INDIANAPOLIS - Local driver Ed Carpenter has made himself at home on the Indianapolis 500 pole. The last of nine qualifiers to take the track, Carpenter bumped Canadas James Hinchcliffe from the top spot, posting a four-lap average of 231.067 mph to win the 500 pole for the second straight year. "I felt that it was harder," Carpenter said. "It was just a different position because when I made my run last year, we didnt really have anything to lose. This year, being the last guy to go out, I think there was a little bit of pressure to not mess it up." He didnt mess it up, not at all. Carpenters No. 20 Chevrolet was the car to beat all weekend, and the hometown favourite showed no signs of rust in his first IndyCar Series race of the season. He owns Ed Carpenter Racing and decided in November to run only on ovals, where he excels. He turned his car over to Mike Conway on road and street courses, and skipped the first four races of the season. He knew he had the pole secured when he nailed the final two corners on the last lap. "I could really just kind of enjoy it knowing that we were going to be on the pole for the second year," he said. Hinchcliffe, from Oakville, Ont., will start second after sustaining a concussion last weekend in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Will Power will join them on the front row. Three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves was fourth followed by Simon Pagenaud and Marco Andretti. Carlos Munoz, Josef Newgarden and J.R. Hildebrand will be on the third row. Carpenter, the stepson of former speedway executive Tony George, was 10th in last years Indy 500. He is 11th driver to earn consecutive 500 poles and the first since Castroneves in 2009-10. "Its all about the race," the 33-year-old Carpenter said. "Hopefully, we can close the deal this year." As a single-car team last year, Carpenter was unable to get help on data and much-needed setup information. He didnt want a repeat this May, so he hired Hildebrand to drive a second car at Indy for Ed Carpenter Racing. Hildebrand nearly won the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2011, but he crashed exiting the final turn and was passed for the win by the late Dan Wheldon. "I wish we could have got him up on the front row with us, but the shootouts tough," Carpenter said. "The conditions were hard today, but having him go first today also helped me because we were able to make an adjustment." Carpenter thrived in the first year of a new Indy 500 qualifying format. He posted the top qualifying speed Saturday when the fastest nine drivers advanced to Sundays shootout for the pole. Juan Pablo Montoya had the fastest four-lap average (231.007 mph) among drivers ineligible to win the Indianapolis 500 pole and will start 10th. "We have a pretty quick car," Montoya, the 2000 winner, said. "Hopefully, my guys can learn something for the Fast Nine. I think that will put us in a good spot to start the race." Montoya was followed by reigning series champion Scott Dixon and former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. Busch is set to race 1,100 miles in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. Busch raced in NASCARs All-Star race the night before and flew back from Concord, North Carolina, on Sunday morning. Busch was humbled when he said hed never be able to duplicate a weekend like this one — "except for maybe next week." Defending 500 champion Tony Kanaan will start 16th. Hinchcliffe appeared to have no problems in the car days after he was cleared to return for his concussion. He paced as he watched Carpenter make his final run, then his chance at the pole end when Carpenter found more speed on his final lap. He was injured last weekend in Saturdays Grand Prix when debris from Justin Wilsons car flew into the cockpit, striking Hinchcliffe in the head. He was taken away from the track on a stretcher, transported to a hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. The 27-year old Canadian was cleared to drive Thursday, and took the wheel back from pinch-driver E.J. Viso. "I had to kind of pretend that I had been here all month and take the feedback my teammates had given me at face value," Hinchcliffe said. "I knew what to expect from the car and that was a huge part of it." For the first time, IndyCar awarded points based on qualifying runs. The top qualifier on Saturday earned 33 points, second place got 32 and so on, all the way to one point for the 33rd-place entrant. The pole winner earned another nine points Sunday, decreasing to one point for the ninth-place starter. Carpenter, a Butler University alum, is an avid Indiana Pacers fan and couldnt wait to watch them play the Miami Heat in the playoffs. "Racers and Pacers right now," he said. "So go Pacers, beat the Heat." 