Alex Palou surprised himself with Indianapolis 500 pole run

Dread him, run from him, even run faster than him in the Fast 12, Alex Palou arrives all the same. 

Palou, a four-time IndyCar champ, the defending Indianapolis 500 winner and current IndyCar points leader, won the pole for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday after just squeaking into the Fast 12 qualifiers.

It's rare in recent years that the speed of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing entry has surprised anyone in the IndyCar paddock. But Palou's blistering four-lap average of 232.248 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile venue earned him his second Indy 500 pole and the 15th of his already legendary IndyCar career. 

Palou will share the front row with 2016 500 winner Alexander Rossi and David Malukas, who qualified second and third, respectively. 

Alex Palou surprised by Indy pole run

Palou even surprised himself with his pole run. 

"We did not have the speed," Palou said Sunday evening. "Even on Fast Fridays we tried and tried and tried to get more speed. It was okay. I think we were top 5, top 6, but then there was cars like Felix that just had a huge advantage on everyone.

"We barely made it into the Fast 12. But I think that kind of helped us. Just struggling a little bit on those conditions kind of made us work a lot and made us put our car for those conditions instead of this morning, which I believe they were better, and the car on Fast 6 was incredible."

Palou has already experienced the highest highs an IndyCar driver can feel as a four-time champion and the defending Indianapolis 500 winner. But he said winning the pole position for next Sunday's race felt similar to winning a race in and of itself. 

"It's only a pole, but it just feels like a race," Palou said. "Like, we've been working on the qualifying lap -- on the qualifying car. I mean, I spent all Thursday working on it until I got the checkered, and I think that paid off.

"But, yeah, the intensity and everybody's attention is on qualifying only, so we treat it and celebrate it as a race win. Again, that doesn't guarantee us to be up front throughout the race next week, but still, it's the best starting spot."

Palou is certainly one of the favorites for the 110th Indianapolis 500 as he prepares to try and defend his Indy crown. 

Quotes provided by IndyCar Media.