Ryan Hunter-Reay Puts Chevrolet on the Pole in Brazil
Defending IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Sets New Track Record
SÃO PAULO, Brazil – (May 4, 2013) – Defending IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay proved to be the master of the 11-turn, 2.536-mile temporary circuit on the Streets of São Paulo at the conclusion of today’s Firestone Fast Six qualifying session. Behind the wheel of the No. 1 DHL Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, Hunter-Reay set a new track record with a lap of one minute 20. 4312 seconds at 113.508 m.p.h. to become the fastest qualifier for Sunday’s Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle. It is the second consecutive year that a driver powered by a Chevrolet V6 twin turbocharged engine will lead the IZOD IndyCar Series field to green flag in Brazil.
It is the second pole of the season for Hunter-Reay and his third 2013 front row starting position in four races. It is his first pole at São Paulo, but his third front-row starting position for the 75-lap, 190.2-mile race.
“I gave it everything I had and it’s great to get the DHL Chevrolet up front again and on pole,” said Hunter-Reay. “That’s three of the four races this year that we’ve been on the front row and twice on pole. I’m so happy for the guys and everything they’ve done for me.”
Making it an all-Andretti Autosport front row will be E.J. Viso, No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA CITGO Andretti Autosport Chevrolet. The second quickest run is Viso’s best effort in three trips to the Streets of São Paulo.
“Congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay and Andretti Autosport on securing the pole for the Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300, and setting a new track record in the process”, said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing IZOD IndyCar Series Program Manager. “Ryan continues to earn the right to carry the number 1 on his car and demonstrates the “Never Give Up” attitude that resonates with Chevrolet. Having seven Team Chevy drivers qualify in the top-10 for tomorrow’s race is a clear demonstration of the ongoing commitment to top performance by our teams and technical partners, but it will require focus and solid execution to win in the highly competitive IZOD IndyCar Series. The very enthusiastic Brazilian fans are going to be treated to a tremendous race on Sunday.”
Other Chevrolet Qualifiers are: Tony Kanaan, No. 11 Itaipava KV Racing Technology SH Racing Chevrolet – 4th; James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 GoDaddy.com Andretti Autosport Chevrolet – 5th; Sebastien Bourdais, No. 7 McAfee Dragon Racing Chevrolet – 7th; Simona de Silvestro, No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KV Racing Technology Chevrolet – 8th; Marco Andretti, No. 25 RC Cola Andretti Autosport Chevrolet – 10th’; JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet – 11th; Oriol Servia, No. 22 Valspar Panther Dreyer and Reinbold Racing Chevrolet – 13th; Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet – 14th; Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet – 18th; Sebastian Saavedra, No. 5 TrueCar Dragon Racing Chevrolet – 20th and Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet – 22nd.
Dario Franchitti (Honda) and Scott Dixon (Honda) were third and sixth respectively in the Firestone Fast Six.
As is always the case, the final starting grid will not be made official by the IZOD IndyCar Series until after the race day morning warm-up set for 7:00 a.m. ET on Sunday.
The Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle for the IZOD IndyCar Series will be held on Sunday, May 5 on the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. The race will be televised live at 11 a.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and
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