Sebastien Bourdais will start an oval 💜race from pole position for the first time in 12 years on Saturday night after topping qualifying for the IndyCar Phoenix Grand Pri🍨x.

Bourdais took advantage of his placement as the final driver to take to the track in qualify൲ing to record a two-lap average speed of 188.539 mph, going 0.4 mph faster than Penske's Simon Pagenaไud to secure pole position.

The result marked Bourdais' first oval pole since Milwaukee 2006, and is just the second in Dale Coyne Racing's 35-year history as it continued its good start to the season fol✃lowing the Frenchman's victory in St. Petersburg three weeks ago.

Pagenaud was left to settle for P2 on the grid, with 🥂Penske teammate Will Power securing third aheไad of Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports enjoyed a strong qualifying as James Hin💫chcliffe and rookie Robert Wickens secured P5 and P6 respectively for the start at Phoenix, finishing ahead of defending champi𝐆on Josef Newgarden.

Ryan Hunter-Reay will takᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe the start from eighth for Andretti ahead of Tony Kanaan, while debutant Pietro Fittipaldi impressed t🦹o secure 10th place for his first IndyCar race.