DANVILLE, VA. – Arlington, Va. native Spencer Pumpelly set the fastest time in practice and then continued his lead-role performance by winning the pole for Sunday’s six-hour season-ending race in the Grand Sport class of the KONI Challenge series.

Pumpelly steered his Porsche 997 to a lap time of 2:04.453 at 94.590 mph to beat out Jep Thornton’s BMW M3 by just .331 second. Thornton’s time barely topped Ross Smith’s effort in a Porsche, with a difference of only five thousandths of a second. Thornton and his teammate, Jeff Segal, have the points lead going into the final race of the season. The pair lead Joe Foster by 25 points. If Thornton and Segal have a bad day Sunday and fail to finish higher than 22nd, and Foster should share the win, Foster could capture the season crown by one point, adding even more drama to the final race in the season.

Competing in the Grand Sport division for late model sports cars, Pumpelly, listed as living in Mason Neck, Va., is nineteenth in points for the year, with a trio of top three finishes, including a win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, a second at Lime Rock Park and a third at Barber Motorsports Park, plus another top ten to open the season at Daytona.

 “The guys at Marcus Motorsports did an excellent job getting the car set up,” said Pumpelly after qualifying. “We struggled a little bit in the beginning but I’m really happy with the car now.”

 Stamford, Conn. Resident Tom Nastasi put the top qualifying Mustang fourth in the field, just .012 second behind Smith. Only another .021 second back of Nastasi, Sweden’s Nic Jonsson qualified the No. 79 Said Head Performance BMW in fifth. Raleigh, N.C.’s Tom Long qualified the No. 99 BMW from Automatic Racing in sixth place. The top twelve qualifiers are all within less than a second of each other over VIR’s twisting 3.27 mile natural terrain road course.

 Sunday’s race begins at noon and runs for a full six hours, closing out the season for the Grand American Road Racing Association’s KONI Challenge Series. The championship is still not decided, with several drivers mathematically capable of winning.

 More than just the Grand-Am racing is on the schedule for Sunday, as a wide variety of stunt motorcycle competition, drifting and “track attack” events will fill every minute of the day with action for guests to enjoy. Tickets are available at the gate and fans are invited to stroll the paddock to get a close-up view of the cars and stars.

 VIR’s racing season is far from over, as there is still a pair of Sports Car Club of America races on the calendar. The Goblins Go, a traditional late October race for amateur sports car drivers, is slated for the weekend of October 27-28. Following that race is the now traditional “Charge of the Headlight Brigade,” a thirteen-hour enduro for SCCA’s amateurs, starting with practice and qualifying on Friday and the race going under the green flag at 9:15 Saturday morning, November 3. With a field of 80 cars, the “Headlight Brigade” is a challenge for drivers, crew and workers alike, but one eagerly anticipated by all.

 Virginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Virginia. Reopened in 2000, VIR hosts a wide range professional and amateur auto and motorcycle racing and track events, and is well established as “America’s Motorsport Resort.” In addition to its historic 3.27 mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America's first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park and Motorsports Technology Park, which includes the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (“VIPER”); the Plantation Valley Kart Track, a 5/8 mile paved natural terrain karting circuit; an expanding variety of on-site lodging (including 45 hotel rooms and the trackside Villas which are for sale); Camp Motorsport for enthusiasts of all ages; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse.

 For more information, visit the track’s Web site at www.virclub.com or contact VIR at 434-822-7700.