Dixon takes 3rd Indy pole with fastest speeds in 21 years

INDIANAPOLIS» Scott Dixon made a big gamble pay off Sunday.

After allowing engineer Chris Simmons to tinker with his car’s qualifying trim and later questioning whether the changes might be too daring, Dixon delivered with the fastest speeds he’s ever seen at Indianapolis.

The New Zealander finished with a four-lap average of 232.164 mph, claiming his third Indianapolis 500 pole with the best qualifying run in 21 years. He easily held off the other front-row starters, Ed Carpenter at 231.664 and defending champion Alexander Rossi at 231.487. Even Dixon couldn’t believe it. “Seriously, I don’t know where that came from,” the Chip Ganassi Racing driver said. “It’s fast, really fast. I actually thought there was something wrong with my dash to start with, (I thought) ‘232? Wow!’ I knew that big lap, the first one, was going to be tough to beat. So a big thank you to Chris.”

How impressive was Dixon’s run?

Just four attempts earlier, IndyCar rookie Fernando Alonso posted the fastest average since Helio Castroneves’ 2002 pole-winning speed.

Dixon’s first-lap of 232.595 and his final average were the fastest times recorded at Indianapolis since Arie Luyendyk set the qualifying record and single-lap record in 1996. Luyendyk’s average was 236.986 with a best lap of 237.498.

The crowd roared each time the speed went up on the videoboards and when Dixon pulled back into pit lane after his 10-mile ride, ev- eryone knew the nine-car shootout was over.

“I was surprised when I saw some of the numbers yesterday and when he did that 232, a little pressure went away to be honest with you,” said Carpenter, who went 232.180 on his fastest lap. “We wanted to be on the front row and we wanted to get everything we had — and I think we did that.”

Dixon still had to weather the runs of Japan’s Takuma Sato and Carpenter.

Neither had enough to keep Dixon from becoming the fifth three-time pole winner in 500 history. Carpenter was looking for his third in five years.

For a few minutes, it looked like two-time Formula One champ Fernando Alonso had a chance to become the first rookie to win Indy’s top starting spot since 1983. pole

But two attempts later, Rossi knocked Alonso out of the top spot and two attempts after that, Dixon took the lead for good. Now he can focus completely on next weekend’s race.

“We’ve got to be happy with this — it’s the right place to start,” Dixon said. “It’s not the race win, but we’re in the right starting position.”

Coca-Cola 600 could be a long slog

CONCORD, N.C. » The All-Star race showed Kyle Larson is the likely favorite for the Coca-Cola 600.

It also showed that the best car doesn’t always win, and the winner will likely be aided by a heavy dose of clean air.

Translation? NASCAR’s longest race could be an epic snoozer. That’s saying a lot after Martin Truex Jr. last year led all but eight of the 400 laps.

Saturday night’s annual AllStar race gave little hope of the 600 rising to some epic event that will be talked about for years. At Charlotte Motor Speedway, the leader uses the clean air in front of him to drive away from the field. Passing is difficult at the front.

“You can’t pass anywhere,” said Ryan Blaney. “It’s not great track conditions, to be honest with you.”

Blaney raced his way into the All-Star race by winning a segment in an earlier qualifying event. He then tried to open the race with an optional set of soft tires to gain track position. That didn’t really work. Then he tried a two-tire pit stop that briefly cycled him into the lead. But that didn’t work, either.