INDYCAR: Castroneves On Pole as Rain Washes Out Motegi Qualifying

IndyCar

INDYCAR: Castroneves On Pole as Rain Washes Out Motegi Qualifying

Points leader to share front row with Dixon.

Jeff Olson | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted April 18, 2008 Motegi, Japan

No driving necessary: Castroneves earns pole based on entrant's points. (LAT Photo)

Helio Castroneves will start from the pole position in Saturday’s Indy Japan 300 after an assist from Mother Nature.

Qualifying at Twin Ring Motegi was washed out Friday because of persistent rain, so, as the current IndyCar Series points leader, Castroneves will start from the pole.

“I’m sitting in the right spot in the championship to be in this situation, and I’ll take it," Castroneves said. "We feel we have a consistent car. In the last few years we were very fast here, and I feel we can continue. Once you have a good car and (qualifications) are rained out, you prevent a lot of competitors from improving. Hopefully we can do what we did in 2006.”

After qualifying was rained out at Motegi in 2006, Castroneves started first and led 184 laps en route to the 6.3-second victory over Dan Wheldon. This is Castroneves’ third consecutive pole-position start at the 1.52-mile track.

Scott Dixon, who won the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway, will start second. Andretti Green Racing teammates Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti will share Row 2, while Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick will be on Row 3.

Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV will start from Row 4. Hideki Mutoh and Ryan Hunter-Reay, making their first IndyCar Series starts at Twin Ring Motegi, will be on the fifth row.

Kanaan was the fastest lap of practice Thursday at 27.2453 seconds -- 200.842 mph -- in the No. 11 AGR Dallara-Honda. Castroneves was fourth fastest and received a nice boost with the rainout, but his teammate, Ryan Briscoe, was affected adversely.

Briscoe had the seventh-fastest lap in Thursday’s practice sessions but will start 15th in the 18-car field Saturday after crashes in the first two races of the season.

The race is one of two points events this weekend for the IndyCar Series. Champ Car teams, some of which are making the transition to the IndyCar Series, are competing Sunday in the final Champ Car race at Long Beach.

Saturday’s race at Motegi is scheduled to begin shortly after 12 a.m. ET Friday.

Indy Japan 300 starting lineup:

1) Helio Castroneves, Penske
2) Scott Dixon, Ganassi
3) Tony Kanaan, Andretti-Green
4) Marco Andretti, Andretti-Green
5) Dan Wheldon, Ganassi
6) Danica Patrick, Andretti-Green
7) Ed Carpenter, Vision
8) AJ Foyt IV, Vision
9) Hideki Mutoh, Andretti-Green
10) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Rahal-Letterman
11) Buddy Rice, Dreyer & Reinbold
12) Darren Manning, Foyt
13) Vitor Meira, Panther
14) Jay Howard, Roth
15) Ryan Briscoe, Penske
16) Townsend Bell, Dreyer & Reinbold
17) Marty Roth, Roth
18) Roger Yasukawa, Beck

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Olson

SPEEDtv.com

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