Tony Kanaan’s momentum from his win at Michigan International Speedway transferred to the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway oval.
Kanaan, driving the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone, recorded a quick lap of 218.086 mph (24.4307 seconds) to claim the AAMCO Transmissions Pole Award for the Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Edy’s. IndyCar Series points leader Dario Franchitti (216.810; 24.5745) will join his Andretti Green Racing teammate on the front row.
Scott Sharp, who started from the pole at Kentucky in 2001 and won in ‘05, will start on the inside of Row 2 after a lap of 216.658 mph (24.5918 seconds) in the No. 8 Patron Rahal Letterman Racing car. Scott Dixon, trailing Franchitti by 24 points entering the 14th of 17 races, will be on the outside of Row 2 after a lap of 216.481 mph (24.6119) in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car.
Helio Castroneves’ series-record streak of 29 races starting in the top 10 ended when he qualified 13th in the No. 3 Team Penske car (214.880).
Also on Aug. 10, Hideki Mutoh set a track record with a lap of 27.8551 seconds (191.276 mph) to claim the SWE Race Car Parts pole award for the Kentucky 100.
It is the second pole start for Mutoh, who capitalized with a victory in the first Liberty Challenge race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June.
MEIJER INDY 300 POST-QUALIFYING NOTES:
• This is Tony Kanaan’s second AAMCO Transmissions Pole Award this season and the eight pole position of his IndyCar Series career. His last pole came at Kansas Speedway in April.
• This is Andretti Green’s third earned pole this season and its 17th pole position in the IndyCar Series.
• Dario Franchitti qualified second, his fifth front-row start in 2007.
• This is AGR’s second 1-2 start of the season (Franchitti-Kanaan at Richmond by points). The last time AGR drivers qualified 1-2 was at Phoenix in 2005 (Bryan Herta and DanWheldon)
• Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified a career-best eighth.
• Helio Castroneves qualified 13th, breaking a string of 29 consecutive top-10 starts.
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone, AAMCO Transmissions Pole Award winner): “We’re extremely happy with our qualifying effort. The Team 7-Eleven guys did a great job. Tomorrow’s a long day and it’s a bumpy race track. It’s not going to be easy. I’m happy to have a good starting position for the race and having Dario (Franchitti) starting right beside me is going to help even more. ”
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