{"id":46007,"date":"2024-05-19T10:26:51","date_gmt":"2024-05-19T15:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=46007"},"modified":"2024-05-19T10:26:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-19T15:26:51","slug":"power-emerges-as-indy-500-pole-favorite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/19\/power-emerges-as-indy-500-pole-favorite\/","title":{"rendered":"Power emerges as Indy 500 pole favorite"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio<\/em><\/p>\n

Team Penske\u2019s Will Power will continue his pursuit of an elusive Indianapolis 500 pole when Day 2 qualifying for the 108th<\/sup> running of \u201cThe Greatest Spectacle in Racing\u201d resumes Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

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Will Power – Indianapolis 500 Qualifying – (Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Power, winner of the 2018 Indy 500, teammate\/reigning Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin finished 1-2-3 at the end of Saturday\u2019s opening session of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

Positions 13-30 in the traditional 33-car field have been locked-in via four-lap\/10-mile qualifying runs, with the Penske threesome among 12 drivers who will compete for the NTT P1 Award today.<\/p>\n

A two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, Power posted the fastest four-lap average at 233.758 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Fellow two-time series champ Newgarden was second at 233.332 mph in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet, while Scott McLaughlin was third at 233.293 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil \u201cYellow Submarine\u201d Team Penske Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Will Power – 2024 Indianapolis 500 Qualification Photo. Photo by John Cote<\/p><\/div>\n

Power is INDYCAR\u2019s all-time pole-winner with 70 _ a staggering figure that does not include the Indy 500. Power won the 2018 race after qualifying third at 228.607 mph.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think it really matters where you start,\u201d said Power, a 43-year-old native of Australia and Team Penske\u2019s senior ace. \u201cI think you win this race from anywhere. It would just be a nice box to tick. I haven’t had many shots at getting a pole here, so to be in the game is really nice. We’ll see. I’ll do everything I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team Penske is poised to record just the second three-car\/front-row sweep by one organization in Indy 500 history. Not surprisingly, Team Penske first achieved the feat in 1988 with pole-sitter Rick Mears, No. 2 qualifier Danny Sullivan and No. 3 qualifier Al Unser.<\/p>\n

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Josef Newgarden – Indianapolis 500 Qualifying – Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n

Newgarden, \u201cScotty Mac\u201d and Power were the three fastest drivers, respectively, during qualifying simulations on \u201cFast Friday,\u201d when INDYCAR increased turbo boost pressure from 1.3 bar to 1.5 bar. That technical adjustment added approximately 100 horsepower to the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged Honda and Chevrolet V-6 engines powering the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an OK run,\u201d Newgarden said of his effort. \u201cI was wanting a little bit more, but I think all three of our cars are really solid, which is great to see. The team has been working really hard. Excited to be here in the Shell car as always, just like last year. We\u2019ll see where it trends and what we can do (today).\u201d<\/p>\n

Power and his teammates benefitted from favorable positions in the qualifying draw and made their sole four-lap attempts in the first hour of the six-hour, 50-minute session, when track and air temperatures were coolest. Some savvy strategy by team-owner Roger Penske also factored into the results.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have liked to have run in the heat, but Roger didn\u2019t want us to go out,\u201d Power said. \u201cIt\u2019s never easy, those four laps, especially Turn 3 today. It\u2019s quite loose-off. Turn 1 and 2 were comfortable, which is good, but Turn 3 and 4 is tough. I wouldn\u2019t have trimmed any more than that. To me, that was on the limit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think (Arrow McLaren\u2019s) Alexander Rossi is the one who could break up the all-Penske front row, but I think one of us will get the pole. We put a lot of work in. All the cars are about the same speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

NBC will air three hours of live coverage today beginning at 3 p.m. (EDT). Top 12 Qualifying from 3:05-4:05 p.m. will determine the Firestone Fast Six that will compete for the NTT P1 Award from 5:25-5:55 p.m. In between those sessions, Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global, Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Katherine Legge and rookie Nolan Siegel of Dale Coyne Racing will compete for the three final spots during Last Chance Qualifying from 4:15-5:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

Practice for the Top 12 is scheduled from noon-1 p.m., with a final practice for the Last Chance Qualifiers from 1-2 p.m.<\/p>\n

