Marco Andretti denied Scott Dixon pole position for the Indianapolis 500 in 2020 with the final run of qualifying for Fast Nine – and took the squad’s first pole position for the race since 2005.
Andretti, who had completed the fastest day of qualifying on Saturday, was the last driver in the Fast Nine to make his only lap of four laps over the 2.5-mile oval needed to average Dixon’s 231.051mph hit to take pole for next Sunday race.
The # 98 Honda-powered engine matched Dixon’s, with the first two laps reaching the 231mph range, but Dixon’s third lap was slightly faster than Andretti’s effort.
On the final lap of Andretti’s lap, he pulled 0.195 mph on Dixon to snap pole with just 0.017 mph and gave the Andretti family their first since Marco’s grandfather, 1969 winner Mario, took his third pole in 1987.
Dixon, whose # 9 Chip Ganassi machine was significantly more tuned than its rivals, was the fifth driver to run and the only other driver next to Andretti to break the 231mph average over the four laps.
They will compete on the outside of the front row by race winner 2017 Takuma Sato – whose consistent run brought the Rahal Letterman Lanningan Racing ace an average of 230,725mph.
Rinus Veekay was the only Chevrolet driver to make it to the Fast Nine and the rookie will start the 104th run of the race in fourth place – simply failing to pipe Sato’s average.
Ed Carpenter Racing’s driver clocked 230,704 mph over his course – two tenths of a mile an hour slower than former Formula 1 driver Sato.
The other Andretti Autosport drivers all struggled to match Andretti’s blistering pace – Ryan Hunter-Reay placed the best of the other three drivers.
The 2014 winner said he, James Hinchcliffe and Alexander Rossi all went “too skimpy” on downforce and “slipped all over the place” in their runs, although the 2012 series champion saved a spot in the middle of the second row, with 2016 polsitter Hinchcliffe in sixth.
Ex-Formula 2 driver Alex Palou set the single fastest lap over the Fast Nine session with 231,901mph on his first lap, but struggled to maintain that pace for the rest of his run to see Dale Coyne Racing -driver drops to claim a seventh place.
Graham Rahal could not match the consistency of teammate Sato and qualified in eighth place, ahead of 2016 winner Rossi, who could only place in one round above the 230mph barrier, giving him a key on the outside of the third row.
2020 Indianapolis 500 – Qualifying for Rapid Nine
| Pos | Driver | Team | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | 231,068 |
| 2 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 231,051 |
| 3 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | 230,725 |
| 4 | Rinus Van Kalmthout | Ed Carpenter Racing | 230,704 |
| 5 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 230,648 |
| 6 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Autosport | 229,870 |
| 7 | Alex Palou | Dale Coyne Racing | 229,676 |
| 8 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | 229,380 |
| 9 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | 229,234 |
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