Danica Patrick watched Helio Castroneves’ first qualifying lap Friday at Nashville Superspeedway.

There wasn’t a need to watch the remaining three.

She knew she had been bumped off the pole for tonight’s Firestone Indy 200.

Castroneves won his first pole of the season and at the superspeedway with an average speed of 204.519 mph. (tennessean.com)

Castroneves turned a 204.313 mph first lap. This year IndyCar drivers use the average of four laps to determine qualifying order. In the past, the starting grid had been set by choosing the fastest of two laps.

It was Castroneves’ 24th career pole and extends his IndyCar series record to seven consecutive seasons with a pole.

“Awesome,” Castroneves said. “The car is incredible. It’s great momentum for (tonight).”

Helio Castroneves won the pole for Saturday’s Firestone Indy 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway. The No.3 Team Penske driver made four laps around the 1.33-mile oval in one minute, 31.5320 seconds (204.519 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Castroneves’ first of the season and 24th of his IndyCar career. The Brazilian Castroneves extends his IndyCar Series record to seven consecutive years with a pole.

“I’m excited to be on pole, especially after what happened last week in Watkins Glen (did not post a qualification lap because of a mechanical issue),” said Castroneves.

“The Team Penske guys worked really hard to make sure everything was in great condition, and wow, what a great four laps. Awesome.”(kansascity.com)

Hideki Mutoh (203.316 m.p.h.) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (203.306 m.p.h.) will start in row two.

Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Scott Dixon (fifth), Dan Wheldon (sixth), Tony Kanaan (seventh) and Marco Andretti (11th).

Posted: 07|12|08 at 9:16 am. Filed under: Helio Castroneves, Nashville, Team Penske.
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