Dixon edges Power for Detroit pole

Scott Dixon will start Sunday's IndyCar race in Detroit from pole position after winning a close battle with Will Power in qualifying at Belle Isle.

The top spot oscillated between Dixon and Power with every lap over the final few minutes, with Ganassi's Dixon waiting until his final lap to post a 1m10.3162s. Power had one lap left to topple the New Zealander but the Penske driver fell short by just 0.0044 seconds.

Alex Tagliani secured the third place on the grid with a great performance in the Bryan Herta Autosport entry, with Schmidt Hamilton's Simon Pagenaud fourth. KV Racing's EJ Viso and Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the top six.

Ryan Briscoe believed that he cost himself a spot in the Fast Six when he glanced the wall late in the second qualifying phase and damaged his left-rear suspension. The Indianapolis 500 polesitter ended up eighth for Penske, behind Ganassi's Graham Rahal, who along with Simona de Silvestro (HVM) has a 10-place grid penalty carried over from Long Beach.

Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti (Ganassi) was a shock casualty of the first qualifying segment; the Scot being eliminated after struggling badly with slower traffic. Andretti Autosport's Marco Andretti was another early exit as a consequence of going the wrong way with his set-up, leaving him with a car that he described as "way too loose."