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NASCAR - Pocono: Greg Biffle goes quickest on a 50.130s, 179.5mph lap. Seven times on the board, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski up next.
Red flag
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Hinchcliffe has had a bit of a moment at the exit of Turn 11. It looks like there's a little damage to his front wing, but nothing too major.
Green flag
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: We had a closer look at Hinchcliffe's car as he returned to pitlane, and it actually doesn't look like there is any damage at all. The session is now back underway, with Justin Wilson leading the times.
Stopwatch
NASCAR - Pocono: 10 runners down, as we have a new lap record. This is the first time the Gen-6 NASCAR has qualified on the Pocono track, and Kyle Busch drives home a sub-50s lap (49.823s) that breaks the 180mph.
Red flag
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: A 'proper' red flag incident this time, with Tony Kanaan having found the tyres at Turn 12. Leading the times right now is Simon Pagenaud.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: A perfect chance to drop this in, then. Ryan Briscoe's wrist injury ruled him out of Mid-Ohio this weekend, but he's here in spirit - and in helmet. Compatriot James Davison has been forced to borrow one of Briscoe's lids for the weekend due to his own not being up to IndyCar spec.
Especially nerdy fans will recognise that this is the second time this year that someone other than Briscoe has raced in Briscoe's kit - Oriol Servia borrowed his race suit at Texas.
Green flag
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Here we go again. There are 20 minutes left on the clock.
NASCAR - Pocono: Busch still holds provisional pole from Biffle, with 16 times now set and Clint Bowyer about to make it 17. Current top five is 1 Busch; 2 Biffle; 3 Keselowski; 4 McMurray; 5 Burton.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Nine minutes remaining, and Will Power is currently quickest - it's the first time this weekend that a Chevy-powered car has been on top. Team-mate Helio Castroneves is just behind him, with Ganassi's Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon third and fourth.
NASCAR - Pocono: Oh, that was close. Kurt Busch comes within a whisker of joining Kyle in the 49s, but falls just short. He sets a 50.085s lap (179.69mph)...and then Ryan Newman does what he fails to do!
Newman scrapes in to the now two-man club by a whisker - 49.999s and 180.004mph. Second place, good work. 21 drivers have now set times.
Newman scrapes in to the now two-man club by a whisker - 49.999s and 180.004mph. Second place, good work. 21 drivers have now set times.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: We were just about to comment on the fact that Ryan Hunter-Reay was mired down on the outer fringes of the top 20 when he suddenly leapt up to P1.
Checkered flag
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Will Power leaps up to P1 with his final lap, with Scott Dixon finishing up P2 ahead of Ryan Hunter-Reay. Rounding out the top five are Dario Franchitti and - impressively - Luca Filippi.
Breaking news
WRC - Finland: Controversy of the day in Finland was Evgeny Novikov rejoining ahead of Kris Meeke after an SS8 accident and then delaying the series returnee.
Stewards have now ruled that Novikov did unfairly block Meeke, and have reprimanded the Russian and given Meeke 23.7s back.
Stewards have now ruled that Novikov did unfairly block Meeke, and have reprimanded the Russian and given Meeke 23.7s back.
Stopwatch
NASCAR - Pocono: Bit of a frantic rush from Jimmie Johnson's Hendrick team to get the points leader out in time to make his qualifying run. And was it worth the wait!
He goes quickest, by 0.004s, and the speed of that lap was 180.654mph. 28 times are on the board as we start to really get into the thick of qualifying.
He goes quickest, by 0.004s, and the speed of that lap was 180.654mph. 28 times are on the board as we start to really get into the thick of qualifying.
NASCAR - Pocono: Joe Gibbs just lost pole when Kyle Busch was demoted, and his team-mate Denny Hamlin can't take it back for JGR as he only manages seventh on his lap.
Quote
NASCAR - Pocono: Provisional poleman Jimmie Johnson reckons his 49.819s lap wasn't the best he could do.
"I went over a second faster than what I did in practice, so with another lap I think I could polish my flow a little bit," he said. "I threw everything I had at at. What a great race car. And some cloud cover came in, and I made the most of it on my lap."
It took two attempts to get his Hendrick Chevrolet through technical inspection.
"We had to go through again - the left-rear toe was a whipping one thousandth of an inch out..."
"I went over a second faster than what I did in practice, so with another lap I think I could polish my flow a little bit," he said. "I threw everything I had at at. What a great race car. And some cloud cover came in, and I made the most of it on my lap."
It took two attempts to get his Hendrick Chevrolet through technical inspection.
"We had to go through again - the left-rear toe was a whipping one thousandth of an inch out..."
