Ryan Briscoe and Team Penske Win Pole at Chicagoland Speedway

JOILET, Illinois – Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe, driving the No. 6 Dallara, has won his third consecutive pole at Chicagoland Speedway. His two-lap average speed of 216.346 pushed him ahead of Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti.

Franchitti, who trails Team Penske’s Will Power by 59 points in the 2010 IndyCar Series’ overall championship standings, will start P2 in tomorrow night’s race underneath the lights.

Teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves will share Row 2. While Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal will grid-up on Row 3.

Filling out the remaining top ten positions are Dan Wheldon, Hideki Mutoh, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Takuma Sato(R).

Saturday’s race also kicks off the A.J. Foyt Oval Championship race. Last weekend in Sonoma, California, Will Power was declared the 2010 Mario Andretti Road Champion.

There are a recird-tying five females competing at Chicagoland. Here’s how they will be lined up on the grid: Danica Patrick (P12), Ana Beatriz (P22), Sarah Fisher (P25), Milka Duno (P26) and Simona De Silvestro (P27).

Notably, Scott Dixon is starting in fifteenth position, bringing an end to 45 consecutive top-10 starts.

The entire 29-car field is separated by one second.

The PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway gets underway on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at 7 p.m. (EST). It airs live on VERSUS. Twenty-nine drivers are entered to race 200 laps on the 1.5-mile D-shaped tri-oval track.

Briscoe, today’s polesitter, was the 2009 polesitter and winner.

Robyn Lynne Schechter