SPEEDWAY -- Tony Kanaan had a long day in Indianapolis.
Michael Andretti pulled the third qualifying position for the Brazilian, and Kanaan took the track at 12:16 a.m. on Pole Day in Indianapolis. He had a four-lap average of 227.566, which bumped Scott Sharp from the provisional pole.
"I'm going for the pole," Kanaan said after the run, "but you have to be realistic. I think the first two rows would be good."
Kanaan, the defending IndyCar Series champion, then had to sit for the better part of six hours while 32 qualifying attempts were made.
"I remember one point, I looked at the clock and it was 4 o'clock," he said. "I'm like 'Great, just two hours to go.' I'm there, so it felt like 15 minutes later. I looked, it was 4:05. I'm like 'this is going to be a long day.'"
Kanaan withstood runs from Danica Patrick, who set the fast time in the morning practice session, and Helio Castroneves, who bumped Kanaan from the pole in 2003. As Castroneves made his way onto the track, Kanaan got in his car, ready to bump his way back to the pole.
Scott Sharp, the first qualifier of the day, started things off with a bang, putting up a four-lap average of 227.126.
The new qualifying procedure allowed drivers to make three attempts during the day, although only a few took advantage.
Two-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. went out second to set a time of 225.847. While that put him in 10th place, he was not satisfied and returned to the track about mid qualifying session.
The decision paid off, and he set a time of 227.273, good enough for second.
"We realized that from 10th to fifth was only half a mile per hour, so that's a lot to gain," Hornish said. "We're real happy with where we're at."
It did not pay off for his teammate, two-time 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who withdrew a car qualified forth and made a second attempt, trying to get the pole. He ended up with a four-lap average of 226.927 -- fifth overall.
"In the line, Roger [Penske, car owner] came up to me and said 'either pull out or it's your decision,'" Castroneves said. "And I'm like 'You're kidding me; now you're telling me?' I said 'Listen, I'm going to go for it, or I'm not going to sleep tonight.' And he left, and he wasn't very pleased.
"When we come back, he comes up to me and says 'I would have done the same thing,' and I say, 'Why you telling me now?'"
Dario Franchitti made three qualifying attempts during the day, ending with 226.873, which placed him sixth on the grid. His final run was made in the closing moments of qualifications.
"That was all the car had," Franchitti said. "I went flat out."
"When they talked about the new format, in my head, I'm thinking, I could picture myself six o'clock, Pole Day, going on my third run and sure enough."
Franchitti's second run bumped Alex Barron from the field, but Barron was able to re-enter the field. Franchitti bumped Barron's teammate Patrick Carpentier from the field on his third run.
Danica Patrick, who drives for Rahal Letterman Racing, co-owned by Ball State alumnus David Letterman, started the day by becoming the fastest woman in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history by turning a lap of 229.880 mph in the morning practice. She surpassed Sarah Fisher, who turned a lap of 229.675 in 2002.
Patrick's time was also the fastest of the month; she was one of two drivers to surpass the 229 mark and continued to be the media favorite for the poll.
A bobble on her first lap may have kept Patrick from the pole. As Patrick entered turn one, she dipped below the yellow line and her car wiggled and drove up the banking. She regained control and continued on her run.
"She I thought she did a real good job of catching it," Kanaan said. "That's talent. That's nothing else."
"She made a mistake; I didn't. And that's the way you win races, and that's the way you win pole positions."
Her first lap was a 224.920; her next three laps were 227.683, 227.623 and 227.860, significantly faster than the laps turned by Kanaan. Her laps placed her fourth for the grid -- the highest starting position for a female in history.
"I think it's important to keep in perspective what point I'm at," she said. "It's my fifth IndyCar race. I'm a rookie. I'm pulling the rookie card now. I think it's been a pretty great month so far."
"We need to make sure this car stays in the front of the grid, because this team has good race cars, and we just need to go racing now. I feel like I wasted a poll car, but maybe I saved it.
Vitor Meira, teammate of Patrick, scored an average of 226.848, which placed him seventh. He considered making another run, but eventually decided not to.
Buddy Lazier, the 1996 Indy 500 champion, qualified in the ninth position, the highest among cars with Chevrolet power.
"I couldn't be more pleased," Lazier said. "It's the best chance I've had to win this race in many, many years, to win this race again."
Scott Dixon, the 2003 series champion, was the highest Toyota not coming out of the Penske stable with 13th.
Only four Chevys and three Toyotas made it into the top 22, with Honda dominating the lineup.
The new format, designed to increase drama and increase bumping from the field was moderately successful, despite the rain that canceled Pole Day on Saturday. Barron, Carpentier and Jaques Lazier were all bumped from the field.
"We just barely missed it," Jaques Lazier said. "We'll keep our chins up and get ready for the race."
Kanaan, meanwhile, will continue to prepare for the 89th Indianapolis 500, and will look to add another award to the Andretti Green Racing stable.
"The best thing I could have done for them, it was what we've been doing. I mean, I had the pleasure of giving them the first pole position," Kanaan said. "I gave them the first win, the first championship, the first Indianapolis pole. So we're getting pretty short on the list."
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