Luyendyk Jr takes Michigan IPS pole

Luyendyk, the next-to-last driver to qualify, knocked Ed Carpenter off the top spot with a lap of 188.375mph around the two-mile oval. Driving the Sinden Racing Service Dallara, Luyendyk recorded just the second pole position of his career; he also won the Infiniti Pro Series pole last year at MIS.

"We definitely have the set-up here," Luyendyk said. "At the beginning of this year, we struggled with going to new tracks on a limited test budget with a crew that kept changing. Now we finally have a strong crew behind me. The organisation is finally coming together, and it shows."

Carpenter, who's tied for second in points behind Mark Taylor, held on to second on the grid in A.J. Foyt's No. 14. He'll see if the same engine used in his runaway win at Indianapolis can work the same magic at Michigan.

"I'd would rather start on the pole and lead every lap," Carpenter said. "It's hard to lead the race here, but if you have a strong car, it's hard to pass you if you can hold it down on the bottom."

Taylor, who has won four of the first six races and leads Carpenter and Thiago Medeiros by 96 points, will start seventh in the 16-car field.

"I'm sure Mark Taylor will be coming," Carpenter said. "He never seems to go away."