Carlos Munoz scores first IndyCar pole
Andretti Autosport-Honda’s Colombian ace put behind him the disappointment of missing out on Indy 500 victory to score pole postion for IndyCar’s next oval race.
Photo by: IndyCar Series
Munoz was the only driver to record two laps in the 217mph bracket around a Texas Motor Speedway, and that average of 217.137mph was enough to put him top ahead of all the championship favorites.
Munoz has qualified in the top 10 for all three of his trips to TMS, starting fourth last year. It is the second pole for Honda in the season’s nine races so far, the last one being James Hinchcliffe’s at the Indy 500.
Scott Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing-Chevrolet was second fastest on 216.901, with four-time winner Helio Castroneves third for Penske.
Takuma Sato put smiles on the faces of the AJ Foyt Racing team, as he put the legend’s car in fourth, ahead of Josef Newgarden (Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevy).
Championship leader Simon Pagenaud and Penske teammate Will Power will line up sixth and seventh, saying their cars were sliding too much from not applying enough downforce in the 93degF heat.
This morning’s pacesetter Tony Kanaan was eighth fastest, ahead of Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi, who had his best qualifying performance of the season.
Penske’s fourth car, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya was a disappointing 17th fastest, stating, “The car felt fine; we were just slow.”
His compatriot Gabby Chaves did not participate, as Dale Coyne Racing continue to rebuild his car following its shunt this morning.
Qualifying for the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway
| P. | N° | Driver | Team (Engine) | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 |  Carlos Muñoz |
 Andretti (H) |
217.137 |
| 2 | 9 |  Scott Dixon |
 Ganassi (C) |
216.901 |
| 3 | 3 |  Helio Castroneves |
 Penske (C) |
216.740 |
| 4 | 14 |  Takuma Sato |
 Foyt (H) |
216.740 |
| 5 | 21 |  Josef Newgarden |
 Carpenter (C) |
216.684 |
| 6 | 22 |  Simon Pagenaud |
 Penske (C) |
216.663 |
| 7 | 12 |  Will Power |
 Penske (C) |
216.647 |
| 8 | 10 | Tony Kanaan |
 Ganassi (C) |
216.295 |
| 9 | 98 | Alexander Rossi |
 Andretti-Herta (H) |
216.262 |
| 10 | 5 |  James Hinchcliffe |
 Schmidt (H) |
216.262 |
| 11 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
 Andretti (H) |
216.260 |
| 12 | 27 | Marco Andretti |
 Andretti (H) |
216.162 |
| 13 | 15 | Graham Rahal |
 Rahal (H) |
215.927 |
| 14 | 20 | Ed Carpenter |
 Carpenter (C) |
215.751 |
| 15 | 83 | Charlie Kimball |
 Ganassi (C) |
215.533 |
| 16 | 7 |  Mikhail Aleshin |
 Schmidt (H) |
215.299 |
| 17 | 2 | Juan Pablo Montoya |
 Penske (C) |
215.279 |
| 18 | 11 | Sébastien Bourdais |
 KVSH (C) |
215.030 |
| 19 | 8 |  Max Chilton |
 Ganassi (C) |
214.864 |
| 20 | 41 | Jack Hawksworth |
 Foyt (H) |
214.568 |
| 21 | 18 | Conor Daly |
 Coyne (H) |
213.826 |
| 22 | 19 | Gabby Chaves |
 Coyne (H) |
No speed |
(C) = Chevrolet, (H) = Honda
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