But the Brazilian stepped aside on Friday the average U.S. Danica Patrick 329.13 kilometers per hour (204.519 miles per hour) in four laps and qualify for the 200 miles from Nashville.

In Japan started in the first place with a system that defined the positions of points earned.



The new pole means much more to Castroneves, who added a couple of marks. His first record starts in the series was 24 in the race with at least one in seven consecutive seasons. This contrasts with last week when breaking a throttle cable forced him to start from the last place in Watkins Glen.

Castro summed up this shift in a week as "very beautiful", which meant also to Team Penske's team its first pole in Nashville and the 37th in the IndyCar Series.

Patrick will start on Saturday from second place, one step ahead of Hideki Mutoh.

Fellow Brazilian Tony Kanaan will start from the seventh position, and his compatriot Bruno Junqueira from the 23rd.