Indy 500: Dixon wins brilliant fifth pole at 234mph average

Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda’s six-time IndyCar champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner delivered two laps over 234mph and even his fourth and slowest lap was faster than most drivers’ fastest efforts, and broke a four-way tie for second most Indy poles in history. He now lies only one behind record holder Rick Mears.

His effort also leaves him with the second fastest qualifying run of all time at Indy, behind only Arie Luyendyk’s run in 1996, although because that was not set on Pole Day, it earned Luyendyk only 21^st on the grid. Therefore Dixon today became the fastest pole-winner in Indy history.

“It’s what this place is about, it’s just amazing,” said the exhilarated New Zealander afterward. “The ups and downs you have in just one day, it’s just crazy. Honda brought it today, just so happy for everybody, I hope Chip’s got a smile on his face.  

“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 nothing come next Sunday, apart from starting from the right spot, we haven’t have a good record of keeping it there. Always some unfinished business here, it definitely can be cruel here.” 

Dixon outqualified his teammate and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou by 0.5mph, with Rinus VeeKay joining them on the outside of the front row with the fastest Chevrolet, the #21 Ed Carpenter Racing machine.

Between the Top 12 session and the Fast Six, teams had quite a wide range of adjustments they could make to their cars.

Add/remove “shutters” on radiator intakes, add fuel, change tires, change springs, change or adjust dampers, adjust ride height, connect/disconnect anti-roll bars, adjust front/rear wing angles and adjust front-end fence angles.

Tony Kanaan, one of four Ganassi cars that made it into the Fast Six, was the first to roll and his first lap was 232.996mph but by Lap 3 he had to lift a tad in Turn 1, and produced a 232.372mph average.

Next up was Ed Carpenter, and he hit 242mph heading into Turn 1 and he had a 233.860mph first lap, and his second and third laps were also in the 233s, and although he dropped to 232.053 on his fourth lap, his average was 233.080 and he looked a contender for the front row.

He survived Marcus Ericsson’s attempt which was an average of 232.764mph after a lift in Turn 1, but Alex Palou offered sterner opposition with a 234.048 followed by a 233.698, 233.304, and a 232.950. That average of 233.499 guaranteed the reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion a front-row start for his third Indy 500.

Rinus VeeKay’s ECR-Chevy was strong, set four 233s, but his average came up 0.114mph short of Palou, albeit beating teammate Carpenter.

However, Dixon, Palou and VeeKay have set the fastest ever average speed for the front row.