Dixon Earns Fifth Indy 500 Pole With New Speed Record
Indianapolis is synonymous with speed, and that was certainly evident today.
Scott Dixon set a new four-lap average speed record on his way to earning his fifth career Indy 500 pole. The six-time champion posted an average speed of 234.046 mph on his final run, breaking the all-time record for the pole, set in 1996 by Scott Brayton. Arie Luyendyk still holds the all-time four-lap qualifying average speed record of 236.986 mph but his run came on the second day of qualifications and wasn’t for pole position.
"That’s what this place is about, it’s so amazing," said the back-to-back pole winner. "It’s crazy. This PNC Bank No. 9 crew and Honda, they brought it today. Just so happy for everybody. It’s a privilege to be on the pole. It’s damn hard to do. Everybody feels good about the situation, but not as good as I did when I won in 2008.”
"The ups and downs you have in just one day, it’s just crazy," Dixon said. "Honda brought it today, just so happy for everybody. Hard work and people, that’s what it takes. Part of this team, I get to take it across the line, huge thanks to all my teammates to get the most of it. Obviously it doesn’t mean anything come next Sunday. Apart from starting from the right spot, we haven’t had a good record of keeping it there. Always some unfinished business here, it definitely can be cruel here."
Chip Ganassi has had a smile on his face all week, and for good reason. His team has been the cream of the crop every single day, and today was no exception. Ganassi cars earned the top two spots in qualifying, as reigning series champion Alex Palou will start 2nd next Sunday - the same place where he finished the race last year. Palou held the top spot until Dixon's final record-breaking run.
Joining the two champs on the front row will be Rinus VeeKay, who once again had the fastest Chevrolet in the field. This was the theme of the day, as the Firestone Fast Six was a battle between Ganassi and Ed Carpenter Racing. Ed Carpenter, Marcus Ericsson, and Tony Kanaan all advanced to the final round of qualifying and will start from Row 2 next Sunday.
This is the fastest front row in Indy 500 history, with an average speed of 233.643 mph, breaking the record of 233.233 mph set in 1996 by Brayton, Tony Stewart, and Davy Jones.
The ECR cars were once again the best of the Chevrolet bunch, but even they didn't have anything for The Iceman on Sunday. “I think we could have put rocket fuel in our engine and still not beat Scott,” VeeKay said. “He was not just a fraction faster. He was a lot faster than everyone else. I gave it all I had out there.”
The six drivers that just missed the cut today all still have solid starting positions for the race. Row 3 consists of Arrow McLaren SP teammates Pato O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, with rookie Romain Grosjean on the outside. O’Ward was disappointed that they were unable to fight for the pole.
“We qualified seventh for the big show. Honestly, I expected a bit more. We had very solid qualifying runs up until this point, so we are analyzing what happened on this qualifying run. It’s unfortunate but some things are out of your control. The team did a great job to put that car in a good place, and we had great balance, probably the best we’ve had all week. We’re in a good position to fight for the win on Sunday.”
Grosjean was the lone representative from Andretti’s five-car program. "It was a great team effort," he said. "I was really pleased to see all the engineers work together this morning trying to find the pace in the car. It’s obviously a good start, but the main day is next Sunday which is 200 laps and that’s what we need to work for now."
Row 4 features two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato, 2019 winner Will Power, and rookie Jimmie Johnson. There was a strong possibility that Ganassi could get all five cars into the Fast Six, but Johnson had a scary moment on his first lap, which ruined his four-lap average.
It was an incredible save by the driver of the No. 48 Honda. "The track is a little different than it was this morning, Johnson said. "The same approach wasn’t going to work. We certainly were trying for it. That’s the most effort in the setup of the car and trim settings that we’ve had. Just committed to run one flat, and it just was so light on top of the track. I was wide and trying to keep it off the fence at that point."
Starting Lineup for the 106th Indianapolis 500
Sato, who led all three practice days leading up to qualifying weekend, was disappointed with how their day went. "At the end of the day, we did everything we could. Ending P10 hurts a little but the race is a completely different thing. We are really excited about it. I think we have a very good car in traffic. There’s still a little bit of work to do but we have two more sessions to do that.” Sato is trying to become the first driver to win the 500 with three different teams.
Dixon is the first repeat pole winner since Carpenter in 2013-14. Only Rick Mears (six) has earned more poles in the history of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. The race has only been won from pole one time in the last 12 years and the last victory here for Ganassi came ten years ago when Dario Franchitti won his third and final Indy 500.
The starting field for the 106th running of the iconic event is now set. All 33 cars will return to the 2.5-mile oval tomorrow at 1 PM ET for a two-hour practice session. That will be the final on-track activity until Friday, which is Carb Day.
