Takama Sato won the pole position for the DXC Technology 600 Friday evening with an average two-lap speed of 220.250 mph around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway.
Takuma Sato to P1!
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) June 7, 2019
Join us on @NBCSN to see if he gets the pole for Saturday's #DXC600 at @TXMotorSpeedway: https://t.co/Rp6QFNU35g #INDYCAR #DXC600 pic.twitter.com/VlTKBL7wQL
The pole is the second of the season for Sato, who previously won from the pole at Barber Motorsports Park earlier this year.
Defending race champion Scott Dixon will start alongside Sato in Row 1, qualifying second-fastest with an average speed of 220.162 mph.
Row 2 consists of Sebastien Bourdais (219.746 mph) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (219.537 mph). Behind them in Row 3 will be Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud (219.355 mph) and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Spencer Pigot (219.099 mph).
Series points leader Josef Newgarden (218.666 mph) will roll off seventh as he tries to increase his 15-point lead over Alexander Rossi.
Rossi is among the notables who will start from further back, as he’ll go from 11th on the grid. Also facing a climb are Will Power (15th, 217.899 mph), and Rookie of the Year candidate Felix Rosenqvist (16th, 217.182 mph).
Tony Kanaan’s No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet hit the outside wall on the first lap of his qualifying run. The 44-year-old Brazilian will start from last in the 22-car field, and faces a steep challenge tomorrow night as he tries to deliver a good finish for team owner and native Texan A.J. Foyt.
Kanaan is set to tie “Super Tex” for No. 2 on the all-time list for career starts, when he takes the green flag for his 369th start.
Coverage of the DXC Technology 600 begins tomorrow evening at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN.