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Points Leader DeFrancesco Takes Indy Pro 2000 Pole

 Rising star Devlin DeFrancesco will start on pole position for today’s Indy Pro 2000 Oval Challenge of St. Louis Presented by Cooper Tires. In preparation for only his second ever race on an oval, the 20-year-old Italian-Canadian from Toronto, Ont., this afternoon was the only driver to turn two laps of the unique, egg-shaped 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway under 32 seconds.

Driving for Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport, DeFrancesco edged out Artem Petrov, from Saint Petersburg, Russia, by a combined total of just 0.1388 of a second. Petrov’s Juncos Racing teammate, Sting Ray Robb, from Payette, Idaho, will start third.

After brief showers earlier the day interrupted some of the three 45-minute test sessions, the sun was shining brightly when the drivers each embarked on their two-lap qualifying runs in reverse order of their current championship positions.

As the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires points leader, DeFrancesco was

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Automotive
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Power and Sato take pole positions

The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – this year split into two 250-mile races – saw IndyCar again adopt the oval qualifying system whereby each car gets a two-lap run, with everyone’s first lap deciding the grid for Saturday’s race, the second deciding the grid for Sunday’s round. Parc ferme rules also apply, so the cars qualified with the same setup with which they will race.

Patricio O’Ward’s Arrow McLaren SP ensured it was a Chevrolet lockout for this afternoon’s race,

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Automotive
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Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport in Good Shape for Indy Pole Run

INDIANAPOLIS – The boost was turned up, but the suspects remained the same during “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Andretti Autosport ended Friday with all seven of its cars or affiliated cars in the top 15 during the final full day of practice before Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying for the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

There are six drivers racing out of the Andretti Autosport stable for this event. Meyer Shank Racing, which has Jack Harvey as its driver, is a satellite team sharing and engineering alliance with Michael Andretti’s organization and counts as the seventh for the “500.”

RELATED: Andretti Blazes Fastest ‘Fast Friday’ Lap since 1996

Friday, Marco Andretti ran the fastest lap at IMS since Arie Luyendyk in 1996. Andretti ran 233.491 mph in the No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda entered by Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco & Curb-Agajanian. Luyendyk turned a lap at

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Automotive
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Czech MotoGP: Zarco takes shock pole as Quartararo crashes – MotoGP

Johann Zarco took a shock MotoGP pole position for Avintia Ducati at the Czech Grand Prix after a late crash for Fabio Quartararo, while Andrea Dovizioso was only 18th.

Zarco put the KTM on the front row at Brno one year ago in wet conditions, but a week later had quit the Austrian marque amidst a miserable season on the RC16.

Signed to ride for the underfunded Avintia squad on a year-old Ducati, Zarco stunned with his first pole since his Tech3 days – having last started from pole in Malaysia 2018 – to lead a French 1-2 in qualifying.

The early part of the session was topped by KTM’s Pol Espargaro with a 1m56.142s, though this was quickly beaten by Quartararo with the best lap of the weekend so far of a 1m55.990s.

Following the Petronas SRT rider on that lap, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro pulled out a surprise lap

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Automotive
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Styria MotoGP: Pol Espargaro secures first pole position for KTM – MotoGP

Pol Espargaro stormed to his and KTM’s first MotoGP pole in a frantic Styrian Grand Prix qualifying, while Valentino Rossi was only 15th after a crash.

In a season in which KTM achieved its first win courtesy of Brad Binder, Espargaro gave the Austrian marque its maiden pole in a qualifying session on home soil in which the Q2 order was split by just 0.594 seconds.

Fabio Quartararo set the pace after the opening salvo of laps with a 1m24.479s, with Alex Rins taking over top spot with a 1m24.461s soon after.

Maverick Vinales made his claim to a second-successive Red Bull Ring pole with a 1m24.217s, though this was cancelled for exceeding track limits, which briefly promoted Franco Morbidelli on the Petronas SRT Yamaha to pole.

That was short-lived, however, as Quartararo and then Espargaro shot to the top of the order.

He stayed top the pile for all

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Automotive
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Andalusia MotoGP: Quartararo beats Vinales to pole, Marquez fails to set time – MotoGP

Fabio Quartararo claimed his second MotoGP pole of 2020 at the Andalusian Grand Prix after Maverick Vinales had his last lap cancelled, while Marc Marquez did not set a time.

