INDIANAPOLIS >> Ganassi, Ganassi, Ganassi. It was practically the only name mentioned as the four-car organization returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway poised to defend last year’s Indianapolis 500 victory.

Arrow McLaren Racing pushed them aside on the first day of Indy 500 qualifying.

Felix Rosenqvist, a former Chip Ganassi Racing driver, no less, led the McLaren charge Saturday by posting the fastest four-lap average. His late afternoon run of 233.947 mph was the third fastest four-lap qualifying effort in race history.

He bumped new teammate Alexander Rossi from the top spot — a position he’d held nearly six hours.

“It was pretty mind blowing how we found so much speed,” Rosenqvist said. “What a run. Just a fun time to be in an Arrow McLaren. We are definitely looking good right now.”

When the gun fired to signal the end of the day, all four McLaren drivers were inside the top 12 and advanced into Sunday’s shootout for the pole. Ganassi also landed all four of its drivers inside the top 12, but as the clock ticked down, defending race winner Marcus Ericsson stood on pit lane unsure if he should make another qualifying attempt.

He was 10th at the time but stuck in a long line of traffic as drivers not inside the top 12 debated pulling their times and taking another shot at logging four fast laps around the historic 2.5-mile oval.

Conversely, Team Penske struggled mightily and only reigning IndyCar champion Will Power advanced into the top 12. Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin never put together a strong enough four-lap average run to move them up through the field. McLaughlin will start the Indy 500 from 14th, three spots ahead of Newgarden, who did pull his time late in a last-ditch attempt to crack the top 12.

Newgarden is 0 for 11 in the biggest race in the world.

The first four rows of the field will be set Sunday in a final round of qualifying for the fastest 12 drivers.