INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Carl Edwards has won the pole for the Brickyard 400.
Edwards turned a lap at 183.484 mph Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to move to the top of the leaderboard. He then had to wait to see if two-time Brickyard winner and Indiana native Tony Stewart would bump him from the pole.
Stewart was fastest in the first round of qualifying, which made him the last driver on the track for the second round. Edwards watched from pit road as Stewart circled the track, but the three-time NASCAR champion ran out of the gas in the final turn and wound up fourth.
NASCAR is trying a new rules package for Sunday’s race in an effort to improve the competition at a track where it is notoriously difficult to pass.