Toronto: DSTP Motorsports Friday notes

Hand shafted again by luck in Toronto

Joey Hand and DSTP Motorsports not only spent most of Friday in Toronto fighting with Mother Nature, but with Lady Luck as well. While on and off again showers hampered the team's efforts to get ready for tomorrow's 35-lap race around the 1.755-mile temporary street circuit at Exhibition Place, Toronto, the biggest issue was a broken steering shaft that came apart early in Friday's qualifying session.

The broken part adds another entry to the bizarre list of things that have gone wrong for the team this season. The DSTP team hopes that they are reaching the end of that list and the tide will turn tomorrow.

Despite the problem in qualifying, Hand managed to place himself in the middle of the pack with a time of 1:06.820 seconds (94.553 mph), good for eighth place on the provisional grid. After showing the third quickest time of 1:12.919 seconds (86.644 mph) in a wet opening practice session this morning, Hand was hopeful for a chance at the provisional pole which was won by A.J. Allmendinger.

Hand will get another shot at a better position on the grid tomorrow when the second qualifying session takes place at 9:00 a.m. EST. The Round 7 race is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. EST and will be broadcast 30 minutes later at 4:30 p.m. EST on Speed Channel.

Hand on Friday Qualifying:

"This obviously did not go as planned for the whole DSTP team. I hate to keep saying this is bad luck, but at some point you have to start wondering what is going on with it. This time it was just a steering shaft that broke in half -- simple as that. It is part that should not break and it did. Everybody here is trying so hard and when things don't seem to go your way, it seems to start piling up on you and snow balling. We have a lot of race car, but we just did not have time to prove it. I hope we get that chance tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't rain for the second qualifying session tomorrow so we can have a chance to move up for the race."

Through DSTP Motorsports, Dede Rogers has established herself as a true believer in promoting talented young American drivers into professional racing. Formed in 1994, DSTP first campaigned a team in the Dodge Shelby Pro Series before moving into the U.S. F2000 National Championship in 1995. Such notable drivers as Memo Gidley, Alex Barron, Sam Hornish, Jr. and Jerry Nadeau competed in cars fielded by DSTP before Buddy Rice swept to the Atlantic title during DSTP Motorsports first season in the series in 2000.