Penske's Power Pulls Off Pivotal Pole at Kentucky

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

The second to last event in the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series season, the open wheel racing tour has arrived at the Kentucky Speedway with a full field of contenders. With 29 cars entered in the Kentucky Indy 300, primary attention will be directed to the season-long fight between Dario Franchitti and Will Power for this year's IZOD INDYCAR Series overall championship. Separated by only 11 points entering Kentucky, Will Power gained the points lead after the Japanese event at the Twin Ring Motegi road course. Following a self-professed "stupid move", Dario Franchitti spent much of the event recovering from a INDYCAR-issued penalty while Will Power followed race winner Scott Dixon in second place all-day.

 

Coming at right the right time for the Australian driver, Will Power gained the advantage in qualifying for the Kentucky Indy 300 race. Taking his #12 Penske Racing car around the 1.5-mile tri-oval in just 48.5948 seconds, Power was the only driver to record a time faster than 219 miles per hour. An eighth pole for the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series season, this is Power's first top qualifying result on an oval since the 2010 Iowa event.

 

Starting in second place, Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing car of Graham Rahal was about 0.21 seconds slower than Power's pole time. A front row spot for the Kentucky Indy 300, Rahal has placed the #38 car into a top-3 starting spot for the 3rd straight IZOD INDYCAR qualifying session. Despite strong runs in the past two races in qualifying, race results have been tampered by unfortunate developments.

 

Rounding out the top-5 in qualifying for the IZOD INDYCAR Series Kentucky Indy 300 is Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe, Ed Carpenter and JR Hildebrand. Other notable runs performed in qualifying worthy of honourable mention came from Charlie Kimball in 10th, Simona Silvestro in 13th and Wade Cunningham driving the #17 car for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. As for Sam Schmidt Motorsports #77 car, Alex Tagliani is a healthy scratch from the team in preference of 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon. Announced to be driving the #77 car at the Kentucky event less than a week ago, Wheldon's limited time with the team was reflected in a 28th place starting spot for the 300-mile race. Dan Wheldon's main purpose in the Kentucky Indy 300 is to gain preparation for the upcoming Las Vegas event where he holds the key to a 5 million dollar challenge issued by GoDaddy.com.

 

In the important championship points battle for the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the pole-sitting Will Power who start comfortably ahead of Dario Franchitti's #10 car. The Scottish Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver was only 11th fastest on the day. The Kentucky Speedway his not been historically strong for Franchitti with 5th place effort in 2010 being the strongest finish in 6 races at the track. The Kentucky oval was also the scene where Dario Franchitti crashed spectacularly in 2007 running for Andretti Green Racing.

 

Prepared to run 200 laps around the 1.5-mile tri-oval track, the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series race is set for 2:45 PM Eastern time start Sunday.

 

2011 IZOD INDYCAR

Kentucky Indy 300
Kentucky Speedway
Starting Line-up


Pos. # | Car # | Driver | Nationality | Team

 

1. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
2. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
3. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
4. 67 Ed Carpenter/ United States/ Sarah Fisher Racing
5. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
6. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
7. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
8. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
9. 2 Oriol Servia/Spain/ Newman/Haas Racing
10. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
11. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
12. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport
13. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing
14. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
15. 17 Wade Cunningham/New Zealand/ Sam Schmidt Motorsports
16. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
17. 44 Buddy Rice/United States/Panther Racing
18. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
19. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
20. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
21. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
22. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
23. 59 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
24. 19 Alex Lloyd/England/Dale Coyne Racing
25. 34 Dillon Battistini/England/ Conquest Racing
26. 22 Townsend Bell/ United States/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
27. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
28. 77 Dan Wheldon/England/ Sam Schmidt Motorsports
29. 30 Pippa Mann/ England/ Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Red Hot Red Bull Driver Mark Webber Takes Monaco GP Pole

Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

With the tight streets of Monte Carlo providing an unique spectacle to see modern 21st century Formula 1 racing machines running on one of the tour's oldest race circuits, the Monaco Grand Prix captures the lavishness and starkness the series have long gravitated towards. While the Formula 1 tour in general has been brought to the realization of exploding team budgets through the 1990s and last decade, this is only allowing this perennial to cast itself as a brighter crown jewel.

Fresh off his pole and victory in Barcelona last week, Mark Webber carried momentum onto the narrow street course netting his Red Bull Racing car the preferred 1st place grid position in tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix. Webber's pole time in the Red Bull-Renault on the streets of Monaco matches the single lap time record set by Michael Schumacher in 2004 down to he one-thousandth of a second. As Webber scored pole, this meant the second race in a row that the Australian beat this teammate Sebastian Vettel. Vettel had it up to 3rd in the final qualifying session to just miss a 3rd consecutive Red Bull front row.

