McLaughlin was fourth fastest in the opening leg of qualifying in which all 33 cars set a four-lap average. Dixon, meanwhile, was eighth.
The pair advanced to the Top 12 but ultimately couldn’t convert it into a Fast Six berth.
McLaughlin qualified ninth on a 230.577 mph four-lap average for Team Penske while Dixon was 11th with a 230.347 mph run in his Chip Ganassi Racing entry.
The other cars that failed to make it through included Kyffin Simpson (Chip Ganassi Racing) in seventh, Conor Daly (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) in eighth, Caio Collet (AJ Foyt Racing) in 10th, and Rinus Veekey (Juncos Holiger Racing) in 12th.
Speaking after his run, McLaughlin said he didn’t have enough downforce on the nose of his #3 car.
The Kiwi reached 242 mph (389 km/h) entering Turn 3.
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“The Pennzoil Chevy just needed a little more front,” said McLaughlin.
“I was really battling into [Turn] 3 most laps. I was trying to play with the tools and weight jacker and front bar and all that sort of stuff to get it to turn. It just wouldn’t turn there.
“I put the white flag up and did what I could. Sometimes you’ve just got to do that.”
Top 12 qualifying was topped by Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist, who translated his form from the first leg of qualifying into the first knockout round.
Rosenqvist was the only driver to go above a 231 mph four-lap average.
The Swede topped the session with a 232.065 mph effort to lead Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and Team Penske’s David Malukas.
Palou was the biggest round-on-round improver from 11th to second. AJ Foyt Racing driver Santino Ferrucci was another to make big gains from 10th to fourth.
The other drivers to make it into the Fast Six were Pato O’Ward (McLaren) and Alexander Rossi (Ed Carpenter Racing).
The Fast Six gets underway at 8am AEST with live and exclusive coverage on Stan Sport.
Results: 110th Indianapolis 500 Qualifying, Top 12
| Pos | Num | Driver | Team | Average Speed | Lap 1 | Lap 2 | Lap 3 | Lap 4 | Total Time |
| 1 | 60 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank Racing | 232.065 | 232.325 | 232.127 | 231.791 | 232.017 | 2:35.1289 |
| 2 | 10 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | 231.665 | 232.056 | 231.465 | 231.391 | 231.749 | 2:35.3969 |
| 3 | 12 | David Malukas | Team Penske | 231.486 | 231.536 | 231.388 | 231.265 | 231.755 | 2:35.5171 |
| 4 | 14 | Santino Ferrucci | AJ Foyt Racing | 231.098 | 231.237 | 231.414 | 230.865 | 230.878 | 2:35.7780 |
| 5 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | McLaren | 231.088 | 231.247 | 231.213 | 231.289 | 230.604 | 2:35.7847 |
| 6 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | Ed Carpenter Racing | 231.005 | 231.624 | 230.66 | 230.858 | 230.88 | 2:35.8407 |
| 7 | 8 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing | 230.883 | 231.06 | 231.051 | 230.571 | 230.852 | 2:35.9229 |
| 8 | 23 | Conor Daly | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 230.712 | 231.063 | 231.242 | 230.487 | 230.058 | 2:36.0390 |
| 9 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | 230.577 | 231.88 | 231.307 | 229.98 | 229.162 | 2:36.1300 |
| 10 | 4 | Caio Collet | AJ Foyt Racing | 230.539 | 231.858 | 231.09 | 229.415 | 229.808 | 2:36.1560 |
| 11 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 230.347 | 230.852 | 230.487 | 230.068 | 229.983 | 2:36.2862 |
| 12 | 76 | Rinus VeeKay | Juncos Holinger Racing | 229.585 | 232.138 | 230.344 | 228.617 | 227.299 | 2:36.8048 |
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