Delphi Panther Racing driver Vitor Meira will lead Panther into the 2007 IndyCar Series season after qualifying 11th for the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 tomorrow night at Homestead Miami Speedway. Meira’s new teammate, Super Aguri Panther driver Kosuke Matsuura, put his Panasonic Panther Dallara Honda in the 18th position for tomorrow’s race.
Super Aguri Panther’s Indy Pro Series driver, Hideki Mutoh, qualified third in his first career start in the series.
Meira posted a top lap of 211.771 mph, 25.2443 seconds in what will the debut of his new Delphi Panther Dallara Honda. Panther Racing is entering its 10th season in the IndyCar Series, and the team’s partnership with Delphi comes as it is also entering its tenth year of competition in the series. Vitor finished fifth in the 2006 IndyCar Series Championship, and tied Sam Hornish Jr’s team record with 12 Top Ten finishes during the year.
Matsuura is preparing for his first career start in a Panther car, after spending the past three seasons at Fernandez Racing. The former league and Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year posted a quick lap of 210.179 mph, 25.4355 seconds. Kosuke finished sixth at Homestead last year, his best career result at the 1.5-mile speedway.
