Franchitti Qualifies Second at Edmonton
Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti continued his streak of impressive IZOD IndyCar Series
qualifying runs Saturday at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. The Honda-powered Target Chip Ganassi
Racing driver posted the second-fastest time in the final, “Fast Six” qualifying round, and will start
Sunday’s Edmonton Indy from the pole due to a 10-position penalty for an unapproved engine change in
the car of pole qualifier Ryan Hunter-Reay. It will be the fourth consecutive front-row start for Franchitti, a
streak that began at Texas Motor Speedway in June.
The final two rounds of “knockout” qualifying were affected by changing weather conditions around the
Edmonton airport circuit, as a brief shower just prior to the second round resulted in a wet track for all
competitors. The track began to dry near the end of the 15-minute session, leading to constant position
changes during the final minutes.
The “Fast Six” qualifying round began on a dry track, but rain again began to fall in the final minute,
affecting the final runs from Franchitti; 2011 Edmonton pole qualifier Takuma Sato, who will start fourth;
and fifth-qualifying Alex Tagliani. Sunday’s 75-lap race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT, with live television
coverage on the NBC Sports Network.
Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) second quickest in qualifying, his fourth
consecutive front-row start in 2012: “It was fairly interesting out there. The car was working well, but it
started to rain right at the end of the first round, and it was wet throughout the second. But by the ‘Fast
Six’ [final qualifying round] it was starting to dry out, and the question became whether to use new [softer]
‘Red’ tires, or run scrubbed tires. We took a gamble and went with used Reds. It almost paid off, as we
came within a hundredth [of a second] of Ryan’s time. But we’re starting at the front, and I think we’re in
good shape for the race tomorrow.”