Race Day coverage is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, beginning at 11 a.m. (EDT) on NBC, Peacock, Universo and the INDYCAR Radio Network.<\/p>\n

Joining the Penske teammates in the Top 12 Qualifying session are Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 winner (233.069 mph Saturday, fourth); Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global (232.764, fifth); Indy 500 rookie and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson of Arrow McLaren\/Rick Hendrick (232.563, sixth); Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing (232.547, seventh); Santino Ferrucci of A.J. Foyt Racing (232.496, eighth); two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (232.473, ninth); Pato O\u2019Ward of Arrow McLaren (232.434, 10th); Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing (232.419, 11th); and 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (232.385, 12th).<\/p>\n

Larson\u2019s versatility was on full display during his first two attempts at qualifying an open-wheel car at IMS. \u201cIt was great. Good to get in and be sixth,\u201d Larson said. \u201cI\u2019m happy with that. A really cool day, a really cool experience this whole time and this whole week, especially with qualifying. Pretty awesome experience and fun to go that fast.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy with the balance of the car and proud of the team. Great to be in the show, and a huge thank you to Arrow McLaren, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, especially Rick Hendrick. Just an awesome opportunity and having a blast so far, too. Honestly, I feel like the nerves were a lot less going the second time, even when not completing the first run. I just felt less nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson is attempting to complete \u201cThe Double\u201d of racing in the Indy 500 and Cup\u2019s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26.<\/p>\n

Gavin Ward, Arrow McLaren\u2019s Team Principal, said Larson continues to exceed expectations. \u201cKyle is one of the best drivers I\u2019ve ever worked with, for sure. Without a doubt,\u201d Ward said. \u201cI cannot believe how well he has done here. I know I\u2019m over the moon, Arrow McLaren is over the moon and Hendrick Motorsports is certainly over the moon with how things are going so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll just keep trying to execute from here. I think some people thought he wouldn\u2019t be quite as far (up the grid) as that. I thought he had the chance to be about where he is. Happy to see it come to fruition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferrucci\u2019s effort provided a much-needed morale boost for the team owned by native Texan and INDYCAR legend A.J. Foyt Jr., first four-time winner of the Indy 500. Ferrucci\u2019s early qualifying run in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet at an average of 232.496 mph placed him fifth. Once everyone had made at least one run, the native of Connecticut slipped to eighth _ still safely in the Fast 12.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a good race driver and he\u2019s a super guy along with it, and that\u2019s what I like about him,\u201d the 89-year-old Foyt said of his lead driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were pretty good,” said Ferrucci, who finished third last year behind winner Newgarden and runnerup\/2022 Indy 500 champ Ericsson. “Chevrolet power is obviously the motor to be on it, looks like today. Very thankful for that, for them, and for Homes For Our Troops. We\u2019ll see where we\u2019re at when it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, admitted his four-lap attempt in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet was on the edge.<\/p>\n

“I think I might have lost a couple of hairs today, but we made it to Top 12 Qualifying,\u201d O\u2019Ward said. \u201cObviously, we still have some work to do in order to have a shot at the Firestone Fast Six, but it was a great recovery by the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet team considering where we started the day. I\u2019m proud of everybody for moving forward and getting it done. Advancing to (Sunday) was the goal and we achieved it.”<\/p>\n

Sweden\u2019s Rosenqvist emerged as one of the bright spots for the Honda camp, which placed only three drivers among the Top 12. \u201cWe finished seventh, a really good day for MSR and Honda,\u201d Rosenqvist said. \u201cA super-solid run. We had a late draw so it definitely felt as though there might be a bit more in it. I definitely feel as though we’re in contention for the Fast Six, we just have to get through Fast 12 first. It’s going to be hot, very similar to today, so it will be challenging. It always is at IMS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team Penske and Arrow McLaren each placed three drivers in the Top 12. Eight teams overall are represented among the Top 12.<\/p>\n

VeeKay cranked-out a dramatic run into the Top 12 on Saturday\u2019s penultimate qualifying attempt in the No. 21 askROI Chevrolet. The run capped a thrash by the Ed Carpenter Racing team to rebuild the car after VeeKay crashed in Turn 3 at 11:14 a.m. on just the fourth overall attempt of the day. A native of The Netherlands, VeeKay then made one waved-off attempt and a successful attempt of 231.166 mph in  mid-afternoon that put him toward the back of the Top 30 before his nerve-wracking final run.<\/p>\n

