2022 Indianapolis 500 qualifying, starting grid: Scott Dixon takes fifth career pole with track record. by Richard Bibrich Jr. Today we will discuss about Indy 500 qualifying: Order| Results| Record| Format.
Indy 500 qualifying: Order| Results| Record| Format
Pole positions for the 2022 Indianapolis 500 will be determined Sunday, May 22, with weather permitting. A 13–33 position was set for the 29 May race on 21 May. From Saturday’s season the top 12 drivers will compete for pole position. A full Indy 500 qualifying effort is four laps around the 2½-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Scott Dixon won the pole position in 2021 and was ranked 17th. Race winner Helio Castroneves started in 8th place. The most recent poll winner to win the race was Simon Pagenaud in 2019.
Order
This is the starting lineup for the 2022 Indianapolis 500. The 200-lap race is scheduled for Sunday, May 29 at the 2½-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
The starting lineup of the Indy 500 consists of 11 lines of three drivers, established through two days of qualifying. The field average of 231.023 mph is the fastest in the history of the race.
Includes starting position, (car number), driver’s name (R-rookie; W-Indy 500 winner), team, engine and 4-lap qualifying speed average. All cars have Dallara chassis and use Firestone tyres. On 22 May the pace was set for rows 1–2 in Fast Six, and the pace for Rows 3–4 was set in Fast 12; The pace for rows 5–11 was set on 21 May.
Results
Scott Dixon won pole for the 2022 Indy 500 for the second year in a row. He dominated his competition with an average lap time of 234.046 mph, earning his fifth pole victory, second only to Rick Mears (six).
Dixon surpassed his teammate Alex Palu by 0.5 mph. Dixon’s pace dropped with each lap, but it was negligible, and his slowest lap of 233.726 was better than almost every other driver’s best. The top three of Dixon, Palou, and Rinus VeeKay comprise the fastest front row ever in the Indy 500.
For Dixon, the task now is to maintain his pole position throughout the race. The Australian, known as “The Iceman”, is looking to win for the first time since 2008.
Defending champion Helio Castroneves, meanwhile, is looking for his record-setting fifth win at the IMS.
That would be a tall order for Dixon, but he’s certainly on the right track.
Record
Indianapolis – Scott Dixon’s four-lap average of 234.046 mph on Sunday was the fastest pole speed in Indianapolis 500 history. However, the elusive all-time average speed in qualifying is still held by two-time winner Ari Luendik at 236.986 mph.
Dixon would first start in 2022 but Luendik started in 1996 in 20th place.
The politics of “The Split” cast a dark cloud over the 1996 Indianapolis 500. There are still arguments over the superiority of CART or IRL. The ’96 500 had the most rookies in the field and the fewest former winners. Despite this, until Sunday it was also the fastest field in the history of the race.
On Pole Day 1996, Scott Breton won pole for Team Maynard in his Maynard-Buick V6 powered Lola. Luyendyk initially qualified second behind Breton, nearly four tenths of a mph at pole speed. However, Luendik was disqualified after failing an inspection after qualifying.
Format
In addition to establishing the starting grid, championship points will be awarded to those who advance to the top 12 qualifying season. The Indy 500 poll winner will get 12 points, the second fastest will get 11, and the points awarded will decrease by a point increase to the 12th fastest (one point).
“Indianapolis 500 qualifying weekend is always special,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles, “This format will give our fans even more opportunities to watch IndyCar’s world-class drivers compete on the biggest stage of racing.” While winning the race is the ultimate prize, capturing pole position for the 500 is one of motorsport’s most coveted honors and is almost a race within a race. I can’t wait to see this extended format on the final Sunday before race day.
A last-chance qualifying session for spots 31-33 is scheduled from 2-3 pm. (ET) Sunday, May 22 if there are more than 33 entries competing for a spot in the world’s most prestigious auto race. Each entry is guaranteed one attempt and may take several attempts until the time runs out. If several attempts are made, the last one is withdrawn, and the fastest non-qualified car takes 33rd place.
