Indianapolis 500 qualifying results: Scott Dixon on pole
2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon will lead the 2017 field after capturing the pole position Sunday with a record-setting performance.
The grid is set for the 101st Indianapolis 500, with 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon capturing the pole position for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Dixon was the only driver whose four-lap qualifying average reached 232 miles an hour. He will be joined on the front row by Ed Carpenter Racing’s Ed Carpenter, who had taken the top spot in the Saturday session, and last year’s race winner, Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport.
Takuma Sato, Fernando Alonso, and JR Hildebrand will fill out the second row, with Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Will Power completing the third row.
It’s worth noting that when Dixon won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, he also started the race from the pole, so could he rack up another victory next Sunday?
Outside the Fast Nine, 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay pushed his four-lap average over 231 miles an hour to capture the 10th spot over Dale Coyne Racing’s rookie Ed Jones.
Meanwhile, the usually dominant Team Penske cars will have struggles ahead of them, with the highest qualifier other than Power starting 18th — it’s two-time winner Juan Pablo Montoya.
Sunday also provided a medical update on driver Sebastien Bourdais, who was injured in a vicious crash during his Day 1 qualifying attempt. Here is the official statement IndyCar issued to media outlets including FanSided via press release on Sunday morning:
"Verizon IndyCar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais underwent successful surgery Saturday night for pelvic injuries he sustained while attempting to qualify for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.The Dale Coyne Racing driver sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fracture to his right hip in the incident Saturday.“Surgery went well,” IndyCar Medical Director Dr. Geoffrey Billows said. “I’ve met with Sebastien this morning and he was doing even better than I expected.”"
Bourdais also issued his own statement in a separate IndyCar press release:
"“I want to thank everybody for the support and the messages, quite a few drivers have already dropped by. It’s going to take time, but I’m feeling pretty good since the surgery. I’ll be back at some point. Just don’t know when yet!”"
James Davison will drive the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing entry next Sunday in place of Bourdais. The Australian driver was last seen driving the 2015 Indianapolis 500 for DCR, where he finished 27th. Sunday will be just Davison’s fifth IndyCar start, but two of his past four have been in the 500.
Below are the complete qualifying results for the 101st Indianapolis 500:
1 – Scott Dixon
2 – Ed Carpenter
3 – Alexander Rossi
4 – Takuma Sato
5 – Fernando Alonso
6 – JR Hildebrand
7 – Tony Kanaan
8 – Marco Andretti
9 – Will Power
10 – Ryan Hunter-Reay
11 – Ed Jones
12 – Oriol Servia
13 – Mikhail Aleshin
14 – Graham Rahal
15 – Max Chilton
16 – Charlie Kimball
17 – James Hinchcliffe
18 – Juan Pablo Montoya
19 – Helio Castroneves
20 – Jay Howard
21 – Sage Karam
22 – Josef Newgarden
23 – Simon Pagenaud
24 – Carlos Munoz
25 – Gabby Chaves
26 – Conor Daly
27 – Jack Harvey
28 – Pippa Mann
29 – Spencer Pigot
30 – Buddy Lazier
31 – Sebastian Saavedra
32 – Zach Veach
33 – James Davison
Next: Indianapolis 500 TV schedule: When, how to watch live
The 101st Indianapolis 500 takes place Sunday, May 28 at 11 a.m. PT. The race will be nationally televised on ABC. To keep up with the latest news throughout IndyCar, follow along with the Motor Sports category at FanSided here.