Castroneves’ late run nets Indy pole

INDIANAPOLIS – Hero or villain?

Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves was a little of both Saturday when he snatched away the pole for the Indy 500 from a deserving Dario Franchitti in an electrifying next-to-last qualifying run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Castroneves, a two-time Indy 500 winner and pole-sitter in 2003, clocked an average speed of 225.817 to better Franchitti’s 225.191. He then held his breath as he denied fellow countryman and childhood friend Tony Kanaan (Andretti Green Racing), who blasted around the giant track at 225.757 in the last run of the day, good enough for second on the grid.

“I don’t know … I need a moment, a water and a little rest,” said Castroneves as he received his check for winning the pole. “These guys (crew) are just incredible. I can’t thank my team enough. They just keep digging and digging.”

Castroneves isn’t getting carried away with the pole – just yet.

“Rick Mears always told me there are two races here,” said Castroneves. “The pole and the race. We have to keep working.”

Castroneves made an earlier run of 224.988, which the team elected to withdraw. At the time, it would have put him fourth on the grid.

Franchitti will start the May 27 race in third place, on the outside of the first row.

During the assaults on his speed, run just before 1 p.m., Franchitti swallowed hard, looked up and managed a smile.

His wife, actress Ashley Judd, dropped her head in relief, thinking he might have captured his first Indy pole in a scene much more tense than any film she’s been in. However, it wasn’t to be.

Franchitti, the 35-year-old Scotsman, had just defended his position against the desperate efforts of Team Penske’s Sam Hornish Jr. (fifth), Target Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon (fourth) and Dan Wheldon (sixth) to steal it away.

Franchitti, who also drives for Andretti Green Racing, waited for more than five hours before knowing his average speed would fail to stand up under the attack.

Kanaan, who started on the pole in 2005, could still joke following his near miss.

“I think (the run) made everyone happy in the stands – and that’s the main thing,” he said. “If I had shaved (my head), I would have been a bit quicker.”

Twice, Hornish, the defending Indy 500 champion, threw everything at Franchitti in the last 90 minutes of qualifying, making back-to-back bonsai runs, which saw him brush the wall in Turn 2 in his first qualifying attempt and wiggle just slightly in Turn 4 in his second.

Hornish’s best average speed was 225.109. Then Dixon, the Kiwi, went even faster at 225.122.

Franchitti previous best start in the Indy 500 was third in 2004. Last year, the Edinburgh-born driver qualified 17th and finished seventh.

Franchitti had not been fast in practice during the week, but he turned up the wick on Saturday.

In all, 11 cars qualified Saturday, with another 11 positions available in the field of 33 today.

Danica Patrick (224.076) qualified eighth, while Marco Andretti (223.299) was ninth.

Aussie Ryan Briscoe (224.410) spent a half hour on the pole before Franchitti unseated him. He qualified seventh.