IndyCar: Dario Franchitti to start from pole in Iowa

By Luc Fradette,

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The IndyCar series was trying out on Friday its first ever three-heat qualifying format and Dario Franchitti (Ganassi) will start the race at Iowa Speedway from pole position after winning the final qualifying round.

In the final confrontation, current champion Franchitti was able to pass Marco Andretti (Andretti Autosport) on lap five to take the lead while Penske's Helio Castroneves did the same a couple of laps later, although the Brazilian being unable to challenge the Scots for top spot afterward.

James Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport) stayed in fourth all thru the race but was put under a lot of pressure by the Penske Dallara-Chevrolet of Ryan Briscoe who tried to pass the Canadian with only five laps to go but without any luck.

The first two heat races determined the grid order from the fifth row back for the main race. But both Kanaan and Rahal are facing 10-place gird penalties for unauthorized engine changes, as are Viso and Schmidt Hamilton's Simon Pagenaud.

Topics: andretti autosport, dario franchitti, indycar, james hinchcliffe, race car driver, racing