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…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Crash RSS Feed…