Indy 500 qualifying: Penske fastest, Hinchcliffe bumped from field
Penske and Ed Carpenter Racing led a Chevrolet-dominated 'Fast Nine' Indianapolis 500 qualifying, while 2016 polesitter James Hinchcliffe was a high-profile victim of bumping and will not start the race

A disrupted morning of testing thanks to two rain delays put pressure on the IndyCar field, but it produced a relatively settled Fast Nine compared to the bumping at the other end of the field.
Penske's Helio Castroneves was able to set his benchmark average speed of 228.919mph early in the session before rain and an increase in humidity slowed the track down.
His lap speed was not threatened until the final driver, Ed Carpenter, headed out for his opening four-lap qualifying run.
The Ed Carpenter Racing boss looked set to take the fastest time after a first lap of 229.266mph, but fell away and ended up second with a 228.692mph average.
That meant he split the leading Penske drivers, who backed up the underlying pace the team showed in this week's practice.
Simon Pagenaud was third with the benefit of being the last driver to run before the first rain delay.
That meant Will Power, who had continually been the fastest driver without a tow this week, could only go fourth.
Dale Coyne Racing's Sebastien Bourdais was one of only two Honda-powered drivers to make the Fast Nine in fifth, with Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon eighth.
Reigning champion Josef Newgarden was the final Penske runner in seventh.
Danica Patrick was the last driver to secure a place in the Fast Nine ahead of the final race of her career.
She had to survive an attempt from Andretti's Alexander Rossi in the final moments, but his final lap left him less than a tenth of a mile an hour short of making the cut.
There was similar and more intense drama at the other end of the field to make the 33-car cut, as Dale Coyne Racing's duo Pippa Mann and Conor Daly traded laps with Oriol Servia.

That dragged Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver Hinchcliffe (pictured above) into the fray, Hinchcliffe having been the first competitor to run after the second rain delay.
Servia's first attempt was botched when rain arrived, and he visibly battled with the balance of his car on his second run.
But his third attempt was enough to elevate him to 31st and out of trouble, while Daly's third run elevated him to 32nd after struggling throughout the week following a late build of his car.
That left AJ Foyt Racing's James Davison on the bubble in 33rd, but repeated attempts from Mann never put her in contention to make the race.
Hinchcliffe's agonising fate was sealed when his second run was ruined by a vibration that forced him to abort that attempt.
He then became stuck waiting for Mann's third run to end, and the clock ticked down before he could take to the track - eliminating him from qualifying.
The grid positions for the 102nd Indy 500 will be set in Sunday's second qualifying session.
Saturday qualifying times
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Speed | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 228.919 | 2m37.2607s |
2 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 228.692 | 0.1560s |
3 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 228.304 | 0.4238s |
4 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 228.194 | 0.4997s |
5 | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 228.090 | 0.5715s |
6 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 228.052 | 0.5981s |
7 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 228.049 | 0.6001s |
8 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 227.782 | 0.7850s |
9 | Danica Patrick | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 227.610 | 0.9047s |
10 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 227.561 | 0.9389s |
11 | Tony Kanaan | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 227.508 | 0.9756s |
12 | Matheus Leist | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 227.441 | 1.0219s |
13 | Ed Jones | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 226.995 | 1.3334s |
14 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 226.952 | 1.3631s |
15 | Carlos Munoz | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 226.600 | 1.6095s |
16 | J.R. Hildebrand | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 226.499 | 1.6802s |
17 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 226.154 | 1.9230s |
18 | Jay Howard | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 226.098 | 1.9626s |
19 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 226.065 | 1.9852s |
20 | Robert Wickens | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 225.955 | 2.0634s |
21 | Kyle Kaiser | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 225.934 | 2.0781s |
22 | Stefan Wilson | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 225.909 | 2.0954s |
23 | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 225.808 | 2.1666s |
24 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 225.805 | 2.1691s |
25 | Charlie Kimball | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 225.752 | 2.2066s |
26 | Zachary Claman | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 225.722 | 2.2274s |
27 | Jack Harvey | Michael Shank Racing | Dallara/Honda | 225.720 | 2.2287s |
28 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 225.666 | 2.2668s |
29 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 225.513 | 2.3755s |
30 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 225.407 | 2.4507s |
31 | Oriol Servia | Scuderia Corsa | Dallara/Honda | 225.007 | 2.7346s |
32 | Conor Daly | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 224.874 | 2.8290s |
33 | James Davison | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 224.798 | 2.8832s |
34 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 224.784 | 2.8934s |
35 | Pippa Mann | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 224.360 | 3.1958s |

IndyCar reveals specifications of new 900bhp engine for 2021 season
James Hinchcliffe: 'Devastating' to get bumped out of 2018 Indy 500

Latest news
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