Friday hero Hearn slumps to 21st

The Della Penna Motorsports driver knew it would be tough to hold his original place, but still expected better than a twelth row slot.

'Yesterday we were able to unload the car with a set-up that made us quick,' he said. 'Unfortunately, we weren't able to build on that.'

Hearn expected great things this year after team sponsor Budweiser increased their contribution. He turned down a drive with the front-running Team Rahal to stay with the squad who he had driven for since his Indy Lights days.

However, the team struggled with the Swift-Toyota package at the start of the year and decided to switch to Reynard chassis. This is only Hearn's second race with the '99-spec Reynard and he is still trying to get to grips with it. On the wet track on Friday he could compensate for that.

'Having the pole was a great feeling and today is a great let-down,' Hearn admitted. 'But race day is what counts and we'll just have to hope for the best.'