READY FOR THE BIG SHOW.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. There is nothing, I repeat nothing, like the Indianapolis 500. It is the single greatest motor race in the world and every bit "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." For those who have never been, you owe it to yourself to make the trip, because it is an experience you will never forget. And for those who have been - many times, no doubt - you know that the start of the Indy 500 is the most electrifying moment in all of sport. Nothing even comes close, in fact. Scott Dixon, the greatest Indy car driver of the modern era, captured the pole for the fourth time in his career, taking the NTT P1 Award in the fastest field in “500” history with a four-lap average speed of 231.685 mph. Six-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon was fastest during the first day of Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, and he was fastest again during the Firestone Fast Nine Shootout on Sunday in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda. 2008 Indy 500 winner Dixon also won “500” poles in 2008, 2015 and 2017, and he tied Rex Mays, A.J. Foyt and Helio Castroneves for the second-most poles in Indy 500 history. (In case you're wondering, Rick Mears is The Speedway King with six poles.)

“Winning a pole at the Indianapolis 500 is one of the toughest things to do,” Dixon said. “From a team standpoint, just how much work and effort goes into building these cars specifically for that pole run, it's a lot of money and a lot of effort that it takes. We've been on the other side of it. We've had them before, but we've started well in the pack, too, where you can't figure out why you're in that position. Definitely feel good for the team. I know the team is going to be proud of what we achieved today. Again, it's just the starting position. We have to work on the rest.”

Dixon, 40, will be joined by the two youngest drivers in the field on the front row for the 105th Indianapolis 500, on Sunday, May 30. Colton Herta, 21, will start second in the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Gainbridge Honda, falling just short of Dixon with a four-lap average of 231.655. Rinus VeeKay, 20, qualified third at 231.511 in the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Bitcoin Chevrolet and is the youngest front-row starter in the century-plus history of the race.

“It was pretty hairy,” Dixon continued. “Glad it's over. It was definitely pretty tense. I was able to watch Colton's four laps, too. Wish I hadn't before I went out. I knew his consistency was probably going to be a tick better than the other two, and it sure was. Yeah, at Turn 1 for the first lap was very loose, and I was already maxed out on all the controls. I knew it was just going to be holding on for lap three and four. Lap four was definitely pretty rough, especially through Turn 3.”

“Yeah, if I was a fan, I'd be really excited with that Fast Nine qualifying," Herta said. "Really, guys that just kept going faster every single run. It was actually really close for everyone. To beat Dixon, I think we really had to have that first lap and second lap just a tiny bit faster. We were so close.”

Other luminaries? The second row will be comprised of Ed Carpenter, fourth at 231.504 mph in the No. 20 ECR SONAX Chevrolet; 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan, fifth at 231.032 in the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing The American Legion Honda; and Alex Palou, sixth at 230.616 in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing NTT DATA Honda. Palou produced a strong rebound from Saturday, when he crashed heavily during qualifying.

Two Indianapolis 500 winners are in the third row. 2014 Indy winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will start seventh at 230.499 in the No. 28 Andretti Autosport DHL Honda, three-time winner Helio Castroneves is eighth at 230.355 in the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda, and Marcus Ericsson qualified ninth at 230.318 in the No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Huski Chocolate Honda. Three teams dominated qualifying: Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Autosport and Ed Carpenter Racing. 

Where is Penske Racing? Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Pennzoil Chevrolet) is in the middle of Row 6; Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Shell Fuel Rewards Chevrolet) is on the outside of Row 7; Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske Menards Chevrolet) is in the middle of Row 9 and Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon 5G Chevrolet) finds himself mired in the middle of the last row after struggling to get up to speed all week. Power even brushed the SAFER barrier in Turn 2 in his qualifying run, but he kept his foot in it and just barely made it into the race. Power made the field in during Last Chance Qualifying. He will be joined Sage Karam (No. 24 DRR-AES INDIANA Chevrolet) and Simona De Silvestro in the No. 16 Paretta Autosport/Rocket Pro TPO Chevrolet.

I don't make predictions for the "500," but I will say that my favorite is Scott Dixon. It's easy to look back at The Greats of The Speedway with perspective and appreciation, but I prefer to live in this moment and understand that we're witnessing one of the all-time greats at his best right now. I expect a competitive, hard-fought race that will be settled over the last 20 laps. There are more than a dozen drivers/teams with a legitimate opportunity to win. If not Dixon, it could be one of the emerging young stars like Herta, VeeKay or Palou. Or one of the veterans looking to make a splash at The Speedway one last time, like Juan Pablo Montoya, Kanaan or Castroneves. And you're kidding yourself if you don't think Team Penske will be in the mix. All four of the Penske drivers are capable of winning, and I'll be watching Scott McLaughlin in particular, because he reminds me a lot of Rick Mears, which is high praise indeed. I am hoping for a clean, fast and safe race. I can't wait.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

(The next on-track session is a two-hour practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, May 28. The Miller Lite Carb Day practice is the last chance for drivers and teams to hone their Race Day setups. Thank you to INDYCAR Media.)

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
The Front Row for the 2021 Indianapolis 500, from right to left: Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda) on pole with a four-lap average speed of 231.685 mph; Colton Herta (No. 26 Andretti Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian Gainbridge Honda), with a speed of 231.655 mph; and Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Bitcoin Chevrolet), with a speed of 231.511 mph.

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Rinus VeeKay with his parents at the Front Row photo shoot at The Speedway, Monday morning, May 24th.

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Father and Son: Bryan and Colton Herta, Monday morning at The Speedway, May 24th.

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Scott Dixon will start from the pole for the 105th Indianapolis 500 in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda, on Sunday, May 30.

STARTING GRID FOR THE 105TH RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500

PRESENTED BY GAINBRIDGE