On Saturday, the Renault F1 team and Robert Kubica rose to life recording the fastest time in practice. Kubica attempted to repeat the performance through F1 qualifying. Coming roughly 3/10ths of a second short, the Renault settles for a well-earned 2nd place place dividing the two Red Bulls. "Second on the grid at Monaco is a great result for us. The car has been great all weekend and I think we got the most from it today." Robert Kubica proudly admits after the time trial session. Renault Team Principal Eric Boillier delightfully commended Kubica's effort qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. "We are now looking forward to an exciting race tomorrow and hopefully coming away with a great result." Boillier voiced confidence for Sunday's Grand Prix.


Lorenzo Bellanca/LAT Photographic


While Webber, Kubica and Vettel showed the top pace in Saturday qualifying, one potential polesitter spent the entire session on the sidelines. After posting the fastest speeds on track through early weekend practices, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso collided with the retaining barrier in the Massenet section (also known as a wide turn 3) as an incident Alonso admitted was a driver's mistake. With the Ferrari F2010 too damaged to compete in qualifying, Fernando Alonso will start the race from the pit lane in a back-up Ferrari. The other Ferrari of Felipe Massa curbed a streak of declining qualifying efforts in 2010. Producing have second-best qualifying effort of the 2010 Formula 1 season, Massa slotted in 4th after Q3.

Having led the 10 driver group of the final Q3 session, Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg fell to 6th fastest for the final starting order. Rosberg was able to poke his Mercedes Formula 1 race car one position ahead of Michael Schumacher who is coming off his best finish of 2010 at the Spanish Grand Prix. Schumacher has won 5 Monaco Grand Prix races making him the winningest active driver of this prestigious Formula 1 event. Besides Schumacher, previous Monaco Grand Prix winners running this weekend includes Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli.


2010 Formula 1
Monaco Grand Prix
Starting Grid

1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
2. Robert Kubica Renault F1
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
7. Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth
10. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes
11. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth
12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes
13. Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari
16. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari
17. Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari
18. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth
22. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth
23. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth
24. Fernando Alonso Ferrari

Kyle Busch Will Lead NASCAR Sprint Cup Field at Richmond

Photo Credit: Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

Taking pole for Saturday's running of the Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 is the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch. Lapping the 0.75 mile Richmond International Raceway short track at 21.247 seconds, Busch prevailed over the Michael Waltrip Racing-owned #00 Toyota of David Reutimann by 8/100ths of a second.

In 3rd and 4th spot, the Hendrick Motorsports team placed two Chevrolets behind the Toyota pairing starting the Saturday night Richmond event. Jimmie Johnson's #48 Chevrolet is one spot higher than the #24 of Jeff Gordon to secure the second row. Don't expect for any fuel to be added the overblown alleged feud between Johnson and Gordon. Reports have team owner Rick Hendrick sitting down with both drivers to talk through the rift between the tightly-knitted teammates.

Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer round out the top-10 starting positions.

Also capturing the pole for the NASCAR Nationwide running for Friday night, Kyle Busch has a lot positive history at Richmond International Raceway. The site of his first NASCAR race win in the than-Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) in 2004, Kyle Busch has been the highest finishing driver in the past 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup series events at the short track. Busch and his #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is also the reigning winner of the 400-lap race.

The running of the 2010 Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 will be televised on FOX with the cue to start engines coming shortly 7:30PM.


2010 Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400
at Richmond International Raceway
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Starting Lineup

