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Mid-Ohio IndyCar: Simon Pagenaud leads all-Penske front row

IndyCar championship leader Simon Pagenaud weathered the tricky conditions around Mid Ohio to qualify on pole for the sixth time for Team Penske this season

Rain scattered across the circuit during the 'fast 12' segment before it started to dry in the final 'fast six' session, where Pagenaud stole pole in the dying seconds from team-mate Will Power with a 1m03.8700s lap - a new track record.

Josef Newgarden had shown good pace all throughout practice and converted it to third on the grid, 0.2500 seconds down on Pagenaud.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Charlie Kimball and Graham Rahal rounded out the top six.

The rain that came during the fast 12 meant a shot at the fast six was anyone's to play for, and left a handful of big names watching from the pole shootout from the pitlane.

Among the big scalps were the Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolets of Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya, who will line up on row four, and five-time Mid-Ohio winner Scott Dixon, who enjoyed two timesheet-topping practice sessions this weekend but could finish no higher than 11th.

Former Formula 1 driver Max Chilton missed out on the fast 12 in group one despite opting for red tyres on both runs, and will start from the seventh row. The British driver cited changing track conditions under the gloomy Mid Ohio skies as being responsible.

The green track experienced by the first group meant the second group wisely took to the track on red Firestone rubber, but neither Sebastien Bourdais or Tony Kanaan could make it through to the fast 12.

Bourdais finished his group in eighth while Kanaan was bumped out by last man on track Alexander Rossi.

RC Enerson will line up on the ninth row for his IndyCar race debut.

QUALIFYING RESULTS

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap
1 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 1m03.8700s -
2 Will Power Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 1m03.9381s 0.0681s
3 Josef Newgarden Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.1200s 0.2500s
4 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 1m04.3265s 0.4565s
5 Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.3644s 0.4944s
6 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara/Honda 1m04.4697s 0.5997s
7 Helio Castroneves Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.4300s -
8 Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.5141s -
9 James Hinchcliffe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda 1m04.5796s -
10 Mikhail Aleshin Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda 1m04.6084s -
11 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.6554s -
12 Alexander Rossi Andretti Herta Dallara/Honda 1m04.8082s -
13 Max Chilton Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.7752s -
14 Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.5885s -
15 Carlos Munoz Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 1m04.8621s -
16 Sebastien Bourdais KVSH Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 1m04.5967s -
17 Jack Hawksworth AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara/Honda 1m05.0196s -
18 R.C. Enerson Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda 1m04.6576s -
19 Spencer Pigot Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 1m05.1891s -
20 Takuma Sato AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara/Honda 1m04.8354s -
21 Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 1m05.1997s -
22 Conor Daly Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda 1m05.1098s -

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