Sato keeps rolling with pole position for second race at Belle Isle

By INDYCAR | Published: Jun 4, 2017

Takuma Sato

DETROIT – Takuma Sato kept the momentum from his Indianapolis 500 win going this morning, winning the Verizon P1 Award and pole position for this afternoon’s second race of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear in record fashion.

The driver of the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda ran a sizzling lap of 1 minute, 13.6732 seconds (114.831 mph) on the 2.35-mile, 14-turn Raceway at Belle Isle temporary street course to secure the first starting position for the 70-lap race that airs at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX: Race 2 qualifying results

Sato’s lap tops the track record set Saturday in qualifying for the first race by Graham Rahal, 1:13.9681 (114.374 mph). Rahal went on to win that race. It is the sixth pole position of Sato’s eight-year Verizon IndyCar Series career and first since he was fastest in qualifying for the second Belle Isle race three years ago.

On May 28, Sato won the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, becoming the first Japanese driver to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Sato’s Andretti Autosport teammate, will start on the outside of Row 1 after setting the fastest lap in a disjointed Group 1. Hunter-Reay clocked a best lap of 1:15.2833 (112.376 mph) in the No. 28 DHL Honda in a session limited to little more than five minutes of green-flag time due to Carlos Munoz’s crash in Turn 2.

Munoz was uninjured in the incident, but his No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing ABC Supply Chevrolet sustained significant right-side damage and he will start last in the 22-car field.

Rahal will start third in the No. 15 SoldierStrong / TurnsforTroops.com Honda as he looks to become the first driver to sweep the weekend doubleheader since the format was adopted at Belle Isle in 2013. Helio Castroneves, in the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, will start beside Rahal in Row 2.

Points leader Scott Dixon starts from the outside of Row 4 in the No. 9 Camping World Honda. Dixon leads Castroneves by two points heading into the race.