IndyCar St Petersburg: Penske's Power beats Dixon to first 2017 pole
Penske driver Will Power secured pole position for the IndyCar season-opener at St Petersburg, his seventh pole in eight years at the circuit

The Australian set a best time of 1m01.064s in the final, 'fast six' segment of qualifying to beat Ganassi's Scott Dixon to pole.
Dixon, who had topped two of three practice sessions prior to qualifying, managed the fastest time of anyone during qualifying and topped his opening two sessions, but could not replicate that form in the final part and instead had to settle for second.
Schmidt Peterson's James Hinchcliffe, winner of the event in 2013, will line up on the inside of the second row ahead of Penske new recruit Josef Newgarden, making it an even split of Hondas and Chevrolets in the top four.
Takuma Sato, the only driver other than Power to have claimed pole at St Petersburg in the series' Dallara IR12 era, will line up fifth ahead of Tony Kanaan.
Briton Max Chilton just missed out on making it to the 'fast six', and will start from row four alongside fellow former Marussia F1 driver and Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi.
Charlie Kimball and Graham Rahal rounded out the top 10 to complete an impressive session for Honda, with eight of the cars in the top 10 powered by one of the Japanese supplier's engines.
Ryan Hunter Reay missed out on a chance to make it into the final part of qualifying after he clipped the wall, while current champion Simon Pagenaud also had a difficult day and will start Sunday's race from 13th.
Ex-Formula 1 driver Sebastien Bourdais was responsible for the only stoppage during the session, after he locked up at Turn 13 and went straight on into the wall.
Follow the opening round of the IndyCar season with Autosport Race Centre Live from 5:30pm UK time on Sunday.
STARTING GRID:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet |
2 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda |
3 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda |
4 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet |
5 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda |
6 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda |
7 | Max Chilton | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda |
8 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda |
9 | Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda |
10 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda |
11 | Carlos Munoz | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet |
12 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda |
13 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet |
14 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet |
15 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda |
16 | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet |
17 | Mikhail Aleshin | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda |
18 | Ed Jones | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda |
19 | J.R. Hildebrand | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet |
20 | Conor Daly | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet |
21 | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda |

IndyCar St Petersburg: Dixon goes fastest again in final practice
IndyCar St Petersburg: Bourdais wins season-opener from back of grid

Latest news
Lundgaard signs multi-year IndyCar deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced that the team has “restructured a new, long-term agreement” with Rookie of Christian Lundgaard for “2023 and beyond”.
Title-winning Newman/Haas Indycars to be auctioned
Indycars raced by Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Sebastien Bourdais are among artefacts of the legendary Newman/Haas Racing team to be auctioned by RM Sotheby's in October.
Ganassi will support Palou’s IndyCar title bid despite contract dispute
Chip Ganassi Racing won’t waver in its support of Alex Palou’s IndyCar title defence, despite being locked in a legal dispute with the Spaniard who intends to join McLaren.
Why the 2022 IndyCar title fight is Penske vs Ganassi yet again
There have been wins, poles and promise from others, but the 2022 IndyCar Series championship battle has distilled down to a fight between old rivals Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing once more. A principal from each explains what has elevated their teams beyond other rivals ahead of the final three races
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