Castroneves beats out Patrick for pole in Nashville

Castroneves beats out Patrick for pole in Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee (Sports Network) - Helio Castroneves won the pole for Saturday's Firestone Indy 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway. The No.3 Team Penske driver made four laps around the 1.33-mile oval in one minute, 31.5320 seconds (204.519 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Castroneves' first of the season and 24th of his IndyCar career. The Brazilian Castroneves extends his IndyCar Series record to seven consecutive years with a pole.

"I'm excited to be on pole, especially after what happened last week in Watkins Glen (did not post a qualification lap because of a mechanical issue)," said Castroneves.

"The Team Penske guys worked really hard to make sure everything was in great condition, and wow, what a great four laps. Awesome."

Starting alongside Castroneves will be Danica Patrick who recorded a speed of 203.335 m.p.h. Patrick was sitting on the pole, but Castroneves, the 13th driver out, posted a faster time to steal the spotlight from Patrick.

"The car was stuck and it was pretty easy, which is what happens when you are starting up front," said Patrick. "It is good to start up front here. There are plenty of spots behind me. I don't think it's going to be two-wide. It will be for the first couple of laps. You may see people use the outside on restart after they sweep the high lane, but it will be very hard to pass. I will need to get a good jump."

Hideki Mutoh (203.316 m.p.h.) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (203.306 m.p.h.) will start in row two.

Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Scott Dixon (fifth), Dan Wheldon (sixth), Tony Kanaan (seventh) and Marco Andretti (11th).

Dixon, the series points leader, has won this race the past two years. In last year's race, Dixon became the first back-to-back winner of this race, as he outlasted Dario Franchitti. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver also became the first pole-sitter at this race to capture the checkered flag.

The 27-year-old Dixon currently holds a 48-point lead in the point standings over Castroneves.

The green flag is scheduled to drop on Saturday around 8:00 p.m. (et).