SCOTT PRUETT (No. 01 TELMEX/Target BMW/Riley): “To come back here with TELMEX and BMW is great. We knew we had a pretty good balance with the car, but I knew I had to yank one off. I gave it all I had, and took a few chances going through the bus stop. I don’t know how many more years I’ll be doing this, so I’ll see if I can start up near the front as much as I can. Winning the pole is big for us. A lot of people have been talking about a lot of  sandbagging, but I can absolutely tell you, we laid out all of our hand on the table for qualifying. That’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re racers.

“There is a little sadness, though. One of our guys from our Concord (N.C.) shop, Sammy Gonzalez, unfortunately passed away from cancer today, so I dedicate this pole to him.”

SCOTT DIXON (No. 02 Target/TELMEX BMW/Riley): “Qualifying was the first time I was in the car all week. We’ve had a lot of problems with the steering and all kind of things, and even the handling-wise, we haven’t done too well with that. I’m surprised we’re only a tenth off. I think the car’s going to be quick, but there still is some speed in our car. It’s good for Chip, having a front of row. It’s kind of funny. Both of our cars don’t even come to the open test (Roar Before the Rolex 24) very similar, and then we gravitate away from each other even more. I couldn’t even tell you what they’re (the No. 01) running.”

DANE CAMERON (No. 42 Team Sahlen’s BMW/Riley): “I didn’t have any real expectations, but it’s been pretty quick the last few official testing session, but that doesn’t mean anything until qualifying. Qualifying isn’t that representative of the race, but we’re really happy to be in the top three in our first time qualifying a Daytona Prototype for Team Sahlen. It’s a nice little reward for all the work that has gone into getting the program to this stage, so I’m pretty thankful of all my guys – and girl. So we’ll see what happens in the race.”

MICHAEL VALIANTE (No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford): “The qualifying was pretty good. The team has been doing a real good job. I think BMW has a little more than us than what they’ve been showing, so I feel we’re first in class. We have a solid car for the race – maybe not the quickest – definitely a good car. It’s always good to start near the front so you can miss any trouble early in the race, so we’re in a good spot. Second row is still great, so we’re in a good position. Qualifying is mainly bragging rights. Winning the pole is great. But the main thing is to be sitting here at the end of 24 hours.

NICK TANDY (No. 32 Konrad Motorsports/Orbit Bio-Cycle/Momo Porsche GT3 Cup, GT pole winner): “It was our strategy to wait a few laps and see what the pace was, and play it from there. We managed to get one clean lap in – which was all we needed. The car is really good on race pace, which is everything. But it’s nice to start the race with Porsche 1-2 at the front. Winning the pole sounds very good to me. Let’s see if we can translate that to ‘Nick Tandy, champion of the Rolex 24.’”

ANDY LALLY (No. 44 Magnus Racing/Flex-Box Porsche GT3): “This is about the fifth year where we were really close and just missed the pole in this class. We’ve got a lot of good guys out here – like Tandy and Edwards – and I knew it was going to be a real good scrap at the front. Pat Long was fourth – you’ve got an array of Porsche factory guys up near the front. I’m really proud of the Magnus guys to do the job that they did to get this car as good and as strong as they did. We did that lap completely by ourselves. I’m stoked about that, because I think a lot of the guys had a little pull out there. That shows that our car is strong. We did a lot of good laps in a row. We’re representing Flex-Box well by starting on the front row, and I’m looking forward to continuing our streak (five consecutive GT podiums).”

SEAN EDWARDS (No. 30 MOMO/NGT Motorsport Porsche GT3): “This was much better than last year. The car is much better prepared and was really quick. It’s a shame we didn’t get a clear lap. I got a nice draft on one lap, but the car ahead of me was too slow and I had to abort the lap. It would have been nice to have pole, but our car is quick for the race. The pole for a 24-hour race is pretty insignificant, but it will be nice to run at the front. We started mid-pack last year, and it was pretty crazy.”

SHANE LEWIS (No. 16 Napleton Racing Porsche Cayman, GX pole winner): ”The Napleton guys worked so very hard for this. I had to give it everything I had to win the pole to give it to them for all the hard work they’ve done. It’s a great way to start the Rolex 24, but we’ve got a lot of hours ahead of us. But I’d rather start from the front than the back any day. Obviously we can’t run this kind of pace during the race, and we’re going to have to take care of it, but it’s a great car with a lot of street parts. We’re going to have to balance between performance and endurance.”

RYAN EVERSLEY (No. 38 BGB Motorsports/Luna-A Clothing Porsche Cayman): “We had a small issue with our gearbox, so it’s still nice to start on the front row – especially for Luna-C in their first race in the Rolex Series, that’s a big accomplishment.”