Scott McLaughlin takes Indy 500 pole, Penske sweeps front row - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Scott McLaughlin in the famed «Yellow Submarine» entry led a Team Penske sweep of the front row of Indianapolis 500 qualifying with a new track record Sunday around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

McLaughlin's four-lap average of 234.220 mph broke the mark set by reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou last year of 234.217.

Will Power qualified second and reigning Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden was third as Team Penske swept the front row for the first time since 1988 when it did so with Rick Mears, Al Unser Sr. and Danny Sullivan.

Penske drivers led 192 of 200 laps that day and and Mears won in the «Yellow Submarine» car sponsored by Pennzoil. McLaughlin is in an identical car for the May 26 race and Team Penske recreated Mears' winning firesuit for McLaughlin to wear next Sunday in honor of the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner.

«Let's get this Yellow Submarine back in the victory lane,» McLaughlin said.

Power has been saying for months that a Team Penske car would win the pole based on how much offseason work had been put into Roger Penske's quest to win a record-extending 20th Indy 500. It was irritating to his fellow competitors, which Alexander Rossi alluded to after qualifying fourth for Arrow McLaren Racing.

«I mean, it's a very good starting spot for the race and we'll move on from this,» Rossi said. «I'm annoyed. It's been a lot of noise from them but also a lot of motivation.»

Rossi was followed by Kyle Larson, who qualified sixth for his Indianapolis 500 debut. He is the fifth driver to attempt to compete in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

As soon as Rossi bumped Larson from the pole, Larson headed to waiting SUVs to take his entourage to a helicopter on the