DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Jan. 6, 2019) – Filipe Albuquerque gave Mustang Sampling Racing a prime choice of garage and pit positions for the upcoming Rolex At Daytona, turning in the fourth-fastest lap of a 15-minute qualifying session Sunday to highlight the Roar Before the Rolex 24.
Albuquerque ran his final lap of the 15-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi session in 1:34.282-seconds in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R that is co-driven by Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Mike Conway.
“It was a pretty good qualifying run,” Albuquerque said. “I thought I had put together a near perfect lap. I was surprised when they told me over the radio that I was only 4th. We still have some work to do for the race. I’m happy we were able to get a decent garage space for the team for the race, and we now have a lot of data to review.”
While Albuquerque was fourth fastest, Action Express Racing will get the third choice of pit and garage positions due to Team Joest Mazdas taking 1-2.
A year ago, the Mustang Sampling team gave Action Express Racing its fourth triumph in the Rolex 24, with Albuquerque joining three-time Rolex 24 overall winners Barbosa and Fittipaldi in the winning car. Conway joins the winning lineup after placing second in the 2018 Rolex 24.
Opening practice and official qualifying for the Rolex 24 At Daytona will take place on Thursday, Jan. 24. The 57th anniversary of the American endurance classic will take the green flag at 2:35 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26.