third is Love’s teammate, Gio Scelzi, after a qualifying time of 18.217 seconds (98.809 mph). He’ll start alongside Blaine Perkins (18.219/98.798), who won the second half of the road-course doubleheader at Utah Motorsports Campus one week ago.
Jack Wood’s Toyota completed the top five on the starting grid, followed by Lawless Alan, Gracie Trotter, Dustin Ash, Todd Souza and Holley Hollan.
Saturday’s qualifying session was conducted through a one-hour session, during which a driver’s fastest lap was counted as their qualifying time.
The ENEOS 125 Presented by NAPA Auto Parts will go green at 9 p.m. ET, with live coverage via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.