A qualifying
run of 166.013 mph guaranteed Tony Stewart the pole
position for the opening round of the 1997 Indy Racing
League, The Indy 200 at the Walt Disney World Speedway
in Orlando, Florida.
The 25
year old from Rushville, Indiana, piloted his Team Menard
Glidden/Menard Special G-Force-Aurora to the top slot
ahead of the 1990 Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.
Luyendyk
recorded a speed of 164.964 mph in his Treadway Racing/WavePhore
G-Force-Aurora car to complete the front row for the
200 mile race.
Buzz
Calkins, last year's Indy 200 winner, and his 1996
IRL co-champion Scott Sharp, line up on the second
row in G-Force and Dallara chassis for their Bradley
Motorsport and AJ Foyt Enterprise teams.
Sixteen
of the IRL's brand new chassis and engine combinations
qualified for the event, although cars entered for
Roberto Guerrero and Jack Miller will be permitted to start
despite the non-appearance in qualifying.
Davy
Jones, the 1996 Indianapolis 500 runner-up who was injured
in an accident during practice on Thursday, was reported
awake and talking to medical staff at the Orlando Regional
Medical Centre on Friday, although he remains in a critical
condition.
His car
was taken over by rookie Jeff Ward, who qualified the
Monsoon-Galles Racing car in an impressive eigth
place.
Grid
Line Up
1. |
Tony
Stewart |
166.013
mph |
2. |
Arie Luyendyk |
164.964 |
3. |
Buzz Calkins |
164.046 |
4. |
Scott Sharp |
163.785 |
5. |
Eddie Cheever |
163.547 |
6. |
Scott
Goodyear |
163.332 |
7. |
Davey
Hamilton |
163.280 |
8. |
Jeff Ward |
162.660 |
9. |
Jim Guthrie |
162.280 |
10. |
Fermin Velez |
161.638 |
11. |
Buddy Lazier |
161.341 |
12. |
Marco Greco |
160.214 |
13. |
John Paul Jnr |
159.553 |
14. |
Mike Groff |
159.355 |
15. |
Jeret
Scroeder |
154.859 |
16. |
Danny Ongais |
151.483 |
17. |
Roberto
Guerrero |
N/A |
18. |
Jack Miller |
N/A |