INDIANAPOLIS — Helio Castroneves put his foot down Saturday and proved he’s still the one to beat at Indy.
The defending 500 champion and three-time race winner wrapped up a wild qualification day by topping 228 mph on two of his four laps, averaging 227.970 mph to win his fourth career Indianapolis 500 pole. Nobody, including Castroneves, had touched 227.900 in practice even on one lap.
Fans were so shocked by the burst of speed that they gave Castroneves standing ovations after his second, third and fourth laps.
“This place, you’ve got to expect the unexpected, my friend. That was a great result,” said Castroneves, who now becomes the favorite as he tries to become the fourth man to win four Indy 500s. “I was ready. I didn’t want to keep waiting and see all the times. I wanted to go for it.”
The other eight drivers in the new pole “shootout” were relegated to taking aim at the No. 2 spot in the 500 field for next Sunday’s race.
Castroneves tied A.J. Foyt and Rex Mays with his fourth Indy pole and will be joined on the front row by Penske teammate Will Power and Target Chip Ganassi driver Dario Franchitti. Australia’s Power averaged 227.578 and will start from the middle of Row 1.
Scotland’s Franchitti averaged 226.990 and will start from the outside of the first row in the 11-row, 33-car field.
Danica Patrick’s struggles continued too. The series’ glamour girl qualified 23rd at 224.217 and will start the race behind two other women — Brazil’s Ana Beatriz and Switzerland’s Simona de Silvestro, who were 21st and 22nd, respectively, in qualifying.
Worse yet, Patrick criticized her team for the qualifying setup during an interview on the public address system and then was booed by the crowd.
Kurt Busch wins All-Star race.
Kurt Busch sailed past teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch to win NASCAR’s All-Star race and its $1 million prize in Concord, N.C.
Hamlin and Kyle Busch, teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing and the hottest drivers in NASCAR, were racing each other for the lead in the final segment. Hamlin tried to block Kyle Busch’s pass, and the defensive driving sent Kyle Busch into the wall.
Kurt Busch used the opportunity to sail through the traffic and into the lead, which he held over several late restarts.
While the former series champion crossed the finish line for his first All-Star victory, his younger brother was waiting inside Hamlin’s team hauler after unleashing an angry tirade over his radio.
Hight tops in funny car.
Robert Hight qualified first in funny car at the NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan.
The other top qualifiers were Antron Brown (top fuel) and Mike Edwards (pro stock). Hight’s pass of 4.095 seconds at 308.21 mph gave him his third No. 1 slot this season. Brown earned his third No. 1 slot with a run of 3.785 seconds at 321.96 mph.
Edwards gained his seventh No. 1 of 2010 with a pass of 6.638 seconds at 206.99 mph.
The Associated Press
Today’s races
NHRA
Summer Nationals
Site: Topeka, Kan.
TV: ESPN2, 5 p.m. (tape)
Track: Heartland Park Topeka.
Next race: Route 66 NHRA Nationals, June 3-6, Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Ill.
Online:
INDYCAR Indianapolis 500 qualifying
Site: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.
TV: Versus, 10 a.m.
Online:
