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INDIANAPOLIS -- A slick surface was all it took for Sebastian Saavedra to win his first IndyCar Series pole. Patrice Bergeron Jersey . It was also just enough to slip Ryan Hunter-Reay out of the top starting spot for Saturdays Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Saavedra won the pole Friday when Hunter-Reay appeared to drive through a patch of standing water that caused him to spin and crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The accident exiting Turn 14 came on the lap after Hunter-Reay had moved to the provisional pole, and IndyCar penalized him by taking away his two fastest laps for causing a session-ending caution. "We definitely gave that one away," Hunter-Reay said. "Every time through there I almost lost it. I had a few big moments there, but in qualifying youve got to go for it. In the wet, youre always going for it. "Theres a very fine line between stepping over getting that good lap in the wet and throwing it off." Rain showers changed the track conditions for each of the four qualifying sessions, and it picked up moments before the start of the final Fast Six session. IndyCar brought the cars back to pit road because of standing water on the track for a red-flag period that lasted about 20 minutes. Saavedra had just bumped rookie Jack Hawksworth from the pole when Hunter-Reay turned his fast lap. But the IndyCar rule is to strip a driver of his two fastest laps for bringing out a red flag during qualifying, so Hunter-Reay was dropped to third. Hunter-Reay, the only driver to advance to the Fast Six through the first four races of the season, has not started lower than third this year. But his Andretti Autosport team had work to do to repair his bright yellow No. 28, which sustained heavy damage to the right rear of the car. Saavedra, who turned a lap at 1 minute, 23.8822 seconds, will lead the field to the green flag for the first IndyCar road course race at Indianapolis. "I love the rain," Saavedra said. "It was crazy at first because we didnt know what to expect from the track -- if it was going to be wet, if it was going to be dry. The whole session was just weird. It started to rain and went from wet, to dry, to super dry, to super wet. I loved it." The previous road course was reconfigured into a 14-turn, 2.439-mile course to accommodate IndyCar, which is using the race to open the speedway and create buzz in advance of the Indianapolis 500. Drivers for the first time are running clockwise at the famed speedway, which will run the Grand Prix on Saturday and then revert to the traditional oval Sunday for the opening practice for the May 25 main event. Because the event and the track configuration are new, the field may be even headed into Saturdays race. It appeared even when Saavedra advanced into his first Fast Six of the season, then hung on to win the pole and give IndyCar a relatively inexperienced front row. Saavedra has 41 career starts dating to 2010, but his longtime backer this year brought him to KV Racing, the team that won the Indianapolis 500 last year with Tony Kanaan. Hawksworth, starting on the outside of Saavedra, has three previous starts. The British driver is in his first season with Bryan Herta Autosport. Hawksworth spent last season racing Indy Lights, where he won three times. Meanwhile, a tough qualifying assignment made it a nearly impossible session for Andretti Autosport, which had all five of its cars in the first group. With only six drivers advancing from that group, the odds were stacked against the organization. Indeed, only Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe moved on while Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz and Franck Montagny were eliminated. "Obviously, Im not very happy," Andretti said. "It was a team decision to go out, we were worried about the wet, but we plateaued too early and the track got better at the end. Weve been on the outside looking in of this hundredth of a second. Im losing sleep over this couple hundredths of a second." Wished good luck for Saturdays race, Andretti, who will start 13th, said: "Thanks, Im going to need it." Mikhail Aleshin, the first Russian in IndyCar history, had been strong through three practices and advanced into the second round of qualifying. But his fastest laps were wiped out when he was hit with an interference penalty. He and Sebastien Bourdais had raced each other hard for many laps two weeks ago at Barber, and Bourdais was eventually penalized for contact. The two drivers disagree wildly on who was to blame. Simon Pagenaud, teammates with the rookie but friendly with Bourdais since their days racing in France, wasnt sure what happened in qualifying. "What I know is him and Sebastien Bourdais are becoming best friends," Pagenaud joked. Cam Neely Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Johnny Bucyk Jersey .S.