Carpenter nails it at Indy with brilliant run to pole

©IndyCar

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©IndyCar

Ed Carpenter rained on Penske's parade and but shined on the Brickyard yesterday to claim his third Indy 500 pole in six years.

The driver/team owner was up against a quartet of Penske runners in Sunday's top-nine shootout, with Simon Pagenaud sitting at the top of the leaderboard with a 228.761 mph average lap when Carpenter took to the track.

The 37-year-old was the only driver to top 230 mph and the only driver to turn four successive laps over 229, defeating Penske's Pagenaud, Will Power and Josef Newgarden in the process with an average speed of 229.618 mph.

Roger Penske's fourth man, Helio Castroneves qualified eigth, one spot behind an impressive Danica Patrick who will lead the third row of the Indy 500 next Sunday on her swansong and final motorsport start of her career.

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.