Scott Dixon takes pole for Indianapolis 500; Fernando Alonso will start 5th

IndyCar’s most decorated active driver will lead the field to green in the Indianapolis 500.

Scott Dixon posted a blistering four-lap average of over 232 MPH to take the pole away from defending race champion Alexander Rossi, who had bested two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso for the top starting spot just minutes before.

Alonso is making his first Indianapolis 500 start. He’ll line up fifth behind Dixon, Ed Carpenter, Takuma Sato and Rossi. The five were the only drivers racing for the pole on Sunday to break 231 MPH for their four-lap qualifying runs. Carpenter, the last driver to go out Sunday afternoon, was unable to best Dixon after he only posted one of his four laps over 232 MPH.

Dixon won the 2008 Indianapolis 500 and has 39 IndyCar Series wins in 236 career starts. He’s finished in the top three 89 different times and has finished in the top three in points in 11 of his 15 years in the IndyCar Series. A four-time series champion, there’s a solid case to be made that the 36-year-old native of New Zealand is the most underrated driver in American open-wheel history.

Here’s how the field will line up for Sunday’s race

1. Scott Dixon
2. Ed Carpenter
3. Alexander Rossi
4. Takuma Sato
5. Fernando Alonso
6. JR Hildebrand
7. Tony Kanaan
8. Marco Andretti
9. Will Power
10. Ryan Hunter-Reay
11. Ed Jones
12. Oriol Servia
13. Mikhail Aleshin
14. Graham Rahal
15. Max Chilton
16. Charlie Kimball
17. James Hinchcliffe
18. Juan Pablo Montoya
19. Helio Castroneves
20. Jay Howard
21. Sage Karam
22. Josef Newgarden
23. Simon Pagenaud
24. Carlos Munoz
25. Gabby Chaves
26. Conor Daly
27. Jack Harvey
28. Pippa Mann
29. Spencer Pigot
30. Buddy Lazier
31. Sebastian Saavedra
32. Zach Beach
33. James Davison (no time)

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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