Andretti Takes Provisional Pole For Molson Indy

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Andretti Takes Provisional Pole For Molson Indy
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
CART/PPG Series returns to the streets
Michael Andretti took a large step toward ending a two-year dry spell Friday when he earned the provisional pole position for the Molson Indy at Exhibition Place.
Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford) circled the 1.721-mile temporary street circuit at 104.289 mph, leading 28 qualifiers for Sunday's 95-lap event. Final qualifying is set for 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, tape delay, ESPN2). The pole winner collects the $10,000 Marlboro Pole Award, with the opportunity to pick up an additional $15,000 bonus with a victory Sunday (3 p.m. ET, tape delay, ABC).
Andretti, CART's active leader in career poles with 30, hasn't won a pole position since 1995 at Long Beach, 39 starts ago. He has won four of his past five starts at Toronto (1991, '92, '94 and '95) and is the 1991 pole winner at the event.
"The car was pretty good out of the box," said Andretti, who missed the '93 event while competing in Formula One. "Last year [when Andretti finished 22nd], the car was pretty much undriveable, but we learned a lot and made a lot of improvements."
Asked about his previous success at Toronto, Andretti said, "I enjoy the race track, I love driving the track and I always get a good feeling coming here. I'm looking forward to the race."
Mark Blundell (Motorola PacWest Mercedes) qualified second at 103.443 mph. Blundell is attempting to continue a run which has included his first PPG CART World Series career victory at Portland followed by a career-best third place start at Cleveland in his past two outings.
"I'm pretty happy where we're at," Blundell said. "The car is still a little bit loose, but in general it's quite well-behaved. Of course, it would be great to get the pole, but I'm happy to be on the front row and we'll be looking to go one better tomorrow."
Qualifying third was Dario Franchitti (Hogan Motor Leasing Inc. Reynard Mercedes), who is chasing his career-best start and looking to improve on the fifth he recorded at Detroit and Portland. "We started off in the main car this morning and went to the backup car after we had a problem with the gearbox," Franchitti said. "Our tires were good for one really quick lap, and thankfully, we were able to get a clear lap and put up a good time."
Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Reynard Honda) qualified fourth at 102.849 mph and Scott Pruett (Brahma Reynard Ford) fifth at 102.731 mph. PPG Cup leader Paul Tracy (Marlboro Penske Mercedes) qualified eighth at 102.600 while second-place Greg Moore (Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes) was 12th at 102.239 mph. Tracy holds a 106-95 lead over Moore in the PPG Cup standings.
Final qualifying for the Molson Indy will air 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2, repeating at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday. ESPN2's "On the Grid" program will air 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, 30 minutes prior to ABC's race telecast.
Source: CART News Service


		NOW AVAILABLE! — The Official Directory for CART Racing

		Andretti Takes Provisional Pole For Molson Indy ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. CART/PPG Series returns to the streets Michael Andretti took a large step toward ending a two-year dry spell Friday when he earned the provisional pole position for the Molson Indy at Exhibition Place. Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford) circled the 1.721-mile temporary street circuit at 104.289 mph, leading 28 qualifiers for Sunday's 95-lap event. Final qualifying is set for 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, tape delay, ESPN2). The pole winner collects the $10,000 Marlboro Pole Award, with the opportunity to pick up an additional $15,000 bonus with a victory Sunday (3 p.m. ET, tape delay, ABC). Andretti, CART's active leader in career poles with 30, hasn't won a pole position since 1995 at Long Beach, 39 starts ago. He has won four of his past five starts at Toronto (1991, '92, '94 and '95) and is the 1991 pole winner at the event. "The car was pretty good out of the box," said Andretti, who missed the '93 event while competing in Formula One. "Last year [when Andretti finished 22nd], the car was pretty much undriveable, but we learned a lot and made a lot of improvements." Asked about his previous success at Toronto, Andretti said, "I enjoy the race track, I love driving the track and I always get a good feeling coming here. I'm looking forward to the race." Mark Blundell (Motorola PacWest Mercedes) qualified second at 103.443 mph. Blundell is attempting to continue a run which has included his first PPG CART World Series career victory at Portland followed by a career-best third place start at Cleveland in his past two outings. "I'm pretty happy where we're at," Blundell said. "The car is still a little bit loose, but in general it's quite well-behaved. Of course, it would be great to get the pole, but I'm happy to be on the front row and we'll be looking to go one better tomorrow." Qualifying third was Dario Franchitti (Hogan Motor Leasing Inc. Reynard Mercedes), who is chasing his career-best start and looking to improve on the fifth he recorded at Detroit and Portland. "We started off in the main car this morning and went to the backup car after we had a problem with the gearbox," Franchitti said. "Our tires were good for one really quick lap, and thankfully, we were able to get a clear lap and put up a good time." Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Reynard Honda) qualified fourth at 102.849 mph and Scott Pruett (Brahma Reynard Ford) fifth at 102.731 mph. PPG Cup leader Paul Tracy (Marlboro Penske Mercedes) qualified eighth at 102.600 while second-place Greg Moore (Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes) was 12th at 102.239 mph. Tracy holds a 106-95 lead over Moore in the PPG Cup standings. Final qualifying for the Molson Indy will air 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2, repeating at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday. ESPN2's "On the Grid" program will air 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, 30 minutes prior to ABC's race telecast. Source: CART News Service