Dixon fourth for Indy 500, two Kiwis crash
- NZ Sports Wire
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
New Zealand driver Scott Dixon will start next week's 109th Indianapolis 500 from the inside of the second row.
The 2008 Indy 500 champion will roll over the start line inside Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and IndyCar championship leader Alex Palou after Sunday's (Monday NZ Time) final qualifying phases.
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It was a chaotic two days of qualifying for New Zealand's other IndyCar drivers, Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin and Ganassi's Marcus Armstrong.
Armstrong crashed into the wall during qualifying practice on Saturday (Sunday NZT), while McLaughlin did similar, almost flipping his car, during Top-12 practice earlier on Sunday (Monday NZT).
The damage ruled the defending Indy 500 polesitter McLaughlin out for the rest of the day, meaning he will start 12th, on the outside of the fourth row. Armstrong eventually qualified 32nd, the middle of the 11th and final row.
McLaughlin was second-fastest, behind Palou, and Dixon fifth-fastest during Saturday's first qualifying phase. In a converted road course car, Armstrong waived off his attempt as it would not have been in the top-30 to earn a spot on the grid.
Dixon improved to fourth during the Top-12 session, with a four-lap average speed of 231.971 mph, before upping it to 232.052 during the Fast 6 phase, but remaining fourth as he was edged from the front row by Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward by 0.046 mph.
In the last-chance qualifier for the final three spots in the 33-car field, Armstrong clocked 229.091 mph to finish second behind Marco Andretti but ahead of Rinus VeeKay and rookie Jacob Abel.
Russian rookie Robert Shwartzman stunned The Brickyard by grabbing pole for the Great American Race, clocking 232.790 mph. Alongside him will be two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato and O'Ward.
David Malukas, Christian Lundgaard and Marcus Ericsson will fill the third row, with an all-Team Penske fourth row of two-time defending champion Josef Newgarden and Will Power, who were both pulled from the Top-12 session after failing an inspection, and McLaughlin.
The 109th Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set for next Sunday at 12pm local time (4am Monday NZT).
Meanwhile, at the Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on Sunday (Monday NZT), New Zealand's Liam Lawson finished 14th, 32.511 seconds behind former teammate Max Verstappen, in another disappointing weekend.
Lawson was on the wrong side of a red flag during Saturday's (Sunday NZT) qualifying, eventually sitting 16th on the grid.
With passing at a premium at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, Lawson could only pick up places during pit-stop cycles, as safety cars and virtual safety cars hampered his efforts. He again finished behind Racing Bulls teammate Isaak Hadjar.
At Nascar's Sprint Cup All-Star Weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, Shane van Gisbergen failed to qualify for the main race on Sunday (Monday NZT).
Van Gisbergen took pole for the 100-lap All-Star Open race during an impressive qualifying session on Saturday (Sunday NZT), which included a four-tyre pit-stop.
He led for 54 laps and was still in position to claim one of two places in the All-Star Race, restarting fourth with 16 laps remaining before sliding back to finish 13th.
