Scott Dixon has never heard a cheer blast like he did after an opening lap of 234.437 mph en route to the fastest pole speed average at the 106 editions of the Indianapolis 500. The four-time Indy Pole winner backed that up with a 234.162 mph on his second lap , a 233.859 mph tour in his third and a narrower 233.726 mph to set a four-lap average of 234.046 mph and secure his fifth pole at the speedway.
Dixon finished last in Fast Six’s new qualifying session, passing Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Palou, whose 233.499 mph CGR and Honda took the top two grid spots ahead of Rinus VeeKay’s Chevy-powered Ed Carpenter Racing with a 233.385 mph average brought.
Together, the three also achieved the fastest average front row speed of all time at the Indy 500.
“That was a big accomplishment,” Dixon said of the Ganassi team, which placed four riders in the Fast Six. The next test is to convert the team’s pole-day dominance into a race-day result.
“It’s all about winning,” he continued. “It’s a privilege to be on the pole. It’s damn hard to do. Everyone feels good about the situation, but not as good as I did when I won in 2008.”
Outside the Fast Six, Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward was next on the list at 232.705mph in his Chevy, followed by teammate Felix Rosenqvist at 232.182mph, and Andretti Autosport rookie Romain Grosjean was impressive in ninth place at 231.999mph , after holding on to a Honda-powered car that came close to the walls on more than one occasion.
“We qualified seventh for the big show,” said O’Ward. “Honestly, I expected a little more. We’ve had very solid qualifiers up to this point, so let’s analyze what happened in that qualifier. It’s unfortunate, but some things are beyond your control. The team did a great job of putting the car in a good position and we had a great balance – probably the best we’ve had all week. We are well positioned to fight for victory on Sunday.”
In 10th place, Takuma Sato in the Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda clocked 231.670 mph. Team Penske’s Will Power finished 11th at 231.534 mph in his Chevy and CGR’s Jimmie Johnson, who almost hit the wall to start his run, finished the Fast 12 at 231.264 mph in his Honda.
NEXT: Practice, Monday, 1-3 p.m. ET
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