Reigning world champion Marquez completed 18 laps in FP3 and a further 10 in FP4, after Honda confirmed he would carry on following the morning session.

But Marquez only completed an outlap on his RC213V before pulling out of Q1, and has decided to withdraw from Sunday’s race.

To make matters worse for Honda, Alex Marquez crashed at the end of Q1 and appeared to hurt his right arm – though escaped any serious injury and will start 21st.

Vinales set the early pace in Q2 with a 1m37.217s on the factory Yamaha, and improved on his follow-up effort to a 1m37.102s to take a 0.187-second advantage over Pramac Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.

Quartararo guided his Petronas SRT Yamaha to top

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Automotive
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Marco Andretti says family is ‘blessed’ not ‘cursed’ after winning Indy 500 pole position

EXCLUSIVE – Marco Andretti doesn’t believe in a family curse, but he’s fine if you do.

The third-generation driver on Sunday won pole position for the upcoming Indy 500, becoming the first Andretti to do so since his grandfather Mario started from the front in 1987.

Mario dominated that race until a mechanical issue ended his chances for victory with just 23 laps to go. It was of many disappointments he, son Michael, Marco and other members of the Andretti clan have suffered in the Indy 500 since his 1969 win made the family name synonymous with speed.

(Andretti Autosport​​​​​)

Andretti said the curse is a funny story the family is happy to lean into for the media, but not something he takes in the car with him — despite having lost in his rookie outing on the final straight with dad right behind him in third place.

Sam Hornish Jr. edged out Andretti in the 2006 Indy 500.

Sam Hornish

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Marco Andretti talks winning Indy 500 pole, family history and if the Andretti Curse is real

The Indianapolis 500 isn’t until Sunday, but Marco Andretti is already making race history — and family history too.



Marco Andretti et al. that are standing in the snow

© Provided by For The Win


After a strong performance this weekend during the initial qualifying session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one of the biggest races in the world, Andretti won the Fast Nine Shootout for the prestigious pole position to lead the field to green.

And that means the 104th Indy 500 will mark the first time since 1987 that a member of the Andretti family will start on the pole. And 33-year-old Marco, looking to follow his grandfather, legendary racer Mario Andretti, could be the first Andretti in more than five decades to win it all.

Monday, For The Win spoke with Marco — who drives the No. 98 Honda for his father Michael’s team, Andretti Autosport — about winning the pole, his chances of winning the Indy

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Automotive
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Andretti Takes Pole For 104th Indy 500: Video

Marco Andretti took pole position for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500, which will go green this Sunday, August 23rd, at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Andretti, the grandson of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti and son of Michael Andretti, beat eight of his rivals in the Fast Nine Shootout on Sunday with a four-lap average of 2 minutes, 35.7985 seconds (average speed of 231.068 mph). Sunday’s race will mark the first time a member of the storied Andretti racing family has started the Indy 500 from pole position – a fact that is not lost on the third-generation driver.

“I was emotional,” Marco Andretti said after his qualifying run. “It’s funny because I was screaming after the run, so I don’t have a voice. Everybody is thinking I’m crying, but I just can’t talk right now. I was emotional. We put so much into it. This

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Automotive
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Andretti Is a Familiar Name in an Unfamiliar Place: The Pole

Mario Andretti, sitting in his favorite easy chair on Sunday at home in Nazareth, Pa., was practicing expectation management when his grandson Marco went out for a four-lap qualifying run for the 104th Indianapolis 500.

“To be honest, after his three Andretti Autosport teammates had gone out and had not found the speed they’d hoped to have, I thought, ‘Well, it is what it is,’” said Andretti, 80, the 1969 Indianapolis winner. “But when I heard Marco’s lap times, I jumped so high out of my chair. I didn’t know I was that agile anymore. That’s my boy!”

Marco Andretti ended up edging Scott Dixon for the coveted No. 1 starting position in the 33-car field by two-hundredths of a second, becoming the first Andretti on the pole at Indy since 1987.

“I knew it was going to be close,” said Marco Andretti, 33, who will be starting his 15th

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Automotive