Alex Palou Secures Pole Position at 107th Indy 500 Fast Six Shootout

The 107th Indy 500 Fast 6 Shootout took place on Sunday afternoon and Alex Palou took pole position. Two Chip Ganassi drivers, two Arrow McLaren drivers, one from Ed Carpenter Racing and one from AJ Foyt Racing advanced to the Fast Six.

Pato O’Ward was the first to do laps, completing four laps of the 2.5-mile oval in 2:34.4015 and an average speed of 233.158 MPH. After entering the pits, he got out of his car and waited nervously for the other riders to finish their runs. Scott Dixon, who ran second, lapped at a slightly slower pace than O’Ward, leaving the Mexican driver to wait and see. Alex Palou was next, completing the first lap at an average speed of 235.131 km/h. The next three laps were also quicker, pulling O’Ward out of the provisional pole position. Palou was left to watch the remaining three drivers in tension. Linus Vikei, Santino Ferrucci and Felix Rosenqvist took turns running, but none could exceed the average speed set by Palou. After many camera shots of Palou’s face, Palou was finally able to celebrate with the crew in the pitlane. He was convinced he could not exceed an average speed of 234.317 MPH. Palou was congratulated by dozens of people, including other drivers, Chip Ganassi’s crew and Chip Ganassi’s boss. Palou started second at the 2022 Indy 500 and was able to translate that into a top ten finish. The year before, he missed out on winning the famous race, running 500 miles and finishing second. Palou averaged 234.217 mph over four laps. Palou will be inside the first row, Linus Vikei next to it and Felix Rosenqvist outside. Three teams run down the frontstretch and pull apart. Santino Ferrucci will start inside the second row, with Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon next to him. Palou, who starts from pole position, will have the perfect opportunity to control next weekend’s race, as well as a 12-point bonus in the championship. “It was fun, it was a lot of fun,” said Alex Palou on the team radio. “It meant a lot to me. I knew it was going to be tight, but they gave me the fastest car.” It was more difficult to watch the other drivers than to do it.” Linus Viekey, who was second at 234.211 mph, 0.004 seconds, 0.006 mph slower than Palou, said, “I gave everything but it was tight. ‘” said Vikey. “I really thought I was going for pole position,” Pato O’Ward lapped the Honda-powered Arrow McLaren at 233.756mph to finish fifth. “It’s my first Fast Six and it’s great for the team,” O’Ward said. Scott Dixon, who was chasing pole for the third year in a row, battled loose handling to finish 6th at 233.151mph. “Our run was too nosedive, super loose and felt like we were shaving speed from the start,” he reported. Among the players who did not enter the Fast Six, Alexander Rossi (McLaren), Takuma Sato (CGR), Tony Kanaan (McLaren), Marcus Ericsson (CGR), top rookie Benjamin Pedersen (AJ Voitracing), He holds off Will Power (Team Penske) and starts 7th at the Indy 500. One of the most stressful weekends on the planet @AlexPalou has the fastest #Indy500 pole speed ever! #PoweredbyHonda // #WarpSpeed ​​pic.twitter.com/pelbL5UEZy— HPD-North American Motorsport (@HondaRacing_HPD) May 21, 2023