The 2012 edition of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 27. On Saturday, the first and more important of two days of qualifying took place at Indianapolis Motor Spedway. The pole position was set, based on an average speed of four laps. Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske will be holding down the pole next weekend in one of the most well-known races on earth.
Sausalito native J.R. Hildebrand had a strong showing with a four-lap average of 223.422 mph, which is good enough to slot the driver in at No. 18 in the Indy 500 starting lineup. He'll have a week to prepare for his chance at bringing home the checkered flag.
Here is the top of the pole with each driver's average speed after four laps.
1) Ryan Briscoe: 226.484
2) James Hinchcliffe: 226.481
3) Ryan Hunter-Reay: 226.240
4) Marco Andretti: 225.456
5) Will Power: 225.422
6) Helio Castroneves: 225.172
7) Josef Newgarden: 224.037
8) Tony Kanaan: 224.751
9) E.J. Viso: 224.422
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