IRL: Michigan: Scott Sharp qualifying report

Sharp On Row Three for Firestone Indy 400 Scott Sharp produced his career-best qualifying effort at Michigan International Speedway this afternoon with a fifth-place* starting position for tomorrow's Firestone Indy 400. Sharp's best lap was ...

Sharp On Row Three for Firestone Indy 400

Scott Sharp produced his career-best qualifying effort at Michigan International Speedway this afternoon with a fifth-place* starting position for tomorrow's Firestone Indy 400. Sharp's best lap was only .0594 seconds off the pole-winning time set by Bryan Herta. Sharp will be making his fourth IndyCar Series career start on the two-mile D-shaped oval tomorrow. He has claimed top-10 results in his three previous starts, posting his best finish of fourth in 2003.

*Sharp qualified in sixth position but was moved up to fifth after Buddy Lazier incurred a qualifying penalty.

Scott Sharp, #8 Delphi Panoz/Honda/Firestone: "It was a good run. You come here on race weekends and you want to maximize your speed in qualifying and that's what we did. We took it up more than a mile an hour, so I'm real pleased with that. The Delphi guys just did a great job in tweaking the balance and the gears a little bit right before qualifying, and Honda gave us a great motor. I am really excited for tomorrow. This is a track that, if your car can draft well, you can start anywhere and you'll get to front. I spent a lot of time in the first [practice] session up high on the third and fourth groove, so that's the kind of race that I am expecting tomorrow."

SCOTT SHARP FAST FACTS: Will be making his fourth IndyCar Series start at Michigan-- has claimed three top-10 results at Michigan with a best finish of fourth in 2003-- has recorded four top-five finishes to date this season, and six top-seven finishes-- currently sits sixth in the championship standings-- best qualifying effort to date this season was third at Japan and Indianapolis-- will be making his 109th IndyCar Series start and record 101st consecutive start-- is in his 10th season of IndyCar Series competition, and is the only driver to have contested every season of IndyCar Series competition since the inception of the IRL 10 years ago-- career record includes eight wins, five pole positions and 31 top-five finishes-- was the 1996 IndyCar Series co-champion and the 2001 Indianapolis 500 MBNA Pole winner-- is a former two-time SCCA Trans-Am Champion and three-time SCCA National Champion-- 37 years old from Norwalk, Connecticut-- currently resides in Jupiter, Florida.