Carpenter charges to Indianapolis 500 pole
Ed Carpenter will start the 102nd Indianapolis 500 from pole position after setting a blistering pace on the second day of qualifying, fending off stiff competition from the Penske stable.
In just his second start of the season, oval specialist Carpenter will line up on pole position for his eponymous team after recording a four-lap average of 229.618 mph, with his run including a lap that topped 230 mph on the speed charts.
Ed Carpenter will start the 102nd Indianapolis 500 from pole position after setting a blistering pace on the second day of qualifying, fending off stiff competition from the Penske stable.
In just his second start of the season, oval specialist Carpenter will line up on pole position for his eponymous team after recording a four-lap average of 229.618 mph, with his run including a lap that topped 230 mph on the speed charts.
Carpenter was the penultimate driver to qualify in the Fast 9 after finishing second on Saturday behind Penske's Helio Castroneves. However, the Brazilian was unable to benefit from his prime running position as he faded to eighth in the closing stages of his run.
Teammates Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and Josef Newgarden were left to pose the closest challenge to Carpenter, all enjoying a stint on provisional pole before being left to settle for P2, P3 and P4 respectively for the start of next Sunday's race.
One year on from his terrifying accident that left him with a broken hip, Sebastien Bourdais returned to Indy 500 qualifying by finishing an excellent fifth for Dale Coyne Racing ahead of Spencer Pigot in the second Ed Carpenter Racing entry.
Danica Patrick will start her final competitive motorsport race from P7 after impressing throughout qualifying for the Indy 500, returning to IndyCar after seven years away. Castroneves and Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon both struggled, leaving them P8 and P9 respectively.
After missing out on a Fast 9 berth on Saturday, Tony Kanaan was left to top the second group of drivers for AJ Foyt Racing, securing P10 on the grid in the process. Teammate Matheus Leist will join him on the third row in 11th, with Marco Andretti finishing 12th as his impressive form at IMS continued.
Zachary Claman De Melo will make his first Indy 500 start from 13th after a solid run for Dale Coyne Racing, with fellow rookies Kyle Kaiser and Robert Wickens taking 17th and 18th.
Following James Hinchcliffe's failure to qualify on Saturday, another shock arrived on Sunday as 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi qualified 32nd out of 33 cars after struggling on his four-lap run. The Andretti Autosport driver will start alongside Jack Harvey and Conor Daly on the back row next Sunday.
