INDIANAPOLIS -- Think Scott Dixon won the Indy 500 pole Saturday?

Think again, team owner Chip Ganassi said.

Yes, Dixon's four-lap average of 226.366 mph was good enough to top the field and claim the $100,000 bonus that comes with it. But if it wasn't for all the work and testing that preceded it, Ganassi said, it wouldn't have happened.

"It's about what happens in October, November, December and January," Ganassi said. "There were a lot of late nights. A lot of thinking going on. I can't tell you how hard the guys worked, and this is where it pays off. It's about making a plan and having the courage to stick with it."

The result was Dixon's first Indy 500 pole and his third this season.

"It means a lot," he said. "Drivers know how on-the-limit you are. You're giving it your all. It's at the top of accomplishments I've done."

That's saying something, considering Dixon won the IRL series title in 2003 and was second last year.

Dixon regained the pole at 3:39 p.m. and waited. In the last 30 minutes only teammate Dan Wheldon risked a shot at passing him, but his 226.110 could only swap places with Ryan Briscoe for second place.

Why didn't Helio Castroneves, Danica Patrick and Tony Kanaan take a shot? Blame the late-afternoon weather. Wind shifted. Temperature fluxuated. Risk increased.

"We're not going to be stupid and do something crazy," Castroneves said. "We tried everything we could and you realize it's better to be brave than be stupid."

Ganassi's 1-2 finish highlighted a power-team showcase. Penske had third (Briscoe) and fourth (Castroneves). Andretti Green had fifth (Danica Patrick), sixth (Tony Kanaan) and seventh (Marco Andretti).

Only the first 11 spots were determined Saturday. Positions 12 through 22 will be determined today. The final 11 spots will be finalized next Saturday.

Drivers had three qualifying chances, but no pole contender took all of them. Dixon, Wheldon and Briscoe took two. Castroneves, Patrick and Kanaan took one.

"We knew one attempt wouldn't get it done," Ganassi team manager Mike Hull said. "We rehearsed this 11-(spot) deal. We came to be aggressive with the format. We tried last year and didn't do a good enough job."

Patrick set the early tone with a four-lap average of 225.197 that required steady nerves.

"This track is very difficult when the car is not balanced right," she said. "It's intimidating. It's scary. We run on such an edge here and I'm telling you, I was on the edge."

Yes, Patrick got her first open wheel victory last month in Japan. Winning the Indy 500 pole, she said, would have been just as significant.

"Getting the pole here is like winning somewhere else," she said. "It would be like a second victory."

Bumping fan-favorite Patrick out of the pole, Wheldon said, was special for Ganassi.

"For my boss, it is absolutely sweeter," Wheldon said. "He likes it when we do that. He likes the story lines. It's really competitive. Forget (Patrick). Just group everybody together. It's really tight."

Practice was delayed 45 minutes Saturday morning because the temperature had not reached 50 degrees. When it did, 32 teams hit the track. Andretti was the fastest with a lap of 228.318 mph. Briscoe and Wheldon topped 227.

Briscoe opened qualifying with a four-lap average of 224.833 mph. It led the field for about 20 minutes until Dixon passed him.

The drama was on.