Franchitti wins pole for IndyCar race

RICHMOND, Va., June 26 (UPI) -- Dario Franchitti, winner of last Sunday's IndyCar race in Iowa, grabbed the pole Friday for the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway.

Franchitti produced a four-lap average of 167.315 miles per hour around the .75-mile oval. He was three-tenths of a second quicker than teammate Scott Dixon, who will start on the outside of the front row in Saturday's race.

It was the second pole of the season for Franchitti and the eighth of his IndyCar career. Dixon's starting position will be the best of the year for the defending series champion.

Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe will make up the second row, followed by Graham Rahal and Raphael Matos.

Defending champion Tony Kanaan qualified 17th in the 20-car field.