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INDIANAPOLIS– Dillon Battistini, who in March broke onto the U.S. racing scene with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his Firestone Indy Lights debut, hopes to continue his strong rookie season with a victory on world’s grandest racing stage – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Battistini qualified on the pole for Friday’s Firestone Freedom 100, giving himself the inside track to a victory at Indianapolis. The pole sitter has won four of the previous five Freedom 100 races.
Battistini, who won a championship in Asia last season, recorded a two-lap qualifying average of 188.397 mph on the historic 2.5-mile oval in the No. 15 Panther Racing entry. James Davison’s two-lap effort was .0036 of a second slower – 188.390 mph – good for the outside of Row 1.
Wade Cunningham, the 2005 series champion and 2006 race winner, qualified third, while Ana Beatriz qualified fourth. Raphael Matos and Richard Antinucci qualified fifth and sixth, respectively.
Jeff Simmons, who will start 24th in Sunday’s 92nd Indianapolis 500, qualified 10th. He is the only driver competing in both races.
For the first time since 1992, the Indianapolis 500 will feature an Andretti, Foyt and Rahal in the starting lineup. The three families, which etched their names in the history books at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, have combined for 113 starts and six victories in the 500-Mile Race.
The next generation of these legendary families includes Marco Andretti, 21, A.J. Foyt IV, 23, and Graham Rahal, 19. Andretti is the grandson of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti, who made 29 Indy 500 starts, and the son of 16-time starter Michael Andretti. Foyt is the grandson of four-time winner A.J. Foyt, and Rahal is the son of 1986 winner Bobby Rahal.
Despite their youth, two of the three members of the next generation have already made several starts at Indianapolis, and all three demonstrate maturity beyond their years.
