Transition Players Nail Down P1 & P2 For 2nd Time This Season

Pole winner Graham Rahal, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. This is his second pole award earned in three races this season - he earned on for Saint Petersburg, a road course ... and now one for Kansas Speedway, a short oval course. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

Transition Players Nail Down P1 & P2 For 2nd Time This Season

Qualifications, Kansas Speedway: Three of the top ten positions held by Transition Players ... with the front row filled by teammates from Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing P1 - Graham Rahal and P2 - Bobby D, Robert Doornbos.

This makes it that in two of three ICS races held this year, a Transition Player has nailed down the pole position ... congrats to Graham Rahal. Further, in all three qualifications sessions this year in the ICS season, a Transition Player has nailed down P2 (Justin Wilson/Dale Coyne Racing at St. Pete, Will Power/Penske Racing at Long Beach, and now Bobby D/Newman Haas/Lanigan here at Kansas Speedway).

Two time Indy 500 winner, Arie Luyendyk as he coaches Robert Doornbos through the 1.5 mile oval from the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing pit - Kansas Speedway 2009 - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

It has to be mentioned that Doornbos was lifted to P2 from P4 when the IRL ruled that the lap times of P2 Dario Franchitti/Target Chip Ganassi, and P3 Helio Castroneves/Penske Racing would be disallowed because both drivers, during each of their four lap qualifying runs, dipped their left tires below the White, inside track, boundary line. These two drivers will start from the back of the field for Sunday's race.

Robert Doornbos, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing secures a quick enough speed for four laps to qualify at P4. This position was later upgraded to P2 next to his teammate, Graham Rahal. The two NHLR drivers will fill the front row to start Sunday's third race of this IndyCar Series 2009 season. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

Revised qualifying order (** denotes Transition Player):

Pos Driver Team Speed
1. Graham Rahal** Newman/Haas/Lanigan 211.311
2. Robert Doornbos** Newman/Haas/Lanigan 210.665

Danica Patrick gears up and gets ready to qualify fast enough to nab P3 on the grid, Sunday ... just behind NHLR Teammates Graham Rahal and Robert Doornbos - Kansas Speedway 2009 - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

3. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 210.470
4. Scott Dixon Ganassi 210.368
5. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 210.220
6. Mario Moraes** KV 210.197
7. Ryan Briscoe Penske 210.098
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 210.082
9. Dan Wheldon Panther 209.144
10. Ed Carpenter Vision 208.956
11. Sarah Fisher Fisher 208.543
12. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold 208.537
13. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green 208.506
14. Vitor Meira Foyt 208.461
15. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon 208.382
16. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 208.145
17. Justin Wilson** Coyne 207.971
18. EJ Viso** HVM 206.779
19. Stanton Barrett 3G 205.820
20. Ryan Hunter-Reay Vision 205.673
21. Dario Franchitti Ganassi -
22. Helio Castroneves Penske -

... notes from The EDJE

INDY Road Runner Turbo 300 - Kansas Qualifying

Kansas Speedway seats nearly 82,000 spectators in the grandstands, but will eventually expand to 150,000. The facility has fan friendly access to 65 rows of seating, with a unique ground level concourse that allows spectators to walk down 30 rows (on grade) or up 35 rows (on structure). Image Credit: Kansas Speedway

INDY Road Runner Turbo 300 - Kansas Qualifying

Round Four of Eighteen - Kansas - Oval Track

Final grid:
(ht: Atlas F1 Bulletin Board)

SP Car Driver Team Time Speed

1 9 Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1:42.3014 213.956

2 10 Dan Wheldon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1:42.4521 213.641

3 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 1:42.6519 213.225

4 12 Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon Racing 1:42.8753 212.762

5 2 A.J. Foyt IV Vision Racing 1:43.0132 212.478

6 20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 1:43.0503 212.401

7 25 Marty Roth Roth Racing 1:43.1568 212.182

8 3 Helio Castroneves Team Penske 1:43.2072 212.078

9 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 1:43.2556 211.979

10 4 Vitor Meira Panther Racing 1:43.3219 211.843

11 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 1:43.3409 211.804

12 17 Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman Racing 1:43.4008 211.681

13 27 R Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 1:43.5646 211.346

14 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 1:43.6088 211.256

15 24 R Jay Howard Roth Racing 1:43.9230 210.617

16 14 Darren Manning AJ Foyt Racing 1:44.0597 210.341

17 33 R EJ Viso HVM Racing 1:44.1730 210.112

18 8 R Will Power KV Racing 1:44.1833 210.091

19 34 R Jaime Camara Conquest Racing 1:44.2671 209.922

20 6 R Graham Rahal Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:44.3284 209.799

21 15 Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:44.3448 209.766

22 2 R Justin Wilson Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:44.5248 209.405

23 5 Oriol Servia KV Racing 1:44.6076 209.239

24 23 Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:44.9702 208.516

25 36 R Enrique Bernoldi Conquest Racing 1:45.0075 208.442

26 18 Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing 1:45.2198 208.022

27 19 R Mario Moraes Dale Coyne Racing No speed No time

Grid Notes:

- Ganassi Racing strong

- Penske Racing 8th and 9th?.....

- Vision Racing continues their strong showing this year

- Kanaan sounded severely pissed off during live streaming, saying the team really needed to notch up a gear or two as the car was just SLOW. Danica in third when the other three Andretti Greens trail behind in 11th, 13th and 14th.

- Roth Racing's Marty Roth in 7th. What the heck?

- Healthy grid number

- Transition teams from ChampCar do no better than 17th after posting a high of 12th at Homestead (17,18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, … 27 may be out due to repairs - crash)

But as Scott Dixon told the pit reporter: "Qualifying doesn't mean a lot at Kansas, you can start last and still work your way up the field and win."
Reference Here>>

... Notes from The EDJE