That turn of events kept alive VeeKay\u2019s chance of qualifying inside the top four for each of his five Indy 500s. VeeKay qualified second last May, his career-best Indy start.<\/p>\n

\u201cRollercoaster times three,\u201d VeeKay said of his day with the team owned by hometown favorite son Carpenter. \u201cStarted the day out with the biggest heartbreak there is. We were on the edge of the last row, and then the team _ this is magic right here. They made it happen. The car felt awesome. This crew, they deserve a thousand dinners and a lot of beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves of Meyer Shank Racing placed 20th<\/sup> overall in the No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Honda, his first qualifying session of the 2024 INDYCAR season as the team\u2019s minority owner. “The Cliffs car was actually very, very good today,\u201d the popular Brazilian said. \u201cWe were almost at the end of the field to qualify when we had our first run. We’re not where we want to be but the car is good _ and we’re in the race. Let’s go get it.” Castroneves is chasing an historic fifth Indy 500 victory.<\/p>\n

At the other end of the grid, Rahal entered the 2.5-mile oval just before the clock struck 5:50 p.m. to end qualifying, but he waved-off the run after just one lap due to lack of speed in his No. 15 United Rentals Honda. This will be the second straight year in the Last Chance Qualifying session for Rahal, who failed to qualify for last year\u2019s race but eventually competed as a substitute for the injured Stefan Wilson.<\/p>\n

There were 74 qualifying attempts during a typically frantic day in which air temperatures reached the low 80s, topped in Indianapolis 500 history only by the 84 attempts on the first day last year.<\/p>\n

Results of Day 1 qualifying <\/strong>Saturday for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge NTT IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rank, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:<\/p>\n

1. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 02:34.0053 (233.758 mph)
\n2. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 02:34.2863 (233.332)
\n3. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 02:34.3124 (233.293)
\n4. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 02:34.4609 (233.069)
\n5. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 02:34.6634 (232.764)
\n6. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 02:34.7965 (232.563)
\n7. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 02:34.8074 (232.547)
\n8. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 02:34.8415 (232.496)
\n9. (75) Takuma Sato, Honda, 02:34.8566 (232.473)
\n10. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 02:34.8826 (232.434)
\n11. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 02:34.8930 (232.419)
\n12. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 02:34.9153 (232.385)
\n13. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 02:34.9616 (232.316)
\n14. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 02:34.9682 (232.306)
\n15. (6) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 02:35.0184 (232.230)
\n16. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 02:35.0504 (232.183)
\n17. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 02:35.1608 (232.017)
\n18. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 02:35.2069 (231.948)
\n19. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 02:35.2458 (231.890)
\n20. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 02:35.2587 (231.871)
\n21. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 02:35.2723 (231.851)
\n22. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 02:35.2750 (231.847)
\n23. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 02:35.2888 (231.826)
\n24. (33) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 02:35.3852 (231.682)
\n25. (66) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 02:35.4554 (231.578)
\n26. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 02:35.4982 (231.514)
\n27. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 02:35.5034 (231.506)
\n28. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 02:35.5308 (231.465)
\n29. (24) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 02:35.6803 (231.243)
\n30. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 02:35.7768 (231.100)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Team Penske\u2019s Will Power will continue his pursuit of an elusive Indianapolis 500 pole when Day 2 qualifying for the 108th running of \u201cThe Greatest Spectacle in Racing\u201d resumes Sunday afternoon. Power, winner of the 2018 Indy 500, teammate\/reigning Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin finished 1-2-3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":678,"featured_media":46011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[230,421,125,22,672,96],"class_list":["post-46007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indycar","tag-indianapolis-500","tag-indianapolis-motor-speedway","tag-indy-500","tag-indycar","tag-ntt-indycar-series","tag-will-power"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Will-Power-2024-Indianapolis-500-Qualification-Photo-By_-John-Cote_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m105049-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C2048","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-bY3","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46007"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46013,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46007\/revisions\/46013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}