Ryan Briscoe bested teammate Castroneves to complete the front row. (Shawn Payne/IndyCar photo) » More Photos

Vitor Meira was the best qualifier outside the Ganassi/Penske/AGR triumvirate, putting the No. 4 Panther Racing Dallara-Honda in the eighth starting position. Hideki Mutoh will start ninth, Ed Carpenter 10th and Tomas Scheckter 11th.

The first 11 positions on the 33-car starting grid were secured Saturday. Positions 12 through 22 will be determined by the next qualifying session, which is scheduled to begin Sunday at noon ET.

Dixon held the pole for about 20 minutes early in the day before Patrick took it from him with a four-lap average of 225.197 mph in the No. 7 Andretti Green Racing Dallara-Honda. “This track is very difficult when the car is not balanced right,“ Patrick said. “It’s intimidating, it’s scary, it’s difficult. We run on such an edge here, and when you tip over that edge, it’s very difficult. I’m telling you, I was on the edge.“

Thirty minutes after Patrick’s edgy run to P1, Wheldon took the position from her by averaging four laps at 225.840 mph. Despite their past duels, including a shoving incident after a race last year in Milwaukee, Wheldon said he didn’t find knocking Patrick off the pole any sweeter.

“For my boss, it is absolutely sweeter,” Wheldon said in reference to Ganassi, who pumped a fist in celebration as Wheldon completed the run. “He likes it when we do that; he likes the story lines. It really is competitive this month. Forget the No. 7, just group everybody together. It’s really, really tight.”

Dixon, who said Friday he wouldn’t make a bid for the pole unless he was sure it was worth it, eventually did so. His first four-lap run set a record for the most consistent in 500 history, wavering only 0.0049 second from the fastest lap to the slowest. That broke the record of 0.06 second set by Bobby Rahal in 1992.

“On an average lap, we had the field covered,” Dixon said. “That shows how strong the team was. Even on a lap that wasn’t quite right, we could still be quicker than everybody else that might go out there. For a driver to know you have the equipment to go out and do it, it‘s a pretty nice feeling.”

Kanaan, who had been fastest earlier in the week before rain interrupted practice sessions, wasn’t able to find the speed in the No. 11 AGR Dallara-Honda, managing an average of just 224.794 mph, leaving one of the race’s leading favorites to start sixth.

“Do I want the pole? Yes, I do,” Kanaan said. “Is it going to be a big deal if we don’t get it? Not really. I try to look at the big picture. Honestly, if you give me a sniff, I’ll go for it. But it’s not my main priority.”

Castroneves, who pulled out of line early in the session, continued to practice during the mid-afternoon lull, then returned for a qualifying run of 225.733 mph, good for second behind Wheldon at the time.

Hideki Mutoh’s car failed inspection, dropping him off the grid, and then the craziness began. Briscoe made his second attempt, a 226.080 mph run that knocked Wheldon from the No. 1 spot. Next out was Dixon, who went 226.366 mph and regained the pole. “I turned around, and Dixon was taking it away from me,“ Briscoe said.

A few minutes later, Andretti tried to better his position but managed only a four-lap average of 224.417 mph, good for seventh on the grid.