Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies qualified on pole position for AMA Superstock Wednesday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. Using a Dunlop qualifying tire on his 2007-model Suzuki GSX-R1000, Spies lapped the 2.95-mile infield road course in 1:38.355, a new lap record for the class, but according to Spies it could have been even faster. “I had a really good lap going, but coming into the chicane I caught up to a guy,” said Spies, after saying his race set-up was good. “I got upset, probably too much. It almost ruined our lap. It knocked three or four 10ths off of it. I was definitely surprised to see we were at 1:38.3 when I came around. I would have liked to have seen how it would have been. I think we would have touched the high-1:37s. That would have been nice, but I can’t do anything about it. It should be a good race. I’d like to say we can win it. I haven’t won here, but the bike’s working really good and it’s going to be really good at the end of the race.” Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May was at the top of the time charts for most of the 40-minute qualifying session, but his best effort of 1:38.661 on his Pirelli-equipped GSX-R1000 only held up for second-best. “We’re looking really good for the race,” said May. “We wanted to get up there. To come out at Daytona with guns blazing, making a big impression on the factory guys, I think we accomplished that today by being up at the top of the order most of the time. It was a good day for Suzuki and the GSX-R1000 and the Pirelli tires. I think it’s going to be a good season.” Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Ben Bostrom led at several points of the session on his YZF-R1, but he had to abort his final lap on his last qualifying tire due to waving yellow flags in the infield. Bostrom tried to stretch his Dunlop qualifying tire for another lap, but that lap was no faster than his best, 1:38.952, the third-fastest time. Bostrom said he hopes his injured left shoulder doesn’t hold him back in the race, but he admitted that it “hurts like hell,” especially when he is off his bike. The final spot on the Superstock front row went to Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Aaron Yates, who turned a 1:39.288 on his GSX-R1000. In spite of his strong result, Yates said he had a troubled session and ran out of time while trying to find a long-distance set-up. Earning spots on the second row of the Superstock grid were: Yates’ teammate Jake Holden, who missed the winter test at Daytona; 24-year-old Colombian Martin Cardenas, who rode a Motul-sponsored Kawasaki ZX-10R; Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich, who rode a Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000; and Danny Eslick, who lost time during Wednesday morning’s Superstock practice when a seal blew out on his Matsushima Performance Suzuki GSX-R1000, causing an oil leak. Only 22 of the 27 riders who tried made the 110% qualifying cut-off time of 1:48.191. AMA Superstock Championship Daytona international Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida March 7, 2007 Provisional Race Results: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:38.355 2. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:38.661 3. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:38.952 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:39.288 5. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:39.663 6. Martin Cardenas (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:41.299 7. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:42.117 8. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:42.775 9. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:43.428 10. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:43.528 11. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:43.840 12. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:44.226 13. Tristan Palmer (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:44.322 14. David Loikits (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:44.962 15. Santiago Villa (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:44.967 16. Bryan West (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:45.327 17. Corey Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:45.442 18. M. Ivan Garza (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:45.494 19. Johnny Rock Page (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:46.684 20. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:46.743 21. Matt Hall (Yam YZF-R1), 1:46.751 22. Chad Rolland (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:47.640 110% of Fast Time: 1:48.191 Did Not Qualify: 23. Matthew Bushe (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:48.596 24. Robert McLendon (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:48.636 25. Dwayne Lang (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:49.123 26. Joe Ribeiro (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:49.513 27. Brian Boyd (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:50.824