LONG POND, Pennsylvania – Imagine you’re about to get in a race car and drive it as close to the edge as possible at nearly 220 mph. Then, just as you’re about to put on your helmet and buckle in, your teammate crashes.
If you’re Takuma Sato, imagine all of that before you win the pole position.
Minutes after his Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay crashed Saturday and was taken to a hospital with an injury to his left hip and knee, Sato – driving a car set up almost identically to Hunter-Reay’s – recorded the fastest two-lap average of the day to win the pole position for today’s ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.
“We saw Ryan's moment,” Sato said. “(It) really made me nervous because he was just in front of me. We share a lot of parts and philosophy on the car, so it's directly expecting what he has is what I have.”
Hunter-Reay was exiting Turn 3 when his No. 28 DHL Honda spun and struck the wall with its left side, then ricocheted into the inside wall on the frontstretch before coming to a stop.
He climbed from the car with help from safety workers, then favored his left leg before being assisted to a waiting vehicle. After being examined by INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Geoffrey Billows, Hunter-Reay was taken to a nearby hospital for examination. He was released Saturday night but not cleared to race, pending a re-evaluation today.
Sato said an unpredictable wind made handling difficult through Pocono’s three distinctly different turns.
“Anything can happen,” Sato said after claiming the seventh pole position of his eight-year Verizon IndyCar Series career. “I think not only my teammates, but also other drivers had challenging issues today because of wind direction, because we trim so much (downforce out of the car).”
As the final qualifier in the 22-car field, Sato calmed his nerves and turned two laps around the 2.5-mile, three-turn track at 219.639 mph in the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda. That bumped Simon Pagenaud from the No. 1 spot and added another accomplishment to a season that included a history-making Indianapolis 500 victory in May.
“Pole here is something very special,” Sato said. “Especially after Indy 500, coming to another 500 (-mile) race. The entire crew from the 26 did an outstanding job. Have to say big thank you to Michael (Andretti, team CEO, shown above congratulating Sato) and all Andretti Autosport. I am very happy.”
Pagenaud bumped Charlie Kimball from the top spot with a two-lap average of 219.395 mph, then waited, knowing the final three cars – all Andretti Autosport entries – had shown speed in the morning practice session.
But Marco Andretti struggled to hang on to his car and Hunter-Reay crashed. Sato, knowing he had speed that carried dangerous possibilities, then went out and topped Pagenaud’s effort.
“There’s a word going through my mind,” Pagenaud joked. “And I'm not going to say it.
“(It’s) disappointing, of course. You can taste the win, and that's what we're all about. We're racers. We want to win. I'm here to win – to be first, not to be second.”
Honda took seven of the top 10 starting positions in its duel with Chevrolet, though Chevy snagged four of the top six spots in Saturday’s final practice when teams ran in race trim.
Live coverage of the 500-mile race begins at 2 p.m. ET today on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.