Palou secures pole for the 107th Indianapolis 500 with fastest-ever field
22nd May 20232021 NTT Indycar champion Alex Palou has secured the P1 award ahead of the 107th Indianapolis 500 as the event sees its fastest-ever field of drivers.
Championship leader, and Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Palou secured his first career Indy 500 pole, becoming the first Spaniard to take the leading position ahead of the prestigious event.
In qualifying’s Fast Six, across a four-lap average, the number 10 American Legion Honda put in the fastest speed of 234.217mph. In turn, Palou’s performance secured Chip Ganassi their third consecutive Indy 500 pole position, previously held by Scott Dixon (2022 and 2021).
Rinus Veekay, Ed Carpenter Racing, will be lined up alongside Palou on the run down to the green flag to signal the start of the Indy 500, in the number 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet.
The Ed Carpenter driver’s four-lap average speed stands as the second-closest margin in regards to the speed between the top two drivers, in the event’s history, as Palou and VeeKay were only separated by a .006mph gap.
The duo were beaten to the record by Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe in 2012 when the former clenched the Indy 500 pole by .003mph. While top three drivers for the 2023 Indy 500; Palou, VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist (Arrow McLaren), were all separated by .103mph.
Across qualifying, the 33-car field also stood as the fastest in Indianapolis 500 history with an average speed of 232.184mph, beating last year’s record of 231.023mph.
Practice continues on Monday, from 1-3pm ET, ahead of final practice on Friday which will start at 11am. The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 will get underway on Sunday May 28, 2023 at 12:30pm ET (5:30pm BST).
That’s it for the article: Palou secures pole for the 107th Indianapolis 500 with fastest-ever field!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
