SPARTA, Ky.— Rahal Letterman Racing’s newest driver Ryan Hunter-Reay (#17 Ethanol Dallara/Honda/Firestone) continued to show why he was one of the most sought-after free agents in open-wheel racing as he qualified a season-best eighth on a track he had never seen until this morning. Hunter-Reay snapped off a quick lap of 24.6923 seconds (215.776 mph) around the 1.5-mile Kentucky tri-oval, notching his second top-10 grid spot in his three IndyCar starts.
 
"We went in two different directions today in practice, which is the benefit of having a two-car team,” Hunter-Reay said. “We took some things from Scott's setup and put them on the Ethanol car and they definitely made us faster than we had been. I am pleased with the performance of the car today and we will look to keep moving up tomorrow and continue to grow as a team."
 
A pair of top-seven finishes for Hunter-Reay have thrust him into the heart of the series’ rookie fight, and today’s qualifying result could help him take the lead in that battle tomorrow. He trails in the Rookie of the Year standings by 27 points and would take the Rookie of the Year points lead with a sixth-place, or better, finish at Kentucky.
 
The Meijer Indy 300 will take place Saturday evening with the 200-lap event slated to begin at 6:30 PM Eastern Time. Fans can see all the action LIVE on ESPN2.