WATKINS GLEN — Team Penske couldn't be set up any better to get its first IndyCar win

at Watkins Glen today.

Penske swept the top three qualifying spots Saturday afternoon at Watkins Glen

International. Points standings leader Will Power is on the pole, Helio Castroneves is second

and Ryan Briscoe starts third in today's Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen.

"It's just three quick drivers, three good engineers and good, good people working

together," said Power. "That's how we're getting these pole positions. We just have to make

sure we convert it during the races."

Qualifying in great position is what Team Penske does. Penske has won a record eight

straight poles this season, having only missed the season-opener in Sao Paolo, Brazil. A

Penske car has also started from the pole in all six IndyCar races held on the Glen's 11-turn,

3.338-mile road course but has yet to win one.

"We're looking very hard for that win," said Castroneves. "It's great for Team Penske. Now

we have three chances to win this race here. They way we're thinking is, one of the guys has

got to win. The team has to win. We're going to try anything we can to make it happen."

Power is having an outstanding season for Penske, including two wins, six top 10s and an

11-point lead on Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon.

Power didn't race at the Glen last year because he had a part-time schedule with Penske,

but all the Australian has to do is ask his two teammates about the team's luck when they

visit the Finger Lakes.

Veteran Brazilian driver Castroneves was the pole sitter in the first three races only to

finish 12th (2005), seventh ('06) and 18th ('07) while New Zealander Dixon won three straight.

Briscoe, another Australian, won the last two poles, only to have the races end in storybook

finishes for other teams. American Ryan Hunter-Reay won his first career race here in 2008,

while last year car owner Dale Coyne earned his first victory in 25 years of racing when

Englishman Justin Wilson won.

Power's lap of 1 minute, 29.3164 seconds (135.832 mph) was tops among the final group of

six drivers who advanced to the third and final round of qualifying. The first round includes

two sessions in which the top six cars move on; in the second round, those 12 hit the track

together with the top six advancing to a final round. Cars which don't advance are slotted in

the grid by their time.

There are plenty of potential spoilsport storylines within range of Penske. Dario

Franchitti, the Scotsman who is third in series points, will start fourth, while Ganassi

teammate Dixon is seventh. Wilson, who moved to Dreyer & Reinbold this year, starts sixth.

"They were obviously strong in qualifying — we've seen that a few times this year,"

said Wilson. "Hopefully they'll come back to us in the race and we can put the pressure on.

Everyone is gunning for them now."

There are also two rookies in the top 10. Japan's Takuma Sato earned a season-best fifth

starting spot for KV Racing Technology while Adam Carroll of Northern Ireland starts 10th for

Andretti Autosport.

The 33-year-old Sato is in his first year of IndyCar after seven seasons in Formula One,

where he raced part-time in some seasons and had a top season finish of eighth in 2004. He is

22nd in the points standings, last among drivers who have participated in all eight races.

"I think for me it's just a great achievement," said Sato. "The team has done a fantastic

job. Hopefully we can challenge really big-time tomorrow."

Canadian Paul Tracy, filling in for Mike Conway for Dale Coyne Racing, struggled in

practice but advanced to the second round and will start 12th, one spot ahead of Tony Kanaan

(sixth in points).

Hunter-Reay (seventh in points), who will start 16th, scolded Milka Duno (24th in the

25-car field) in the pits after she disrupted one of his runs.

The top starting spot for a female driver is rookie Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland

(15th). Danica Patrick (11th in points) starts 21st.

Since the Penske teammates in the top three spots can set the pace of the start of the

race, the trio will all start on the standard "black" tires, while 12 of the next 15 cars will

begin with the alternate "red" tire. Teams are provided with a limited supply of "reds," a

softer tire with better grip that can yield faster laps (most teams used reds during

qualifying).