Kiwi Dixon earns pole for Indianapolis 500

New Zealand`s Scott Dixon will start from pole in the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 after Sunday qualifying revamped at the last minute because of safety concerns.

Target Chip Ganassi racing`s Dixon recorded a four-lap average speed of 226.760 mph (364.93 Km/h) on the 2.5-mile (4 km) oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will lead the 33-car field to the green flag on May 24.

Reigning IndyCar Series champion Will Power of Australia (226.350 mph) and Team Penske team-mate Simon Pagenaud of France (226.145 mph) were second- and third-fastest and will start from the front row in the fabled race for the first time.

But it was a chaotic day for all drivers and teams after Ed Carpenter`s airborne practice crash prompted race officials to hastily revise the qualifying regulations and procedure.

Carpenter`s spectacular shunt, from which he emerged unhurt, was the third such flying crash at the speedway this week after both Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden escaped unhurt after their cars left the ground.

With teams puzzled by the causes of the crashes race officials made some changes.

They reduced the maximum turbo-boost level that could be used in qualifying, and told teams they would have to qualify using the same aerodynamic bodywork trim that they will use in the race with the aim of increasing downforce.

"This morning, we saw a third car get into wall, turn backwards and lift into the air," said Mark Miles, chief executive of Hulman & Company, the parent company of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"We`ve said all along we want to go faster, but we want to do so safely."

Changes to the multi-tier qualifying format were also made, with officials scrapping the "Fast Nine Shootout" in which the top entries after general qualifying returned to determine the places on the front three rows of the grid.

That meant Dixon`s lone qualifying run was enough to put the three-time IndyCar series champion on the pole.

He won the 2008 Indy 500 from pole and has five top-five finishes in his 12 starts.

"We`re starting in the right place but it`s still a long race," Dixon said. "Hopefully, we can replicate what we did in 2008."

After Carpenter`s scary crash, his crew prepared a backup chassis in less than five hours and he took part in practice that preceded qualifying.

The third driver in the qualifying order, he recorded a four-lap average of 224.883 mph to qualify 12th.

"When I was upside down in turn two this morning I didn`t know the delays in the schedule we would have," said Carpenter, who started from pole in the race the past two years. "The way things worked out it gave the team the time it needed to get the car ready to go.

"I didn`t think we expected to win the pole with the morning we had and I`m just thankful to the whole team."