Dixon given pole for Iowa Corn Indy 250

NEWTON, Iowa — IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon did his best to be polite.

Though Dixon earned the pole for Sunday’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 because rain washed out qualifying, he tried to explain that he’d rather win the top spot on the track rather than by default.

That’s when Helio Castroneves chimed in.

“You want to switch?” Castroneves said. “No problem with me.”

The fact is, they’re both lucky.

Dixon will start out on the pole for the fourth time in five starts, thanks to a brief but powerful rainstorm that broke out shortly after qualifying began. The IRL set the field according to points, so Dixon will be joined on the front row by Castroneves — just as they were at Iowa last year.

Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan will start from the second row, with Ryan Briscoe and Danica Patrick in the fifth and sixth spots.

The rain came at just the right time for Dixon. The No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing car was having trouble with the rear end during practice sessions, and a switch to a new set of tires didn’t help Dixon pick up much speed.

“I guess it pays off for working hard in the early part of the year and setting our points,” said Dixon, who finished 10th at Iowa in 2007. “It’s going to be a great start for us. This track is very much about track position. And with the rainout, to be honest, we’re starting a lot better than we should have been.”

Castroneves will start in the No. 2 spot for the second race in a row as he tries to pick up his first win of the season. Castroneves has finished in the top five in all seven of his starts in 2008, but he has yet to take checkered flag.

Castroneves, who has finished second three times, said he’s more worried about the points title than breaking his non-winning streak. Castroneves is just 35 points behind Dixon in the points standings.

“I don’t think like that,” Castroneves said about the pressure of trying to break through with a win. “We try everything we can to win races, and when it happens, it happens.”

The field was reduced by two during practice runs. Marty Roth and Bruno Junqueira crashed into the wall in separate incidents, and both said it left their cars too damaged to repair in time for Sunday.

Roth was done in by a rear pushrod break, which sent him into the wall. Junqueira spun out after his left rear wishbone broke, and his crash also collected Dan Wheldon. Wheldon will go to his back up car for the race.

The absence of Roth and Junqueira shouldn’t have much of an impact on the race. Roth is 24th in the points standings, Junqueira is 21st and neither has a top-10 finish this season.

The rain had cleared out less than an hour after it started, and forecasts are calling for sunny skies and warm temperatures by race time. That will hopefully help the track avoid a repeat of last year’s race, when unseasonably cold weather kept tires from getting good traction and led to three accidents that involved seven drivers.

IRL officials have also spent the past 12 months trying to create more opportunities for passing than in 2007, when the track offered little room to maneuver. Dixon said he believes there will be more space this time around, but he cautioned that an expanded field could again create traffic jams.

“Hopefully you can stay in the front and stay out of trouble. For us, that’s the key to it,” Dixon said.

Saturday qualifying rained out; race Sunday

At Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa

Lap length: .875 miles

(Lineup set by driver standings; Car number in parentheses; All chassis Dallara, all engines Honda)

1. (9) Scott Dixon

2. (3) Helio Castroneves

3. (10) Dan Wheldon

4. (11) Tony Kanaan

5. (6) Ryan Briscoe

6. (7) Danica Patrick

7. (27) Hideki Mutoh