Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen has announced himself on the NASCAR stage, setting the fastest time in the opening practice at Chicago.
Despite only a few test drives behind him on the 3.5km Charlotte road course, the Australian Supercars champion emerged the quickest.
He stunned the 37-car field in practice with the fastest time, 0.313s better than three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.
Van Gisbergren then showed his practice run was no fluke, with another impressive showing behind the wheel to finish second in Group B qualifying.
That saw him advance to the final 10-strong qualifying session, where he finished third, behind Hamlin and Tyler Reddick.
The result means the flying Kiwi will be third on the grid for his NASCAR debut on Monday (NZ time).
"There was a lot to take in - the intensity of practice," van Gisbergen told Racer.com, after the practice round.
"The car was good, the guys have done a great job, my preparation has been good.
"We do a lot of street courses [in Supercars], but nothing like this, with the cracks in the road and the violence of the braking markers, but it's the same for everyone. Just have to find the fine line and the track will get better too."