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After making his All-Star debut in Fridays Rising Stars Challenge, the Raptors sophomore centre wont be sticking around for the duration of the weekends festivities, thinking about the big picture instead. HOUSTON -- This is exactly what the Houston Astros were looking for when they signed Scott Feldman over the winter. Feldman tossed seven innings of one-run ball, and the Astros stopped a three-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. "I just tried to go out and make my pitches," Feldman said. "The guys went out and got some early runs for me again. From there, just trying to throw strikes and not walk many guys." Feldman (2-0), who signed a $30 million, three-year contract in December, allowed three hits and walked two in his second start of the season. He also pitched 6 2-3 scoreless innings in a victory over the New York Yankees on opening day. He became one of four pitchers in Astros history to go at least 6 2-3 innings in his first two starts while allowing one run or less, joining Roger Clemens, Robin Roberts and Dean Stone. "Hes been outstanding," Houston manager Bo Porter said. "Again, giving us the start that he did today, obviously, we needed it with the bullpen getting taxed the last couple days. He gave us seven solid innings the way he did today was outstanding." Chad Qualls got two outs for his first save of the season. The Astros hit five homers. Jason Castro, Matt Dominguez, Jesus Guzman and Alex Presley connected against Jered Weaver (0-2), and Jonathan Villar added a two-run shot in the seventh off Matt Shoemaker. Feldman did not allow a hit until Josh Hamiltons two-out dribbler in the fourth went under the glove of the pitcher, who charged at it off the mound. He allowed his first run in 11 1-3 innings this season in the fifth on Erick Aybars groundout to second that made it 4-1. Feldman said he did not have great command of his pitches, but his curveball was there throughout the game. Castro, Feldmans batterymate, said the pitcher was helped by early run support. "Any time we can put some runs up and then shut them out is huge moving forward," Castro said. "It keeps the momentum on our side. We were able to keep putting the pressure on the offence and he just kept doing his job coming out putting up zeroes." Castro hit a two-run shot off the left-centre facade in the ffirst, and Dominguez, Guzman and Presley had solo homers in the second, fourth and fifth, respectively.dddddddddddd "We had some good swings on some pitches and the ball went out of the park," Presley said. "We had seven hits and five were home runs. Thats a pretty good percentage. Its something you dont see every day, and we took advantage of it." Weaver allowed five runs and five hits with six strikeouts over 5 2-3 innings. It was the third time that he had allowed four homers in a game and the first since Aug. 2, 2008, against the New York Yankees. "I made a couple of mistakes and they did not miss them, obviously," Weaver said. "You know you are going to have games like that, but it is frustrating personally to start the year off like this. I have a bunch more to go, so I am just going to shake this one off and start thinking about who weve got next." Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said he thought Weaver struggled with his command at times. "He threw some good pitches and located some good fastballs," Scioscia said. "As the game went on, his changeup became part of what he was doing and had some success with it. But, just from the get-go he was having problem with commanding counts and repeating pitches, and he got behind." Raul Ibanez cut Houstons lead to 7-3 with a two-run single in the ninth against Anthony Bass, and Howie Kendrick followed with another base hit. Qualls got Hank Conger to fly out before Aybar had a run-scoring single. Qualls then struck out Kole Calhoun to end it. Houstons five homers were its highest total since it hit five at the Chicago White Sox last Aug. 26. NOTES: Houston OF Dexter Fowler was out of the lineup for a third straight game due to a stomach virus. Fowler spent Friday night at Methodist Hospital and was released Saturday. Porter said Fowler was at home resting. ... Castro returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a bruise on his right foot. ... "A Haunted House 2" star Marlon Wayans threw out the first pitch. ... The Astros will send RHP Jarred Cosart (1-0) to the mound in the finale of the four-game series Monday against LHP C.J. Wilson (0-1) for the Angels. ' ' '