WRC - Finland: What that means is Meeke will start tomorrow's running just 8s behind team-mate Mikko Hirvonen. What a result it would be for the Northern Irishman to finish top Citroen on his competitive debut in the DS3...
We also don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but the M-Sport Fords have hit a few problems today. Is Meeke in with an outside shot of a podium? It would be a somewhat unexpected result - and would definitely surprise Sebastien Loeb.
NASCAR - Pocono: Carl Edwards puts himself into third in the Roush Fenway Ford, a tenth off pole, and demoting last week's Indianapolis race winner Ryan Newman.
NASCAR - Pocono: Nine cars left, and not many of them can threaten Johnson.
His team-mate Dale Earnhardt Jr might have a shot, Kevin Harvick is also still to run, and last man out Marcos Ambrose was quick in practice.
But on track right now is Joe Nemechek and he won't be scaring Johnson.
His team-mate Dale Earnhardt Jr might have a shot, Kevin Harvick is also still to run, and last man out Marcos Ambrose was quick in practice.
But on track right now is Joe Nemechek and he won't be scaring Johnson.
NASCAR - Pocono: AJ Allmendinger is out now. He's on Phoenix Racing duty this weekend, with a few more JTG Daugherty outings later this year too. He goes a solid 14th.
Breaking news
WRC - Finland: Here's a round-up of the top three's feelings at the end of day two.
We've got an unusually emotional Ogier talking of how long he's dreamed of leading to the finish in Finland, and some very bullish fighting talk from M-Sport Ford pair Mads Ostberg and Thierry Neuville.
We've got an unusually emotional Ogier talking of how long he's dreamed of leading to the finish in Finland, and some very bullish fighting talk from M-Sport Ford pair Mads Ostberg and Thierry Neuville.
NASCAR - Pocono: Not only is Dale Earnhardt Jr no threat to team-mate Johnson's provisional pole, he can only qualify his car on row 12 in 24th place.
Kevin Harvick was 13th, so Marcos Ambrose is the last man who might topple Johnson.
Kevin Harvick was 13th, so Marcos Ambrose is the last man who might topple Johnson.
Breaking news
Will Power
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Will Power and Scott Dixon go into qualifying day as the men to beat, while newcomer Luca Filippi starred. Here's the story of Mid-Ohio practice:
Mid-Ohio practice two report
NASCAR - Pocono: Marcos Ambrose goes eighth quickest, and that means another Pocono pole for Jimmie Johnson.
Checkered flag
NASCAR - Pocono - qualifying results:
1 Jimmie Johnson; 2 Kyle Busch; 3 Carl Edwards; 4 Ryan Newman; 5 Kurt Busch; 6 Joey Logano; 7 Greg Biffle; 8 Marcos Ambrose; 9 Denny Hamlin; 10 Aric Almirola.
1 Jimmie Johnson; 2 Kyle Busch; 3 Carl Edwards; 4 Ryan Newman; 5 Kurt Busch; 6 Joey Logano; 7 Greg Biffle; 8 Marcos Ambrose; 9 Denny Hamlin; 10 Aric Almirola.
Breaking news
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Some interesting news emerging from the Mid-Ohio IndyCar weekend as sporting rules are tweaked in response to some controversies in Toronto last month.
NASCAR - Pocono: Bit of post-qualifying intrigue at Pocono as Kyle Busch appears to imply that Jimmie Johnson's issues getting through technical inspections might be contrived to give him later runs in the qualifying order. Johnson denies the existence of "a masterplan"...
Breaking news
Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR - Pocono: For full details of the latest episode in Jimmie Johnson's increasingly extraodinary season (even by his own epic standards)...
Pocono NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying report
Breaking news
And one final piece of evening news for Friday night - a grid boost for British Formula 3's next event at Brands Hatch in a week's time.
That's it for Race Centre Live for Friday August 2, but we're back bright and early at 6.15am BST/5.15am BST for 14 straight hours of global motorsport coverage, including...
* The deciding day of Rally Finland
* The DTM makes its Moscow debut
* WTCC's first event at Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina
* The BTCC resumes at Snetterton after its early-summer break
* Qualifying for the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race
Plus news updates from NASCAR at Pocono and X Games in Los Angeles ahead of their main events on Sunday.
Thanks for your company today, join us again tomorrow.
* The deciding day of Rally Finland
* The DTM makes its Moscow debut
* WTCC's first event at Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina
* The BTCC resumes at Snetterton after its early-summer break
* Qualifying for the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race
Plus news updates from NASCAR at Pocono and X Games in Los Angeles ahead of their main events on Sunday.
Thanks for your company today, join us again tomorrow.
