Indy 500 qualifying: Carpenter's first pole lap 'blew my mind'
Indianapolis 500 polesitter Ed Carpenter says his 230mph opening qualifying lap that helped secure pole position 'blew his mind'
Carpenter started his four-lap run with a 230mph opener, with Penske's Simon Pagenaud getting closest to that benchmark with a first qualifying lap of 229.125mph.
"Several drivers in the IndyCar field, including Carpenter, were able to lap in the low 231mph range on 'Fast Friday', but all had required tows to do so.
But Carpenter said a 230mph lap on Sunday looked unlikely after Saturday's first qualifying.
"That first lap blew my mind, I figured we could run a 229mph [lap] based on last [Saturday] night," he said.
"My run last night wasn't very good. The car wasn't nearly as good as we have been.
"I knew we had more left, but I wasn't expecting a 230mph [lap]. The whole ECR team, especially the guys on the #20 car, they put so much love into this car.
"It means everything to me to put us in a position like this."
Ed Carpenter Racing did not work on qualifying simulations until Thursday's practice, and Carpenter credited a turnaround after set-up problems as key to his pole.
"The car wasn't very well balanced, so we had a think about it, came back with something different for Friday," he said. "It was much, much better."
Carpenter added that concerns about the difficulty of overtaking made his pole position more important than his previous poles for the Indy 500.
"[Track position is more important] than my previous two poles," he said. "I think it's going to be beneficial.
"It's always nice to start up front just because you can control things a little bit.
"Unless we all figure out a lot with race set-ups the next couple of days, it certainly feels good knowing I've got clean air in front of me, at least as long as I get a good start.
"I'm excited to get in the car and keep working on the race set-up and hopefully make it as perfect as this qualifying car was because of all the pole runs I've had here, this one, believe it or not, came the easiest."
Spencer Pigot and Danica Patrick made sure all three ECR-run entries made the qualifying 'Fast Nine'.
Patrick qualified seventh after a slight error at Turn 1 and said she was glad her run was "boring".
"You hope it's boring, and it was pretty boring," she said. "So as far as a run goes, to be going as fast as you can possibly go, it was pretty comfortable.
"We're there in case something goes wrong, but other than that everything should be pretty predictable, pretty boring up there.
"You're pilots just ready for emergencies. That's what we're doing in the car, we're ready for understeers, oversteers, and you're there for it, so luckily it was pretty good."
Indy 500: SPM coy on plans for alternative Hinchcliffe drive
Pietro Fittipaldi on his injury recovery and studying Indy 500
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Why IndyCar title glory is just the start for Ganassi's new star
Newly-crowned IndyCar champion Alex Palou has been lauded as a complete driver and veteran-like in only his second season. The 24-year-old is still in the early days of his career, but the parallels are there for all to see with his six-time champion Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate who has been CGR's team leader since 2014