IndyCar - Tags Takes Pole At Texas

FORT WORTH, Jun. 8, 2012: The aerodynamic makeup of the new Dallara car on the 1.5-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway oval wasn't necessarily set to deter speed. Alex Tagliani proved that in qualifications for the Firestone 550.

Tagliani, driving the No. 98 Team Barracuda-BHA car, recorded a two-lap average speed of 215.691 mph (48.5695 seconds) to claim the pole position for the 228-lap race June 9 (9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network) for the second consecutive year. He topped last June's speed (215.186 mph average).

"We flew under the radar at Indy but had a really fast car (for the race) and I think the car has been good on every type of track," said Tagliani, who qualified third at Belle Isle five days earlier. "It's looking good for the rest of the year."

Click it: Unofficial qualifying results

It was the first IZOD IndyCar Series pole for Bryan Herta Autosport.

Dario Franchitti, driving the No. 10 Energizer car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, was second (215.646) -- 0.0102 of a second behind -- and Graham Rahal posted his highest starting position of the season (third, 215.544) in the No. 38 Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing car. He'll be joined on Row 2 by Scott Dixon (215.331).

"It’s definitely the most, the hardest qualifying that I’ve done here with that level of downforce and that level of grip," Franchitti said. A"nd that’s what we want, that’s what all the drivers have been talking about with the series and putting some of the control back in the drivers’ hands, and we definitely felt we had that in qualifying and I really think we’re going to have that in the race."