Hinchcliffe won it on the final run of the nine-car pole shootout.
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Commissioned by the exterior remodeling company Window World, the Stinger (bearing the number 100) pays tribute to the race’s legacy as it was constructed to be a modern representation of the Marmon Wasp that won the first Indy 500 in 1911.
The Canadian driver, who started second in the race in 2012 and 2014, edged out American Josef Newgarden on the final qualifying attempt of the weekend to claim his first IndyCar pole.
James Hinchcliffe, the pole-winning driver from Canada, was 17th at 224.602.
Newgarden, who drives for local outfit Ed Carpenter Racing, threw down the gauntlet putting his Chevrolet at the top of the timing sheets with a 230.700 miles per hour average and then watched nervously as Townsend Bell, three-time victor Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Hunter-Reay all failed to better his effort.
Newgarden thought he had given Ed Carpenter Racing its third pole win in four years after finishing with an average of 230.700 on the 2.5-mile oval.
Watch more from Ryan Hunter-Reay in the video player above.
For a bit, it seemed as if Newgarden would win the pole. That’s only appropriate, as its his 50 anniversary year in racing and Team Penske has a record 16 Indy 500 victories.
Qualifying was marred by one crash. Though his auto spun 5 1/2 times, he was quickly checked, released and cleared to drive by the infield medical center.
The Australian took the outside spot on Row Two alongside a pair of Andretti Autosport drivers Bell and Colombian Carlos Munoz.
Defending Indy 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya will start 17th.
Will Power was sixth and the highest-qualifying Penske driver. IndyCar said the debris on the track was its responsibility and let Montoya try to qualify again, but his pace was not competitive.
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Defending series champion and 2015 Indy pole victor Scott Dixon needed his crew scramble to change engines in 64 minutes – a job that normally takes three hours – after the No. 9 vehicle developed a mechanical problem in practice.