Good morning and welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live for the deciding day of Rally Finland, tin-top action from Moscow, Argentina and Norfolk, plus the best of American stock car, single-seater and rallycross competition.
We'll be here for the next 14 hours or so providing as-it-happens updates from our correspondents around the globe.
We'll be here for the next 14 hours or so providing as-it-happens updates from our correspondents around the globe.
Lights out
WRC - Finland: Eight stages left today, two loops of four including the infamous 33 kilometres of Ouninpohja. We kick off with 14.95km Surkee.
Juho Hanninen
WRC - Finland: Thirteen World Rally Cars are still running, beginning with those delayed so far this weekend in Riku Tahko, Juho Hanninen, Jari-Matti Latvala, P-G Andersson and Evgeny Novikov.
WRC - Finland: Here are the top 10 standings beginning the morning:
1 Ogier; 2 Neuville +38.1s; 3 Ostberg +39.0s; 4 Hirvonen +1m01.4s; 5 Meeke +1m09.5s; 6 Nikara +2m18.6s; 7 Sordo +2m45.0s; 8 Ketomaa +6m13.9s; 9 Novikov +6m38.5s; 10 Kubica +7m24.1s.
1 Ogier; 2 Neuville +38.1s; 3 Ostberg +39.0s; 4 Hirvonen +1m01.4s; 5 Meeke +1m09.5s; 6 Nikara +2m18.6s; 7 Sordo +2m45.0s; 8 Ketomaa +6m13.9s; 9 Novikov +6m38.5s; 10 Kubica +7m24.1s.
WRC - Finland: Latvala is quickest of the early runners.
His rally went awry very early on, with suspension damage on SS2 eventually causing his retirement from leg one.
That means he's only 42nd overall. But that's also a sign of how competitive the entry is this weekend: he's 20 minutes off the lead with his Rally 2 penalties included, yet that time gap would often still get you in the top 10 (or even the top five on weekends of crazy attrition).
His rally went awry very early on, with suspension damage on SS2 eventually causing his retirement from leg one.
That means he's only 42nd overall. But that's also a sign of how competitive the entry is this weekend: he's 20 minutes off the lead with his Rally 2 penalties included, yet that time gap would often still get you in the top 10 (or even the top five on weekends of crazy attrition).
WRC - Finland: Terrible stage for Dani Sordo, who complains that he cannot get any confidence with his Citroen's rear sliding too much. He is slowest of all so far.
Sordo is chasing Jarkko Nikara for sixth this morning. Nikara also ends the stage pretty nonplussed, saying he couldn't get any rhythm at all.
But he still added 15s to his advantage over Sordo, taking that up to 40s and making sixth place look a bit more comfortable.
Sordo is chasing Jarkko Nikara for sixth this morning. Nikara also ends the stage pretty nonplussed, saying he couldn't get any rhythm at all.
But he still added 15s to his advantage over Sordo, taking that up to 40s and making sixth place look a bit more comfortable.
WRC - Finland: The stewards' decision to give Kris Meeke some time back after being blocked by Evgeny Novikov yesterday gives Meeke a shot at chasing down Mikko Hirvonen for 'top Citroen' honours today.
A slight blow on Surkee though as Meeke has a spin, although he's pretty chilled about the whole thing.
"I did a full 360 at the last junction. I had to stop, turn around, stop, turn around. I lost maybe 10 seconds," he says.
"But we're under no pressure this morning, Mikko was always going to go flat-out."
A slight blow on Surkee though as Meeke has a spin, although he's pretty chilled about the whole thing.
"I did a full 360 at the last junction. I had to stop, turn around, stop, turn around. I lost maybe 10 seconds," he says.
"But we're under no pressure this morning, Mikko was always going to go flat-out."
Stopwatch
WRC - Finland: Mikko Hirvonen beats Latvala to the best time so far by 0.2s, which moves him 16s clear of Meeke.
Stopwatch
Mads Ostberg
WRC - Finland: M-Sport team-mates' Thierry Neuville and Mads Ostberg's battle for second is the headline story this morning and the Norwegian is going to pass his team-mate as he takes the stage win so far by two seconds.
Neuville loses 4s to Ostberg.
"I went straight on a junction, so I lost like five or six seconds," says Neuville. "I tried to push but I when it was tricky I took no risks. I learned in the first junction that it's hard to make up time!"
Quote
WRC - Finland: Leader Sebastien Ogier takes it easy as he maintains his advantage.
"I'm not in a position to take any risks, so I take some time to start my day," he says.
"I'm not in a position to take any risks, so I take some time to start my day," he says.
By: Scott Mitchell, David Evans, Mark Glendenning, Sam Tremayne, Matt Beer, Jamie O'Leary, Kevin Turner
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