Qualifying: Sharp pips Dismore

"We have had a great weekend this year, but we would trade it all to have a good day on Sunday," Sharp said. "We really surprised ourselves with our speed. I really thought the pole would be out of reach, but we made a few minor tweaks and I drove what I thought would be the perfect line. When the speed came up, I thought there was something wrong with my dash."

Dismore went out late in the session and despite every effort, he was unable to get his Dallara-Oldsmobile Aurora faster than Sharp's.

"If someone is going to be beside me, I'd just as soon it was Scott," Dismore said. "If someone's going to beat me, I darn sure hope it's Scott. I hope Sunday is a flip-flop and I'm the guy in front of him."

After several crashes in private testing last Friday when Sam Hornish Jr. and Buzz Calkins both lost control on the bumpy track surface, IRL and Kentucky Speedway officials decided to make some changes to both the cars and the track. The IRL increased the rear wing angle from six degrees to 12 while Kentucky Speedway took a grinder to some of the bumps and used a substance known as Rhino Track Patch to fill in the bumps.

"We weren't sure what we could run based on those changes, but it's a new track for everybody," Sharp said. "With the wing angle set at 12 degrees, which was a good move by the IRL, and the surface is relatively new in the corners, it has taken everybody time to get adjusted to that."

An all-Infiniti second row will start behind the two Kelley drivers with Eddie Cheever's Dallara qualifying third at 213.200 mph alongside fourth-place qualifier Robbie Buhl at 212.002 mph in a G Force. Greg Ray rounded out the top five at 211.441 mph.

"It's a little bit of an unknown for everybody," Sharp said. "We haven't had to deal with the track conditions ever under those conditions and we don't know what the car will be like after 30 or 40 laps. Who knows how good their cars are? We'll see in the race."

With the extra rear wing adding more downforce to the cars, the drivers may have a bit more bravado when it comes to passing on Sunday, and coould even take the high-line to get by another driver.

"I think so," Sharp said. "If we were running six degrees, it would be very questionable if there would be any outside passing. With 12 degrees, it opens that window. Once some rubber gets up there, it will widen the groove and more drivers will get up there.

"I think you will see a lot of activity on the straightaways and the draft will play a bigger role because we are punching a bigger hole in the air."

Dismore expects more side-by-side racing because of the extra wing angle, with the added downforce giving the drivers more control. He also praised the track management for using the new surface to help eliminate the bumps. Dismore was very outspoken when the IRL competed at the new Nashville Superspeedway last month because that track was paved with concrete, giving the drivers a problem with grip.

"This is five times better than Nashville," Dismore said. "This is bumpier than Nashville, but it has grip. Nashville didn't have grip so this is a better situation for sure. You can't put it out of your mind, though. Turns 1 and 2 will chatter your mind a little bit. You have to be aware of who is beside you and how much room you have given them, or they have given you and go from there.

"I might have made a fan out of the people that run asphalt companies, but I don't think anybody who pours concrete likes me. They made a mistake. They have a good foundation, now they need to pour asphalt over it."

Buhl is one driver in Sunday's race that actually liked the six degrees of wing, rather than go to 12.

"We ran here last year with six degrees and now we are running with 12 - I can go either way," said Buhl. "With the car we have we could run less on the rear. That's what the IRL has done and I think that will make for some good racing. They have to make good decisions for safety and I think they made the right decision. In addition to more downforce, it has created more drag and that creates issues like fuel mileage."