Briscoe moved to Penske's IndyCar program for 2008 but drove the car at Sebring and Belle Isle in late August in preparation for Road Atlanta.
"It's been fun getting back in the Porsche," he said. "It's clear we have really fast cars out there. Being away for a bit you can really see the advancements that keep Porsche moving forward."
Penske swept the top three qualifying spots in class as Sascha Maassen posted a lap of 1min 07.401secs. He will drive with Patrick Long and Emmanuel Collard. It gives Porsche the advantage in a tight battle for the class manufacturer championship. Acura leads by just four points entering Road Atlanta with 55 points available over the final two races.
Franck Montagny was the quickest Acura driver for Andretti Green Racing with the fourth-fastest time in P2. But Briscoe is smart enough to realise that qualifying positions mean little over the course of a 1,000-mile race.
"You have to be conservative and look after your equipment, but strategy will play a big role as well," he said. "It cools off at night and you have to look after that. Working only with Helio, we're going to have to stay fresh and get our meals in to share the duties. We'll have to focus on the really close championship between Porsche and Acura."
Johnny O'Connell captured his second GT1 pole at Road Atlanta in three years with a record-breaking run of 1min 16.542 (119.464 mph). The Corvette Racing driver beat team-mate Olivier Beretta by 0.047 seconds. O'Connell has three pole positions this season after entering 2008 with just two in the previous nine years. O'Connell also was on pole for the 2006 race and the 2005 spring event at Road Atlanta.
"I love this racetrack," he beamed. "Certainly with Corvette Racing we do some testing here. Michelin is great and it is my relationship with Panoz that first brought me to the area in 1999. Anytime you can out qualify Olivier, you've done a good job. One of the objectives is to qualify well, and I've stepped up my game."
