Thanks to the rain, Brian (Barnhart) has decided to line 'em up by entrant points - giving Helio Castroneves the first starting position for the third year in a row. The question we got now: Can Helio (Castroneves) bring it home first like he did in 2006, or will he fade (to seventh) like 2007?
Castroneves didn't have to do anything (this week) to earn the pole for the Indy Japan 300. That was taken care of during the first two IndyCar Series races of the season.
"I'm sitting in the right spot in the championship to be in this situation and I'll take it," said Castroneves, who has won nine of the 30 races in which he's started from the pole. "We feel we have a consistent car. In the last few years we were very fast here, and I feel we can continue."
Scott Dixon, who won the season opener on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval, will be making his third front-row start at Twin Ring Motegi. He was on the pole in 2003, led 45 laps, but finished 15th because of a crash. Andretti Green Racing teammates Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti will share Row 2, while Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick will be on Row 3.
After second-place finishes at TRM in each of the last two seasons, Wheldon will attempt to return to Victory Lane - the place he called home in both 2004 and 2005. In five starts at Motegi, Wheldon has led 354 of 1,000 laps (35.4%). Can he become the series first three-time winner at the track?
Team 7-Eleven driver Tony Kanaan outsmarted his competitors by conserving as much fuel as possible while still running at the front and claimed his eighth career IndyCar Series victory at Saturday's running of the Indy Japan 300. The win moved Kanaan into second place in the IndyCar Series driver championship, three points out of the lead. The win moves Kanaan into a tie for the fifth-most victories in IndyCar Series history.
"I'm very happy and it feels good to bring the Team 7-Eleven car to victory lane because Dan (Wheldon) was really, really strong. It was fun to have a battle with a friend. It's great to fight clean the way we did throughout the entire race. We passed each other with no problems at all. The Team 7-Eleven crew did a great job today and I'm happy for everyone at Andretti Green Racing."
MOTEGI, Japan (April 21, 2007) - Canadian Club driver Dario Franchitti ran amid the leaders throughout the Indy Japan 300 and piloted the #27 machine to his first podium finish of the year. After three races, he stands tied for fifth in the IndyCar Series driver championship, only 27 points behind the leader.
Franchitti wasted little time moving through the field once he took the green flag. After just 76 laps, he was into the top three after starting seventh. Franchitti slipped back to seventh position after the first yellow flag pit stop, but took advantage of the speed of the Canadian Club car and moved back into third midway through the race. During an extended yellow on lap 136, the Canadian Club team took a risk in his fuel strategy to put him in a place to fight Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon for the race win. In attempts to save fuel, Franchiiti was forced to slow his pace during the final laps and captured his second career top-three at Twin Rin Motegi.
Dario Franchitti, #27 Canadian Club Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
I was really happy with the way the Canadian Club car was working today. At the end, the crew took a gamble on fuel. We thought our only real chance of winning was to take that gamble on fuel strategy. It was almost an impossible miles per gallon number to make. At the end of the day, the result was still the same with a third place finish."
Dario Franchitti drove the #27 Canadian Club car to a seventh place starting position in the Indy Japan 300. Franchitti posted a best-lap speed of 203.723 mph (26.8600 secs) on his first qualifying lap.
"The Canadian Club car has been okay this weekend. I was running wide open in the qualifying run. I think we're in good shape for the race. I think all four AGR cars will do well."
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