CASTRONEVES TAKES POLE POSITION AT LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Helio Castroneves has won the pole at Long Beach for the third consecutive year.

The Team Penske driver held off five Hondas to secure the top starting spot Sunday on the temporary street course through Long Beach. He had the only Chevrolet in the final round of qualifying and needed a track record lap of one minute, 6.22 seconds to win the pole.

Penske drivers have won seven of the last nine poles at Long Beach and Saturday’s run was the 48th career pole for Castroneves. He’s seeking his first IndyCar Series victory since 2014. Scott Dixon qualified second for Chip Ganassi Racing and was followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport and James Hinchcliffe of Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports.