Chip Ganassi on team’s IMS winless drought: ‘It’s about time we win the Indy 500. I miss it’

INDIANAPOLIS – From a rookie driver who skipped his commencement at Duquesne University so he could qualify for the Indy 500 in 1982, to this past Sunday when Scott Dixon qualified first for a fifth time, team owner Chip Ganassi was the “King of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway” on Pole Day.

“Just for this weekend,” Ganassi told NBC Sports.com. “Next weekend is another one.”

All five Chip Ganassi Racing entries made the Fast 12, and four advanced into the Fast Six.

“To get all five in the Fast 12, that’s pretty impressive,” Ganassi said. “That’s down to the guys that work on the car. I’ve got a great group of guys. I can’t say enough about them how hard they work in the offseason, what they think about, what they work on, how hard they work.

“I’m just lucky to work with such a great group of people.”

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Scott Dixon topped the incredible effort with a record run for the Indianapolis 500 pole. The six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, 51-time winner and 2008 Indy 500 champion made four laps around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway in just 2:33.8162 for an average speed of 234.046 mph.

It’s the fastest pole-winning speed in Indy 500 history, breaking the record of 233.718 mph set by Scott Brayton in 1996.

BOOM!!! @scottdixon9 P1 POLE POSITION AT THE @IMS INDIANAPOLIS 500! @PNCBank @HondaRacing_HPD @CGRTeams#ilikewinners

— Chip Ganassi (@GanassiChip) May 22, 2022

Arie Luyendyk set the all-time four-lap qualifying average speed record of 236.986 mph in 1996, but his run came on the second day of qualifications and wasn’t eligible for the