INDIANAPOLIS – Penske Racing has the pole for both of tomorrow's major auto races.
Two-time champion Helio Castroneves is sitting on the pole for the Indianapolis 500. And Thursday, Ryan Newman won the pole for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., with Penske South Dodge teammate Kurt Busch second.
Penske clearly was excited about the NASCAR qualifying results when he received word of Newman's run during a media function Thursday night.
Additionally, Castroneves yesterday edged teammate Sam Hornish Jr. to win the 31st Pit Stop Challenge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It marked the second straight victory and third overall for the Castroneves team – and the third straight win and record 10th overall title for a Penske team.
Andretti Green fastest
The Penske cars, however, were not the fastest on the famed 2½-mile oval during yesterday's final one-hour practice session leading up to tomorrow's race.
Three cars from the Andretti Green Racing stable topped the charts, even though Michael Andretti's team puts little emphasis on practice speeds.
Tony Kanaan topped the charts with a lap at 225.467 mph. Dario Franchitti was No.
2 at 223.807 and Andretti was third at 223.575. Castroneves was fourth at 223.527.
Kanaan said he benefited from getting a tow while in traffic.
“This doesn't mean anything,” said Kanaan. “No one will remember it on race day.”
But several key drivers didn't run well yesterday.
Danica Patrick was eighth-fastest at 222.754. Marco Andretti was No. 11 (222.690). Dan Wheldon was 13th (222.199). Last was rookie Milka Duno at 211.658, 5½ mph slower than the next-slowest car and almost 14 mph off Kanaan's pace.
Lloyd wins again
Alex Lloyd scored his fourth win in as many Indy Pro Series starts as he claimed the IRL's support series race at IMS.
Lloyd claimed the lead on the first lap of the 40-lap race and was never headed. The final four laps were run under the caution because of moisture on the track.
“Winning here is the best feeling I've ever had,” said Lloyd, who becomes the first driver to win on a road course and the track at Indy, having won the Indy Pro Series race on the IMS road course last year before the United States Grand Prix Formula One race.
Miscellany
Jim Nabors will not attend tomorrow's race because of illness. The actor-entertainer who made the character Gomer Pyle famous on “The Andy Griffith Show,” Nabors, 76, has sung “Back Home in Indiana” 29 times since first appearing at the Indy 500 in 1972. He had made every race since 1987.
The Indy 500 still has one edge over NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. The Indy telecast is going to more than 200 countries.
Bill Center: (619) 293-1851; bill.center@uniontrib.com
