Helio Castroneves has secured pole position for the 2003 Indianapolis 500.
The Penske Racing driver took the coveted top slot ahead of fellow Brazilian Tony Kannan and NASCAR racer Robby Gordon. Castroneves, who is seeking a record breaking third straight win at Indy, set a fastest average speed of 231.725mph over his four qualifying laps to take pole edging out Kannan who posted an average speed of 231.006mph. Robby Gordon, who is standing in for the injured Dario Franchitti, powered his Dallara-Honda to the final front row slot and looks in good shape for his bid to win both the Indy 500 and the Winston Cup race at Charlotte.
Pre-race favourite Scott Dixon qualified on the second row ahead of British rookie Dan Wheldon. Wheldon had been fastest in practice for pole day and was disappointed not to have qualified further up the grid: "I am happy to be starting in the second row but I still think we had a little more," said Wheldon.
Top Ten Average speeds from Pole Day:
1. Castroneves 231.725mph
2. Kannan 231.006
3. Gordon 230.205
4. Dixon 230.099
5. Wheldon 229.958
6. Brack 229.509
7. Takagi 229.358
8. Renna 228.765
9. Sharp 228.755
10. Scheckter 227.769
With 24 cars qualified for the race, only 15 grid slots are up for grabs during the Indy 500's infamous 'bump day' final qualifying.
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