Briscoe Takes Pole

LEXINGTON, Aug. 9, 2009: Ryan Briscoe set an event record lap of 1 minute, 06.6814 seconds to claim the PEAK Performance Pole Award for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance on Aug. 9.

Briscoe, who won the race last year in the No. 6 Team Penske car, will be joined on the front row by Justin Wilson (1:06.7007) in the No. 18 Z-Lines Design car for Dale Coyne Racing. Reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon will start third in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, while Ohio-native Graham Rahal will share Row 2 after a quick lap of 1:07.0640 in the Firestone Fast Six shootout in the No. 02 McDonald's car for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

Helio Castroneves, who started from the pole in 2007 and '08 in the No. 3 Team Penske car, will be on Row 3 with Dario Franchitti.

Also on Aug. 8, James Davison collected his second pole start of the season - on the course he won last year. The Vision Racing driver recorded a quick lap of 1 minute, 14.8673 seconds. James Hinchcliffe will start alongside the Australian in the front row.