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That's just the latest success for Briscoe, whose overall results in the 2008 IndyCar Series have been encouraging.
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In the first five races this season, Briscoe has qualified in the top 10 four times. He's also finished ninth and seventh in the IRL's last two races.
Shaking the reputation of an out-of-control driver has proved more difficult, though.
Briscoe crashed after 126 laps in the season-opener at Homestead and, after leading 11 laps on the road course in St. Petersburg, crashed again, rekindling questions about whether he could meet Penske's high standards.
But Briscoe, and those who have competed against him, understand how difficult these past 2½ seasons have been for him.
"It was a rough time for us," said Dixon, the Indy pole-winner and Briscoe's teammate in 2005. "I was lucky enough to sort of stick around and continue to be a part of the team after the bad times. I think Briscoe has been extremely lucky to get his ride with Penske, and we found ourselves both in good situations. But I think those years were tough and you learn a lot from it."
Perhaps nobody has learned more than Briscoe, a former motorcycle racer who now acknowledges he was pushing the limits too much in 2005.
Being paired again with a successful teammate, such as Castroneves, has helped.
Castroneves is a two-time Indy winner and a two-time pole-winner in the race, too. He'll start fourth, from the inside of the second three-car row, this time after getting knocked off the front row by Briscoe's risky qualifying run.
What Briscoe must prove now is that he can be patient enough to have a chance at winning the 500.
"Last year, I came in and it was more about just getting experience and having a good, solid run and not trying to be the quickest guy all the time," Briscoe said. "You know, we're going to be going for the win this year and not just hanging back, not that I was hanging back last year."
Eleven of the 33 starting positions were filled Saturday and, with Sunday's rainout, the rest of the lineup is scheduled to be filled next Saturday. That leaves next Sunday's traditional "Bump Day" for non-qualified drivers to try to knock the slowest qualifiers out of the lineup.
Practice on the 2.5-mile track is scheduled to resume Wednesday, although more rain was in the forecast.
