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Indy Front-Row Qualifiers Comfortable With Their Surroundings

Indianapolis, Ind. – Helio Castroneves grabbed the weekend headlines when he won the coveted pole position for the Indianapolis 500 and less than 24 hours later the talented Brazilian along with his fastest rivals, Ryan Briscoe and Dario Franchitti, returned to the famed oval to accommodate media obligations and to begin preparing for the race ahead.

Not surprisingly, Castroneves continued to ride bask in the spotlight and he was also pinching himself over the success he has had since returning to the cockpit. And if that is not enough, he celebrated his 34th birthday on Mother’s Day.

Castroneves expressed relief for having qualified on the first day of the all-important timed runs. “When you qualify on the first day, you don’t need to worry about anything else other than the race,” he said. “All the credit goes to Team Penske and to Ryan (Briscoe) and Will (Power) for the job they did in testing and preparing the cars. To have two cars in the front row proves we’re going to have a lot of fun the whole season.”

Flashing back to his legal ordeal, Castroneves said he never thought about being on the pole at Indianapolis. “I just wanted to get back into racing, and I did see myself coming to Indianapolis, even if it would be for one race,” he said. “I was thinking I’ve got to be in Indianapolis, but there was concern about how long the trial was going to last. When you’re in a room for about six hours a day and hearing a lot of words you don’t understand, you start thinking about a lot of things.”

Briscoe admitted to having briefly second-guessed his unsuccessful run for the pole. “I did a little bit (of second-guessing),” he said with a smile. “I really felt either myself or Helio (Castroneves) had the car for the pole, but the end result is we’re first and second. It really doesn’t get any better than that. From the team perspective, this is absolutely perfect.”

Going into his fourth Indianapolis 500, Briscoe said his confidence level is high but under control. “I have been gaining a lot of experience and comfort with the car and the team, and self-confidence comes with that as well. I am happy to be winning races and being one of the guys with the potential to win. You don’t want to be over-confident, but I feel I can stick it to the best of these guys and not make it too easy for them.”

Franchitti seemed comfortable with his third-place starting position, having been there twice previously including 2007 when he raced to victory. “It is a great feeling on race day to get in the car and have a clear view in front of you. Obviously, the pole is where you want to be and our expectations were so high, but I’m pretty happy with third.”

A year ago while recovering from a broken ankle sustained in a stock-car crash, Franchitti sat in the stands at Darlington Speedway watching a NASCAR Sprint Cup race and thinking about the his Indianapolis 500 victory. “At that time, I was reflecting on the 2007 Indianapolis race,” he stated. While he had not planned on returning to IndyCar Series competition, he’s glad to have done so.

“Indianapolis is the most challenging place I’ve ever driven and I love it,” he commented. “Being away for a year I realized what I was missing. When I drove my first laps here, the good feeling came back quickly. Doing a quick lap here when you are on the knife’s edge, you can’t help but be energized by it.”

The three accomplished drivers admit to be totally focused on the upcoming Indianapolis 500, and they plan to use every waking moment planning their strategy and working with their teams to achieve the best possible outcome. While there will only be one driver in the winner’s circle on May 24, Castroneves, Franchitti and Briscoe seem to have the edge over the rest of the 33-car starting field, although strange things happen in long races.

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