HPD Trackside -- Honda IndyCar Texas qualifying race report

Charlie Kimball drove to the first pole position in his Verizon IndyCar Series career Friday at the Texas Motor Speedway, leading a Honda sweep of the top eight starting positions in qualifying for Saturday night’s Rainguard Water Sealers 600.

Kimball set one- and two-lap INDYCAR qualifying records at the 1.5-mile oval to secure the pole over his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and championship points leader, Scott Dixon, who will start second. Kimball’s two-lap average of 222.556 mph shattered the previous record of 219.182 mph, set by Will Power in 2013.

Alexander Rossi will start his Andretti Autosport Honda from the inside of the second row, third, followed by Tony Kanaan in a third Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Substituting for the injured Sebastien Bourdais, Tristian Vautier will start fifth for Dale Coyne Racing, followed by Max Chilton as the Ganassi team qualified all four cars in the top six.

Mikhail Aleshin made it four Honda teams in the top eight, and will start seventh, with Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato rounding out the top eight in his Andretti Autosport Honda.