Carpenter edges Andretti trio for Indy 500 pole
INDIANAPOLIS — Ed Carpenter turned Pole Day into a family celebration.
The stepson of IndyCar founder Tony George became the first member of the Hulman family to win the biggest pre-race event in the series — the Indianapolis 500 pole.
Carpenter produced a stunning finish to a day that was rife with suspense but lacked surprise. His four-lap average of 228.762 mph was quick enough to break up what appeared to be a Team Penske-Andretti Autosport lock on the front three rows in the nine-car shootout for the pole.
Somehow, Carpenter, who owns his team, beat out the big-name guys.
“To be a single-car team in this Chevy shootout, I am going to call it fighting with the Penske and Andretti guys,” said Carpenter, whose pit crew carried him off pit road on their shoulders after an agonizing wait to see if his time would hold up.
The soft-spoken Carpenter grew up around the world-famous 2.5-mile Brickyard, dreaming of the moment he could stand in Victory Lane. Perhaps that will happen May 26.
“To sit on the pole for this race is really a dream come true, and I hope it is a start to what has already been a great month of May,” Carpenter said. “This is just the first part of what we are here to do.”
Carpenter was followed by three of Michael Andretti’s five drivers — rookie Carlos Munoz of Colombia, Marco Andretti and Venezuelan E.J. Viso took the next three spots. Munoz’s average of 228.342 was just a tick better than Marco Andretti’s 228.261. NASCAR champion is in a class of his own.
Johnson got a fast final pit stop from his Hendrick Motorsports crew to restart the race in second for the 10-lap sprint to the finish.
He battled teammate Kasey Kahne for a little more than one lap before clearing Kahne and sailing away to the $1 million payday.
Earlier, Jamie McMurray won the Sprint Showdown to transfer into the All-Star Race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second over the 40-lap race to earn the second transfer spot. position of his career.
Shawn Langdon led the Top Fuel field, and Mike Edwards topped the Pro Stock class.
From wire reports