LONG POND, PA (July 6, 2013) – Marco Andretti, driver of the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet , set a new Pocono Raceway qualifying record at 221.377 miles per hour (mph) today, and earned the pole for the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco. Andretti Autosport drivers Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe will lead the 24-car IZOD IndyCar Series field to the green flag in a traditional three-wide start on Sunday afternoon.
“I’m definitely happy for the RC Cola guys and really Andretti Autosport as a whole,” said Andretti, a Nazareth (PA) native. “We have been making statement after statement, so, it’s a good feeling”
In all, 21 cars set qualifying time faster than the previous track record of 211.715 mph, set by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989, the last time Indy cars race at “The Tricky Triangle.” Andretti Autosport drivers Andretti, Hunter-Reay and Hinchcliffe were three of four drivers to top 220 mph during qualifying.
“I think it’s important for sure just to start up in the thick of it and really start off on the right foot,” said Hunter-Reay, the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion. “It’s a long race. 400-miles around this place is going to be tough, it’s going to be grueling. Hopefully, the No. 1 DHL Chevy will be up front at the end putting ourselves in a position to win this thing.”
“Marco (Andretti) has been the class of the field, said Hinchcliffe, a three-time winner this year. “We knew it was going to be tough to beat that. We just wanted to try to stay in contention and he gave me some useful tips after his run, just teammates working together. I had a little bit of a moment entering turn one the thing got a little loose on me. I was battling it around the race track. The wind conditions when you are running this light on downforce don’t help. Solid performance and hopefully that leaves us in the sharp end and hopefully a couple more Andretti Autosport cars can get up there too and we can start this show from the clean part of the track.”
Tickets to the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco start at $25 for adults and all Kids Grandstands tickets are half price. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.poconoraceway.com or call 1-800-722-3929.
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