JOLIET, Ill., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Ryan Briscoe won his third Chicagoland Speedway pole in as many years Friday and will start out front in Saturday's 300-mile race.
The IndyCar Series debuted its new qualifying procedure for oval-track races, in which the competitors turn in two laps to determine an average speed.
Briscoe's average was 216.346 mph, giving him his third pole of the season and the 11th of his IndyCar career. All three poles this season have come on 1 1/2-mile ovals -- Kansas, Texas and Chicagoland.
Briscoe won this race last year and was third in 2008.
Defending series champion Dario Franchitti qualified second, followed by Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal.
Power is the current points leader and is coming off his victory last week in the final road race of the season in Sonoma, Calif.