Pos # | Car # | Driver | Sponsor/Car Make

1) 18 Kyle Busch         M&M's Toyota
2) 00 David Reutimann   Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
3) 48 Jimmie Johnson   Lowe's / KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
4) 24 Jeff Gordon      DuPont Chevrolet 
5) 39 Ryan Newman      Army Medicine Chevrolet 
6) 12 Brad Keselowski   Penske Dodge
7) 29 Kevin Harvick    Reese's Chevrolet
8) 1 Jamie McMurray    Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
9) 83 Brian Vickers    Red Bull Toyota 
10) 33 Clint Bowyer     BB&T Chevrolet 
11) 87 Joe Nemechek     NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
12) 82 Scott Speed      Red Bull Toyota
13) 36 Casey Mears      H.D. Segar Inc. Insurance Chevrolet
14) 5 Mark Martin      Hendrickcars.com / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
15) 43 A J Allmendinger Valvoline Ford
16) 2 Kurt Busch       Miller Lite Dodge
17) 31 Jeff Burton      Caterpillar Chevrolet
18) 14 Tony Stewart     Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
19) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
20) 47 Marcos Ambrose    Bush's Best Baked Beans / Kingsford Toyota
21) 17 Matt Kenseth     Crown Royal Ford
22) 9 Kasey Kahne      Budweiser 25th Anniversary Ford
23) 20 Joey Logano      The Home Depot Toyota
24) 19 Elliott Sadler    Reynolds Ford
25) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
26) 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
27) 77 Sam Hornish Jr.   Mobil 1 Dodge
28) 99 Carl Edwards     Scotts EZ Seed Ford
29) 78 Regan Smith      Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
30) 11 Denny Hamlin     FedEx Ground Toyota
31) 71 Bobby Labonte    TRG Motorsports Chevrolet
32) 98 Paul Menard      Schrock / /Menards Ford 
33) 16 Greg Biffle      3M Ford 
34) 32 Reed Sorenson    Braun Racing Toyota
35) 6 David Ragan      UPS Ford
36) 09 Mike Bliss       Phoenix Construction / Graceway Chevrolet
37) 7 Robby Gordon     BAMVIP.com / James Otto / Whitney Duncan
38) 34 Travis Kvapil     Long John Silver's Ford 
39) 26 David Stremme     Air National Guard Ford
40) 37 David Gilliland   Taco Bell Ford
41) 46 Terry Cook       The Atlantic Company Dodge
42) 38 Kevin Conway     Extenze Ford
43) 64 Tony Raines      Gunselman Motorsports Toyota

Daytona 500 Qualifying: Gatorade Duel 150- Race 2

ACE 2: Drivers who placed in even numbered positions through Saturday's Daytona 500 qualifying.



Row 1:   #      Driver                  Sponsor/Car Make
1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
2 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet

Row 2: 
3 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
4 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford

Row 3: 
5 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
6 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota

Row 4:
7 47 Marcos Ambrose Kroger Floral Toyota
8 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge

Row 5: 
9 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
10 71 Bobby Labonte TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet

Row 6: 
11 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet
12 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota

Row 7: 
13 98 Paul Menard Peak / Menards Ford
14 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford

Row 8: 
15 36 Mike Bliss Wave Energy Drink Chevrolet
16 7 Robby Gordon Monster Energy Toyota

Row 9: 
17 56 Martin Truex Jr.  NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
18 83 Brian Vickers   Red Bull Toyota

Row 10: 
19 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
20 90 Casey Mears Keyed-Up Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 11: 
21 49 David Gilliland Warner Music / Larry the Cable Guy Toyota
22 09 Aric Almirola Phoenix Racing Chevrolet

Row 12: 
23 26 Boris Said Window World Cares Ford
24 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota

Row 13: 
25 75 Derrike Cope Asset Protect / Strutmasterspro.com Dodge
26 92 Mike Wallace K Automotive Dodge

Row 14: 
27 57 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet


Blue denotes cars outside top-35 guaranteed starting spots through first 5 races of 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series

Daytona 500 Qualifying: Gatorade Duel 150- Race 1

RACE 1: Drivers who placed in odd numbered positions through Saturday's Daytona 500 qualifying.



Row 1: #       Driver          Sponsor/Car Make
1 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
2 39 Ryan Newman US Army Chevrolet

Row 2: 
3 21 Bill Elliott Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
4 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet

Row 3: 
5 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
6 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota

Row 4: 
7 24 Jeff Gordon Dupont Chevrolet
8 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota

Row 5: 
9 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
10 51 Michael Waltrip NAPA Auto Parts Toyota

Row 6: 
11 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
12 43 AJ Allmendinger Best Buy Ford

Row 7: 
13 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
14 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota

Row 8: 
15 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
16 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet

Row 9: 
17 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
18 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford

Row 10: 
19 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Toyota
20 13 Max Papis GEICO Toyota

Row 11: 
21 34 John Andretti Window World Cares Ford
22 97 Jeff Fuller NEMCO Motorsports Toyota

Row 12: 
23 38 Robert Richardson   Mahindra USA Tractors Ford
24 37 Travis Kvapil     Extenze Ford

Row 13: 
25 46 Terry Cook  Whitney Motorsports Dodge
26 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota

Row 14: 
27 27 Todd Bodine Kirk Shelmerdine Toyota

Blue denotes cars outside top-35 guaranteed starting spots through first 5 races of 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series