Herta handles challengers ; teammate Wheldon also on front row

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AVONDALE, Ariz. – Bryan Herta’s first IndyCar Series pole victory came at an appropriate time for race title sponsor XM Satellite Radio. It's also his car's primary sponsor.

Herta, driving the No. 7 XM Satellite Radio Dallara/Honda/Firestone, was third in the qualifying line at the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval for the March 19 XM Satellite Radio Indy 200 Presented by Argent Mortgage. His quick lap of 176.612 mph (20.3837 seconds) stood up to all challengers.

Herta had seven previous career pole starts, including his first at PIR in 1995. He has one IndyCar Series victory (2003 at Kansas Speedway) in 28 starts.

"I'm really happy with the time we put up," Herta said. "This run is really for the guys on the XM Satellite Radio crew because we had a huge crash with this car two weeks ago at Homestead and they worked their tails off to put it back together.

"The car is running really well now and they did a great job. This is fastest that we've run, so I'm happy with it."

Andretti Green Racing teammate Dan Wheldon, who topped the speed chart in practice at 176.680 mph, will start alongside Herta. Wheldon, who won the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway from the 11th starting position, recorded a quick lap of 176.475 mph in the No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone.

"The Klein Tools/Jim Beam car is very strong," said Wheldon, who was the pole sitter at PIR last year. "We put up a very good time and had a great Open Test here, so I'm looking forward to the race. We're all very competitive and have different strategies, but that will make it fun for the race, for sure."

Marlboro Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves, following Herta in the qualifying line, posted a fast lap of 176.081 mph and will join Pennzoil Panther Racing’s Tomas Scheckter (176.068 mph) in Row 2. Scheckter was the pole sitter in the opening race.

“I thought we had a shot at the pole, but unfortunately we fell a bit short,” said Castroneves, who had a quicker practice speed (176.537 mph). “The Marlboro Team Penske car was good during the qualifying run, and I thought we’d actually be a bit faster. The key thing is that we’re starting in the top three, so hopefully we can avoid any problems early on.

“We focused on our race set-up during the first practice session and the car worked well in traffic, which will be important tomorrow. We just need to be patient and conservative so we can be there at the end to fight for the win.”


Andretti Green Racing’s Dario Franchitti will start on the inside of Row 3 after a qualifying effort of 175.801 mph, but an expected challenge for the pole by two-time defending race champion Tony Kanaan did not materialize.

Kanaan reported in the morning practice session that the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone was overheating. The team changed the engine and he was back on the track to break in the new engine in the afternoon practice session. But he was not allowed to make a qualifying attempt.

According to Indy Racing League Rule 1.4B12(a)(i): In general, a team cannot make an engine change during a two-day race weekend. If the team does it before quals, the car does not make a qual attempt. If the team does it after quals, the car has its qual time disallowed. In both cases, the car would start at the rear of the starting grid.

Kanaan, the reigning IndyCar Series champion, finished third in the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 6.

"Obviously, I'm very disappointed to be starting the race from the back of the grid, but I am very happy that Bryan Herta and Dan Wheldon are starting from the front row," Kanaan said.
"We have enjoyed a lot of success at PIR and Andretti Green Racing had a very successful test here last month. Hopefully, we have all our gremlins behind us because we can win the race from the back of the pack."

Two other entries did not make qualifying attempts after incidents in practice.

The Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone driven by Paul Dana made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 during the morning practice session, while the No. 83 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone driven by Patrick Carpentier also made contact with the soft wall in Turn 2 during the midday session.

“I just lost the back end in the apex between one and two,” said Dana, an IndyCar Series rookie who was checked at the infield care center and cleared to drive. “We’ve been fighting an understeer. There’s not a lot of grip down there, and we’ve really been struggling. It was a little bit loose the previous lap and I should have pitted.”

X-rays taken at a local hospital showed nothing broken, and Carpentier was cleared to drive the No. 83T car.

“I was pushing the car to the limit, trying to make it very neutral so I wouldn't lose too much time mid-corner," he said. "We made it a little bit too neutral and it just snapped. When I corrected it, it bit me and went straight to the wall. It is unfortunate. I am disappointed."