New Zealand driver Wade Cunningham is the best placed rookie heading into the Indycar series meeting at Fort Worth's Texas Motor Speedway overnight.
The 26-year-old former World Karting and Firestone Indy Lights series champion will join compatriot Scott Dixon on the fourth row of the grid after starting his IndyCar career by setting the eighth fastest time in qualifying.
Cunningham's time was just 00.2670 of a second slower than the pole-winning time set by his Sam Schmidt Motorsport team-mate Alex Tagliani, and just 00.0020 of a second slower than the time set by seventh quickest qualifier Dixon.
Behind Tagliani on the grid is second-placed Dario Franchitti followed by championship leader Will Power.
