INDIANAPOLIS – Back in the 1980s and 1990s, one of the most popular road courses on the IndyCar schedule was Burke Lakefront Airport on the banks of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland. It’s most famous characteristic was Turn 1.

The very wide, sweeping frontstretch would lead into a hard-right-hand turn, which often led to a funnel effect. On starts and restarts, the race cars would fan out four and sometimes five-wide in a battle to get into the turn first.

It often led to bedlam.

The 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course features the longest straightaway of a road course on the schedule as it feeds in to a very hard right-hand Turn 1. It is very similar to Cleveland as the wide, smooth frontstretch entices drivers to go four and five-wide at the start of the INDYCAR Grand Prix in a battle to improve position.

It, too, is often the site of motorsports bedlam.

“It is actually like that,” three-time INDYCAR Grand Prix winner Will Power told NTT INDYCAR Mobile. “It's so wide with such a long stretch, you end up four-wide. It is definitely a tough first corner. If you're anywhere but pole, seriously, you actually worry about getting through there because there's always someone who hits someone into you.”

Power starts sixth in today’s sixth INDYCAR Grand Prix (3 p.m., NBC, Advance Auto Parts Radio Network). Of his three victories is this event, all have come from the pole.

Despite its history of first-lap contact in Turn 1, Power believes it’s a function of hard-racing.

“The standard of driving in the series is very high now,” Power said. “You don't see that very often. Everyone races hard but pretty fair. Honestly, the races are like qualifying every lap these days. No one is slow. There is simply no one slow.

“If you're a little bit out of the window, you're going to be starting back a little bit and you're going to be in that mess in the first corner.”

Rookie Felix Rosenqvist starts on the pole after claiming his first career pole in Friday’s qualifications. Five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, his teammate, starts on the outside of Row 1.

Dixon believes the visuals are better to recognize on the IMS road course than at the old Burke Lakefront Airport course.

“I think it's a little easier reference-wise than maybe Cleveland was, and a little smoother, too, which helps a little bit,” Dixon explained to NTT INDYCAR Mobile. “Last year, everyone fanned out a ton. It's just one of those things, you hope you get through it.

“It's difficult. You are going from very high speed, try to slow down to first or second gear. You can kind of make three-wide, it seems.

“Most of the time you see them trying to make it six-wide, and that's when you get in trouble.”

There are some fast drivers that qualified mid-pack, such as current NTT IndyCar Series points leader Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi.

It should be quite a show in Saturday’s race that will be the first-ever telecast from the IMS. Green flag is set for 3:50 p.m. ET.