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Tony Kanaan gets pole for Indy 500; Patrick qualifies

Reigning Indy Racing League champion Tony Kanaan of Brazil won the pole for the Indianapolis 500, while Danica Patrick -- bidding to become the first woman to earn the No. 1 starting spot for America's most famous race -- wound up fourth among the 22 drivers who qualified on Sunday.

"I'm really excited about this," said Kanaan, last year's Indy 500 runner-up, whose best previous qualifying effort in three Indy starts was second in 2003.

Referring to Andretti Green Racing co-owner Kim Green, Kanaan added, "Kim gave me a hug and told me I survived the day."

The Brazilian driver was the third qualifier of the day, posting a four-lap, 16km qualifying time of 2 minutes, 38.1961 seconds on the historic 4km oval. He then had to wait through nearly six hours while other drivers tried to knock him off his perch.

Several drivers took advantage of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's new qualifying rules that allow up to three chances to qualify on each day of time trials to try to beat Kanaan's speed.

Two-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr., who had qualified 11th early in the day, withdrew the time of 2:39.3998 and re-qualified second at 2:38.3997, taking the middle spot on the first of what will be 11 three-car rows for the race.

Scotsman Dario Franchitti, one of Kanaan's AGR teammates, also gave it a shot, withdrawing a time that was good for seventh, and improved to 2:38.6790, good enough for sixth.

The final serious pole contender to take a shot at Kanaan was two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, Hornish's Marlboro Team Penske teammate, who withdrew a 2:38.5365 that was fourth on the grid, and slipped to fifth at 2:38.6414 in the final 10 minutes of the session.

"I wouldn't have slept Sunday night if I didn't try," Castroneves said.

Franchitti, who had waved off a slower attempt after two laps earlier in the day, said the new format was good for the fans, but not a lot of fun for the drivers.

"It is high pressure because the car is absolutely on the edge," Franchitti said. "It's risky. To do it once is hard enough. To do it three times is really pressure. One small mistake and you'll be in the wall.

"And I felt sorry for Tony, having to sit there all day," he added. "He spent a lot of the day sitting back in the engineering room holding his head in his hands."

Scott Sharp, a former pole winner, another early qualifier, wound up third at 2:38.5024, while Patrick overcame a first-lap mistake that saw her car wiggle with three of the fastest laps of the qualifying and a time of 2:38.5875 that gave her fourth place on the tentative grid.

The 23-year-old Patrick, a rookie, is the fourth woman to qualify for the Indy 500 and the only female entered this year. The best previous qualifying effort by a woman was sixth by Lyn St. James in 1994.

"I feel like I wasted a pole car," lamented Patrick, who had been among the fastest drivers all week. "But, maybe I saved it, too."

"I don't know if it was my mistake or not. Whether an itty-bitty gust of wind or the tires weren't up to temp, God knows. But it's not easy to save an oversteer."

After some practice later in the day, team co-owner Bobby Rahal made the decision not to withdraw her speed and try again.

"I don't think we could have been consistent enough for the pole," said Rahal, who won the Indy 500 in 1986.

Other qualifiers: Patrick's teammate Vitor Meira of Brazil at 2:38.6969, Japan's Kosuke Matsuura at 2:39.0130 and 1996 Indy winner Buddy Lazier at 2:39.0437.
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