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 The Brazilian, looking to become the first driver to claim
consecutive Indy 500 wins since Helio Castroneves accomplished the
feat in 2001 and 2002, threw down a lap of 227.838 miles per hour
around the 2.5 mile oval.
"Lap times don't count today, it feels good to be up there but it's
not what it is all about," said Kanaan, who will start Sunday's race
from the inside of Row Six. "We ran a lot in traffic and I'm pretty
happy about it."
Kanaan was followed by Target Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon, who
had a lap of 227.773 mph. American Townsend Bell, three-time winner
Castroneves of Brazil and Russian rookie Mikhail Aleshin rounded out
the top five.
Local boy Ed Carpenter, who will start on pole for the second
consecutive year, clocked the 13th-best speed followed by
46-year-old American Buddy Lazier, the 1996 Indy 500 winner.
Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Cup champion who is attempting to race
the 500 before flying to Charlotte to run NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600
later on Sunday, turned in another strong effort landing 15th on the
speed charts.
"I had to get back on the horse," said Busch. "That one hour session
was an old-school happy hour thrash that we call in the NASCAR
world.
"It felt good to get out there, get comfortable and I would give it
a B overall."
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Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One drivers champion
and 1995 Indy 500 winner who is racing an IndyCar at the Brickyard
for the first time in nearly two decades, finished well down the
standings in 30th.
Britain's Pippa Mann, the only woman qualifying for the 33-car
field, had the 25th best speed.
(Editing by Frank Pingue)
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