Substitute Driver Almirola Takes Pole For Milwaukee Busch Race

Saturday, June 23rd 2007, 6:51 pm

By: News On 6

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) -- Pinch-hitting for regular driver Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola took the pole for the NASCAR Busch Series race at the Milwaukee Mile for the second straight year with a lap of 121.589 mph on Saturday.

As he did last year, Almirola was expected to turn the No. 20 Chevrolet over to Hamlin for Saturday night's race. But Hamlin -- one of a handful of Nextel Cup drivers attempting to run the Busch race in Milwaukee and the Cup race in Sonoma, Calif. on Sunday --
was to start from the back of the pack because of the driver change, assuming he arrived in Milwaukee in time for the race.

Jason Leffler qualified second, followed by Scott Wimmer, Brad Coleman and Shane Huffman.

Busch Series points leader Carl Edwards, another Nextel Cup regular trying to race in Wisconsin and California this weekend, left practice in Sonoma to fly to Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon, then had to sprint through the Milwaukee Mile garage area to make
it to his car in time to qualify. He qualified ninth.