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INDIANAPOLIS – Ed Carpenter has reclaimed the mantle as the fastest man in Indianapolis. On Sunday and for the third time in his career, the Indianapolis native and Butler graduate won the pole for the Indianapolis 500.
The team owner/oval driver thrilled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway crowd by turning in the only 230-mph lap of the weekend. He hit 230.088 on the first lap of his four-lap qualifying effort, which not only sent the IMS faithful into a frenzy but surprised himself, as well.
“That first lap blew my mind,” Carpenter said. “I figured we could run a 229 (mph) based on last night. My run last night actually wasn’t very good, so I knew had more left, but I wasn’t expecting a 230.
“It means everything to me to put us in a position like this.”
Carpenter finished with a four-lap qualifying effort of 229.618, nearly a mile per hour faster than Simon Pagenaud, who is starting in the middle of Row 1.
The Team Penske star and 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series champion clocked a qualifying speed of 228.761.
Rounding out Row 1 is Penske’s Will Power (228.607), who has appeared in every Fast Nine shootout since the inaugural qualifying event in 2010.
Kicking off Row 2 is defending series champion Josef Newgarden. Sebastien Bourdais, who missed last year’s race because of a horrifying accident in qualifying, will start in the middle. Carpenter’s young teammate, Spencer Pigot, rounds out the row with the best starting spot of his career.
In her swan song race, fan favorite Danica Patrick will start on the inside of Row 3 in the seventh spot. The Indianapolis 500 will serve as the final race of Patrick’s racing career and the back end of the “Danica Double,” which began with February’s Daytona 500.
“It was pretty boring, as boring as you can be (at that speed),” Patrick said of her qualifying effort. “All in all, it’s a good feeling. Glad to have that part done.”
Patrick and Pigot are each driving Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolets, and the pole winner was thrilled to have his teammates with him in the Fast Nine.
“To be able to share the top nine in this whole thing with Spencer (Pigot) – his first time in the top nine – and Danica (Patrick) with GoDaddy, we’re super happy to be here,” Carpenter said of his three-driver team.
To Patrick’s right is the returning “King of Speed” Helio Castroneves, who will make another run at winning his record-tying fourth Indy 500. Rounding out the last of the Fast Nine is Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who started on the pole last year as well as in 2015 and 2008.
Tony Kanaan kicks off Row 4 alongside his AJ Foyt Racing teammate Mattheus Leist. They are joined by the first of Andretti Autosport’s six-car fleet, Marco Andretti.
“What a great effort as a team,” said Kanaan, the 2013 Indy winner. “A.J. (Foyt) and Larry (Foyt) put so much effort into this over the winter. They gave us everything I asked, and they stepped up. I have a brand-new car for this race, Matheus (Leist) has a brand-new car. They spent every single dime to give us a good car. We’re a little team, but we’re having a lot of fun.”
Row 5 is made up of Dale Coyne Racing’s Zachary Claman De Melo, Andretti’s Ryan Hunter-Reay and Carlin Racing’s Charlie Kimball.
Row 6 features reigning Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ Robert Wickens will start alongside.
The inside of Row 7 begins with A.J. Foyt Raying with Byrd-Hollinger-Belardi driver James Davison. He’s joined by Carlin’s Max Chilton and Andretti’s Carlos Munoz.