TEXAS SHOWDOWN: WHELDON, PANTHER QUALIFY 15TH FOR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY SHOOTOUT

National Guard Team Looks For Sixth Victory at Thrilling 1.5-mile Fort Worth Oval

FORT WORTH, Texas. - (June 4, 2010) – National Guard Panther Racing driver Dan Wheldon will start 15th after qualifications for tomorrow night’s Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway. The former IZOD IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner will start on the inside of the eighth row, directly behind Andretti Autosport driver Tony Kanaan.

“Our run wasn’t too bad – the National Guard Panther Racing boys have been working hard and we’re hoping for a really good result tomorrow night,” Wheldon said. “ We’re coming off a great result at Indianapolis and the races before that too, which is a testament to the great work of the team.”

Wheldon posted four laps of 213.831, 213.603, 213.017 and 212.817 mph for a four-lap average of 213.316 mph. He finished seventh at Texas last season with Panther, and has made a total of 10 career IndyCar starts on the exciting 1.5-mile oval. Despite never having been victorious at Texas, Wheldon has led a total of 246 laps at the high-banked track.

“The heat is something we expected and obviously it’s going to cool down as we get into the evening,” Wheldon said. “So we’re going to work hard to determine how the cooler temperatures affect the car and make the appropriate changes.”

Panther has a total of five victories at Texas, and the team has led 537 laps in its history here.

Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe captured the pole position and Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti will start on the outside of the front row.

Wheldon is currently ninth in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings, just nine points behind Tony Kanaan in eighth and 13 points behind Ryan Briscoe in seventh.

The Firestone 550k will be broadcast live on Versus at 8:00 p.m. (EST) with additional coverage provided by www.indycar.com, the IMS Radio Network and XM Channel 145 and Sirius channel 211.