-Portugal game on June 22 in the Amazonian jungle city of Manaus. FIFPro, the international soccer players union, had pressed FIFA to avoid the earliest kickoffs in the hottest and most humid weather. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/phil-esposito-hockey-jersey/ . And all things considered, the first 40 games have offered a little bit of everything from a hockey club that faced many questions in its first year under new management, with a new head coach and with a number of new faces in the lineup. However, with a recent dip in scoring, it seems some of the same old questions persist and several new ones have been raised after a somewhat troubling homestand. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Dwayne Bowe deftly avoided the locker room full of prying TV cameras, finally emerging onto the Kansas City Chiefs practice field Wednesday as if nothing was amiss. The former Pro Bowl wide receiver spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for Sunday nights AFC West showdown against the Broncos, a game in which hell start despite a weekend arrest for speeding and possession of marijuana. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that he intends to let the legal situation run its course, but he made it clear that Bowe will be in the starting lineup for the unbeaten Chiefs. "There are rules and regulations put in place and well abide by the rules and regulations, and well make sure we take all of the information that comes out as it goes through the process," Reid said. "Thats where were going with it." Bowe did not speak to reporters, instead issuing a statement in which he apologized "for the distraction I have caused the team this week." "Due to the nature of the pending matter, I am unable to make any further comment on the situation," Bowes statement said. According to police, Bowes wallet was discovered along with two containers that held about one-third of an ounce of suspected marijuana. Bowe was cited for speeding and possession of a controlled substance. He posted $750 bond and faces a Dec. 18 court appearance. The Chiefs were off last week before beginning their preparations for Denver. "I addressed him, had that opportunity to talk to him, and Ill leave it at that," Reid said. "There are laws, rules and regulations, and Ill leave it at that." Reid did say that Bowe has been a model teammate. "Dwaynes been a team player since Ive been here," Reid said. "He doesnt want to bring any problems to the table. Thats not what he wants to do." It is unlikely Bowe will be disciplined until after his court date. While the Chiefs are barred from disciplining the former Pro Bowl wide receiver for violating the leagues substance-abuse policy, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the past has handed down one-game suspensions and finess of an additional game check for similar cases. Tuukka Rask Jersey. Bowe, who signed five-year, $56 million deal in the off-season, has struggled to live up to the expectations that come with being one of the games best-paid wide receivers. Hes second on the team with 33 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns during the Chiefs 9-0 start. This isnt the first time that Bowe has proven to be a distraction. He was suspended four games in 2009 for violating the NFLs policy on performance-enhancing drugs after taking what his agent called an unapproved weight-loss supplement. He also made questionable comments to a magazine a few years ago about womanizing that allegedly occurred at team hotels, and then misstated the name of Chiefs ownership family in his apology. Now in his seventh season, Bowe is second in franchise history with 448 catches, trailing only former tight end Tony Gonzalez. He has 6,078 yards receiving, sixth-most in team history, and 41 touchdown catches, fifth-most in Chiefs history. With the spectre of a high-profile showdown against Denver hanging over the locker room, Chiefs players were reticent to discuss Bowes arrest during Tuesdays availability. Quarterback Alex Smith guided the conversation back to the Broncos any time the topic was broached, though he did say players with larger contracts have an obligation to be leaders. "Its a lot different than the collegiate level or the high school level. When you get to the NFL, theres a lot that comes with it," Smith said. "We have a bunch of guys that are focused on winning, doing things the right way." Cornerback Brandon Flowers sidestepped questions about Bowes arrest, saying only that "there are no distractions at all. I can promise you that." Veteran linebacker Tamba Hali likewise deflected questions back to the Broncos game. "He knows were here for him. We practice with him every day," Hali said. "Again, a situation like that, its far beyond us. We just want to continue to focus on what weve got here. Its a legal matter. We just want that process to take care of itself." ' ' '