Sam Hornish, Jr. earned the AAA Pole Award Thursday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. The former Indy 500 winner and IRL Champion sits on the pole for Friday's ARCA RE/MAX Series Michigan 200, marking his career first stock car pole. Besides an ARCA test at the end of May, this was Hornish's first real test in a stock car at the two-mile oval.

"Even before I won Indy and the Championship last year this is something we've talked about," said Hornish. "We haven't had that big sit down talk yet about the future and what kind of racing we'll do. And really, that isn't my decision. That's the whole team's decision. I think in racing in order to be successful you have to learn something. I learn a lot every time I'm in a stock car. It's a little bit difficult because I don't get to focus on it all the time. I don't get to make a lot of laps in these cars. Usually, I only get to drive them when I show up for a race."

Hornish circled MIS in 38.667 seconds in his No. 27 Mobil 1 Dodge. Friday's ARCA 200 will mark the Penske Racing driver's career first ARCA RE/MAX Series start. Erin Crocker starts on the outside front row in the No. 98 Mac Tools-Mac Card Dodge. Erik Darnell, Tim Andrews and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top-five qualifiers.

Crocker, who already is the highest finishing female in MIS history (4th in last year's June ARCA event), will look to better that position on Friday.

Indianapolis, Indiana native Matt Hagans posted the quickest speed overall during a two-hour practice session earlier in the day but spun his No. 9 Eagle Creek Aviation-flyfwa.com Dodge before he was able to complete a qualifying lap. As a result, the veteran ARCA RE/MAX Series driver was unable to make Friday's starting field.

Friday's ARCA 200 marks the series' 26th appearance to Michigan Int'l Speedway since the inaugural race at the 2-mile oval in 1980. Former ARCA RE/MAX Series winners at Michigan include Jeff Purvis, Tim Steele, Chad Blount, Kerry Earnhardt, Casey Mears, Joe Ruttman, Reed Sorenson, David Stremme and Steve Wallace, among others. This year's edition of the race marks the 11th of 23 events on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule and will be aired LIVE on SPEED beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern on Friday, June 15, 2007. Tickets are available by calling (800) 354-1010.