FONTANA, Calif. -- Ed Carpenter qualified ninth -- the first top 10 for the freshman IZOD IndyCar Series team he owns -- for the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships at Auto Club Speedway.

He'll benefit from higher qualifiers incurring 10 grid spot penalties for unapproved engine changes and start fifth in the 250-lap race on the 2-mile oval. In the final practice session, using a race set-up on the No. 20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka car, Carpenter was quickest of the 26 drivers with a lap of 215.768 mph (33.3691 seconds).

Helio Castroneves was second (215.108 mph; 33.4715 seconds) in the No. 3 Auto Club Team Penske car and Scott Dixon was third (215.053 mph; 33.4801) in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car.

Click it: Practice 2 results | Starting lineup

Marco Andretti won the pole position with a two-lap average of 216.069 mph and Ryan Briscoe was second at 216.058. Both front-row starters do not face grid penalties.

Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who will duel for the series championship in the season finale, were 23rd and 21st, respectively, on the speed chart. Power qualified third and Hunter-Reay was 17th, but both face grid penalties.