Racing and qualifying are two completely different deals. Qualifying takes a while to get the hang of. If you don't do it a lot, it will be difficult to be fast. i know guys that run up front all the time, but if they go to a track where you qual instead of heat race, they can't do it (and vise-versa) I love qualifying, but unfortunetly none of my local tracks do it. When I was in NC, most of them did qual.
Only real advise to you would be get the brakes warmed up while in the pits by dragging them as you drive to line up, and make sure you get the tires as clean as possible before going out on the track, and while coming to the green. and most importantly, don't over drive the car. That is what KILLS most people. They think they have to drive so much harder to get a good lap. if it doesn't work like that in a race, why would it in quals?
good luck!