LONG POND, Pa. – Tony Kanaan's "Tricky Triangle" setup was strong in the opening practice session for the Pocono INDYCAR 500 fueled by Sunoco.
Kanaan, driving the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, recorded a fast lap of 221.344 mph (40.6607 seconds) in the 60-minute morning session on the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway. It was just off Marco Andretti's one-lap track record of 40.4657 seconds.
The Andretti Autosport cars of Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who started on the front row last July for the Verizon IndyCar Series race at Pocono Raceway, were third and second in the opening session. Andretti had a best lap of 220.470 mph (40.8219 seconds) in the No. 25 Snapple car, while Hunter-Reay was second overall (220.882 mph) in the No. 28 DHL car.
Andretti's pole-winning speed (221.337 mph) in 2013 was 41 mph faster than the then-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series track record set by Jimmie Johnson. Denny Hamlin broke that a month ago (181.415 mph). Andretti's grandfather, Mario Andretti, won the 1986 Indy car race at Pocono, while his father, Michael, started from the pole in the Domino's Pizza 500 and finished 11th. The family’s roots are in nearby Nazareth, Pa.
Click it: Practice 1 results || Qualifying order
James Hinchcliffe, who completed the Andretti Autosport front-row qualifying sweep last year for the three-wide start, was fourth fast in the morning practice (220.481 mph) in the No. 27 United Fiber & Data entry and Takuma Sato jumped to fifth (220.379 mph) in the final three minutes in the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing.
A companion 60-minute session will get the green flag at 1:30 p.m. (ET), with single-car qualifications scheduled for 5 p.m. Real-time Timing & Scoring, complemented by the IMS Radio Network broadcasts, are on IndyCar.com. NBCSN will televise qualifications at 7 p.m. (ET) today and the Pocono INDYCAR 500 fueled by Sunoco race telecast begins at noon (ET) July 6.
The second leg of the Triple Crown races carries double points.
Though Andretti Autosport swept the front row in qualifying last year, Chip Ganassi Racing cars swept the podium for the first time ever. Scott Dixon earned the victory, while Charlie Kimball was runner-up and Dario Franchitti finished third.
It was the 100th win in all forms of motorsports for Chip Ganassi Racing and the 200th in Indy car competition for engine manufacturer Honda.
The last -- and only -- team to sweep a Triple Crown race was Sept. 2, 1979, at Ontario (Calif.) by Penske Racing's Bobby Unser, Rick Mears and Mario Andretti.
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