TALLADEGA, Ala. - With a different driver, ML Motorsports will start from the same position Saturday at Talladega Superspeed-way as the Warsaw-based NASCAR Nationwide Series team did last year.
Shelby Howard, making his third start for ML Motorsports since replacing Mark Green behind the wheel of Mary Louise Millerís No. 70 Chevy, qualified 26th Friday for Saturday's Aaron's 312.
The 23-year-old Greenwood native made his way around the high-banked 2.66-mile oval in 52.348 seconds at a speed of 182.930 miles per hour.
In last year's Nationwide Series race at Talladega, Green qualified 26th and finished fifth.
"We went a little bit faster in qualifying than we did last year, but everyone else picked up some time too," said ML Motorsports crew chief Brian Ross. "I think the car might be a tick better (than last year). We didn't change much on the body, just some suspension work. I think we might have a little bit better engine."
Coverage of Saturday's race will begin at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
Ryan Newman qualified on the pole, followed in the top five by Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Jason Leffler and Bobby Gerhart.
Carl Edwards will start from the sixth position, while Scott Lagasse Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski round out the top 10.
In Thursday's first 50-minute practice session, Howard was 36th on the speed chart. In the final practice session, Howard was 16th.
"In drafting practice Shelby was comfortable with the car," said Ross. "He's comfortable with it, I'm comfortable with it. He doesn't have a lot of experience here in the Nationwide car, so it may take a little bit before he gets used to being bounced around in the pack."
At Talladega and Daytona, where cars use a power-sapping restrictor plate, cars often run in two- and three- and sometimes four-wide packs.
It's a high-speed chess game, and the cars are only inches from each other in the draft - a technique where drivers work together to push and pull each otherís car around the track faster.
"You just have to be in the right place at the right time and make some quick decisions," said Ross.
Saturday marks Howard's first restrictor-place race start in the Nationwide Series.
He has competed at Talladega in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
At the age of 17, Howard competed in the 2002 ARCA race at Talladega, qualifying 13th and finishing 13th. A year later, he qualified 16th and finished 27th.
In his most recent race at Talladega, Howard qualified 14th and finished 17th in last year's Truck Series race.
