Champion Alonso fails to qualify for Indy 500

Former Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 when he finished fourth fastest in a six-car last-row shootout on Sunday.

The Spaniard needed to be in the top three to make the 33-car field for the May 26 race but missed the coveted spot when Kyle Kaiser averaged 0.019 mph faster than Alonso for four laps. Alonso averaged 227.353 mph in the McLaren-prepared Chevrolet with Kaiser, the last driver to take the track, hitting 227.372.

Sage Karam and James Hinchliffe joined Kaiser in qualifying. Alonso was running a completely new set-up after failing to qualify on Saturday and struggling in pre-shootout practice.

"I think the car felt better today than what we had yesterday. (So I am) happy with things we tried," he told reporters before learning he had not qualified. "We never surrendered. We kept trying."

He had missed out on qualifying in his McLaren-prepared Chevrolet on Saturday. (Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris)