Written By: Matt "Night" RiderNote: mph= mile per hour; AGR= Andretti Green Racing
Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe battled for the pole position all day, during the first day of qualifications (Saturday, May 10th) for the 2009 Indy 500 on May 24th.
Helio finally took control of the pole, running the fastest lap of the day at 224.864 mph. Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe came up just short, taking the second starting spot, with a lap of 224.083 mph. Target Chip Ganassi driver Dario Franchitti was next to get on the board, running a lap of 224.010 mph, good enough to earn the third starting position for this year's big race.
Defending Indy 500 Champion Scott Dixon came away with the fifth starting spot, running 223.867 mph. AGR racer "TK" Tony Kanaan followed Dixon, grabbing the sixth position with a fast lap of 223.612 mph. Macro Andretti (223.114 mph) took eighth while Danica Patrick finished the first day of qualifying in tenth, with a lap of 222.882 mph. The first day of qualifying saw the first eleven starting positions fill up.
After a wild first day of qualifying, the second day (Sunday, May 11th) of qualifying calmed down, but only a little. Positions 11-22 were up for grabs and there were many drivers that still needed to put their car in the show.
Indy native Ed Carpenter put his car in the show, taking 17th, with a run of 222.780 mph. 2005 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon put together a run of 222.777 mph, good enough to qualify him 18th in his Panther Racing entry. AJ Foyt IV took 19th, while Indy 500 veteran Scott Sharp put the petal to the metal, racing his way into the 20th starting position. Sarah Fisher followed Sharp, taking the 21st starting spot, with a run of 222.082 mph.
Indy 500 Qualifying will continue this weekend, May 16th-17th. On Saturday, starting spots 23-33 will be filled, making way for an exciting Armed Forces/Bump Day on Sunday.
