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Pole position for the 2023 Indianapolis 500 will be determined Sunday, May 21. The best qualifier gets to lead the field at the start of the May 28 race. Rows 1-4 and 11 will be determined today. Rows 5-10 are set.
Felix Rosenqvist had the third-fastest qualifying run in Indy 500 history on Saturday, leading a strong Arrow McLaren contingent into the Fast 12. On the other end of the grid, three of the four Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars will try to avoid being the one car bumped from the field.
Scott Dixon’s pole-winning 4-lap average of 234.046 mph from 2022 is the 2nd-fastest qualifying run in Speedway history. Arie Luyendyk set the qualifying record of 236.986 in 1996.
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Saturday’s play-by-play: Indianapolis 500 qualifying at IMS
Insider: Christian Lundgaard’s situation is one of many nail-biters at IMS
11:30 a.m. ET: Indy 500 qualifying Fast 12 practice
∎ Eleven of the 12 drivers register hot laps. Tony Kanaan is content to gather information from Arrow McLaren teammates and let it fly in Fast 12 qualifying. One of Kanaan’s teammates, Pato O’Ward, believes a lot of drivers will eclipse Dixon’s 2022 pole-winning speed, considering the favorable driving conditions.
∎ Rookie Benjamin Pedersen has a single no-tow lap at 235.026 mph. “That’s fast. Holy cow,” he said upon learning of the speed. “That thing is a rocket ship right now.”
∎ NBC reported that Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing considered swapping chassis after Saturday’s qualifying, but IndyCar rules prohibit such a move during the qualifying weekend. Juncos Hollinger Racing changed the chassis on Callum Ilott’s car on Friday, which is permitted, and he qualified 28th on Saturday.
∎ Rinus VeeKay’s engine fails, putting his qualifying prospects today in doubt. He’s guaranteed a top-12 spot.
∎ Santino Ferrucci has a simulated 4-lap qualifying run of 234.649 mph just a few minutes into the session, and Pato O’Ward is also over 234.
∎ The air temperature is 70 degrees and the track temperature is 98 under sunny skies and almost no wind. Drivers like the conditions.
Borg-Warner Trophy and Stanley Cup on display
Fast 12 Indianapolis 500 qualifiers
With car number, driver, engine, team and 4-lap speed average; all cars use Dallara chassis and Firestone tires
One round of qualifying will cut this group to the Fast Six, and a second round will determine the top six starters
(6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 233,947 mph
(7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 233.528
(10) Alex Palou, Honda, Ganassi, 233.398
(21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, Carpenter, 233.395
(9) Scott Dixon, Honda, Ganassi, 233.375
(66) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 233.347
(11) Takuma Sato, Honda, Ganassi, 233.322
(5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 233.252
(14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, Foyt, 233.147
(8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, Ganassi, 233.030
(55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, Foyt, 232.739
(12) Will Power, Chevrolet, Penske, 232.719
Breaking it down: Play-by-play of Indianapolis 500 qualifying at IMS
Last chance qualifying
Three of these drivers will comprise Row 11, and one will not make the race
(45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
(30) Jack Harvey, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
(51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, Coyne
(15) Graham Rahal, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
Row 5
The positions for Rows 5-10 were established Saturday
13. (33) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, Carpenter, 232.689
14. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, Penske, 232.677
15. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, Andretti, 232.662
Row 6
16. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, Carpenter, 232.433
17. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, Penske, 232.402
18. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, Dreyer & Reinbold, 232.133
Row 7
19. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, Andretti, 231.997
20. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, Meyer Shank, 231.954
21. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, Andretti, 231.951
Row 8
22. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, Meyer Shank, 231.878
23. (18) David Malukas, Honda, Coyne, 231.769
24. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, Andretti, 231.682
Row 9
25. (24) Stefan Wilson, Chevrolet, Dreyer & Reinbold, 231.648
26. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, Andretti, 231.353
27. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger, 231.320
Row 10
28. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger, 231.182
29. (50) R.C. Enerson, Chevrolet, Abel, 231.129
30. (44) Katherine Legge, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 231.070
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2023 Indy 500 qualifying results for pole position, last row
