Herta rallies to qualify on-pole at Detroit
Colton Herta – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by James Black
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Colton Herta began the “Month of June” with his first NTT IndyCar Series pole of the 2024 season, and 12th of his career, during qualifying Saturday for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
Colton Herta – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo
Herta toured the 1.645-mile/nine-turn temporary circuit in Downtown Motown in 1-minute, .5475-seconds/97.808 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. The native Californian secured the NTT P1 Award less than a week removed from a disappointing 23rd-place result in the 108th Indianapolis 500.
“A complete 180 and just super-happy for the team,” Herta said. “They worked their tails off in the ‘Month of May.’ To come back with some redemption, it feels good.”
Herta started 13th in the traditional 33-car field on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. But Race Day saw him complete only 170 laps of the scheduled 200 after his car was damaged via contact with a SAFER Barrier in the season’s premier event.
Colton Herta – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo
Saturday’s pole continued a solid weekend for Herta in the Motor City. He paced practice Saturday morning and set a track record with his session-leading lap of 1:00.2304 in Round of 12 qualifying that preceded the Firestone Fast Six. Andretti Global teammate Kyle Kirkwood set the previous track record of 1:01.5305 in June 2023 _ first year for the temporary street circuit that replaced the series’ previous venue, the nearby 2.35-mile/14-turn Raceway at Belle Isle Park.
Live coverage of the 100-lap/170-mile race was scheduled for noon (EDT) on the USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Josef Newgarden – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley
Alex Palou, the two-time/reigning series champion and current point-leader, joined Herta on the front row after a hot lap in 1:00.6995/97.563 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou, of Spain, is the defending event winner.
Josef Newgarden, the two-time/reigning Indy 500 champion, celebrated his contract renewal with Team Penske by qualifying third at 1:00.9607/97.145 mph in the No. 2 Hitachi Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet. Teammate Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand shared Row 2 after qualifying fourth at 1:01.3344/96.553 mph in the No. 3 Gallagher Team Penske Chevrolet.
Scott Dixon – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo
Six-time series champion Scott Dixon, also of New Zealand, will start fifth after a best lap of 1:01.3905/96.464 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Kirkwood completed the Firestone Fast Six at 1:04.2926/92.110 mph in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda. Kirkwood was third on the provisional grid, but his best two laps were erased by sanctioning body INDYCAR due to a penalty for overshooting Turn 1 and stalling on his final flying lap _ triggering a red flag.
That red flag, with slightly more than one minute to go, gave the remaining five drivers in the Firestone Fast Six one final lap to improve their grid positions. However, none improved their existing best times due to the difficulty of attempting to find open track during a last-gasp dash on the tight, bumpy circuit.
“This qualifying session is so difficult here at this track,” Herta said. “Obviously, it’s hard to pass, but also it’s so hard to just get a clean lap. It’s probably the most aggressive place we go to as far as bumps and walls, so it feels good to get this one.”
Theo Pourchaire – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley
Frenchman Theo Pourchaire was the top-qualifying rookie, posting a career-best seventh at 1:00.7342/97.507 mph in the No. 6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in his fourth series start. Formula 2 champion Pourchaire just missed advancing into the Firestone Fast Six for the first time by 0.0287-seconds. His previous best starting spot was 18th at the Sonsio Grand Prix last month on the 2.439-mile/14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course.
“I think with one more lap we could have made the Firestone Fast Six,” Pourchaire said. “I have a lot to learn still, but I’m very much enjoying this series and this track, in particular. The No. 6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet is very fast and we have been pushing. I’m feeling good about (Race Day); I really want to have a great race here.”
Santino Ferrucci and Colton Herta – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo
Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci qualified 10th after lapping at 1:01.0351/97.026 mph in the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet fielded by A.J. Foyt Racing of Waller, Texas. Ferrucci posted his best qualifying effort on either a road or street-course since joining the team founded by open-wheel Icon Foyt last year.
“Pretty happy with our qualifying performance,” said Ferrucci, echoing observations of his peers on the circuit. “It’s really tight and really difficult. We definitely had two or three-tenths in it. It would have been really tight to make the Fast Six. We were just a little offset with our strategy. Overall, though really happy.
“As for the race, I think we have a good long-run car. The car doesn’t really fall-off much, so I’m looking forward to it. We’re starting top-10 and let’s stay there.”
Pato O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, gridded 12th overall at 1:03.0479/93.929 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O’Ward finished second to Newgarden last Sunday in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at IMS.
“I think we had a chance to get into the Fast Six, but it’s just so tight,” O’Ward said. “You can’t be playing around with gaps. We were under pressure from a brake fire and then had some miscommunication, so we rushed to get out and get more laps in. The round didn’t end the way we wanted it to, obviously, so we have some things to work on before getting back on-track.”
Team Penske and ace Josef Newgarden have signed a “multi-year agreement” that will keep the two-time/reigning Indianapolis 500 champion behind the wheel of the No. 2 Chevrolet.
Josef Newgarden – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Chris Owens
“Josef Newgarden is a true winner, and we are excited that he will continue as a part of Team Penske for years to come,” team-owner Roger S. Penske said in a statement. “What he did Sunday in the (108th) Indianapolis 500 shows how Josef consistently delivers for our team and our partners on the track, and he is just as impressive off the track, as well. We are proud to have Josef continue with our organization, as his skill and passion embody what it means to be a Team Penske driver.”
Newgarden, 33, has called Team Penske home since the 2017 season. During his seven-plus seasons with the organization, Newgarden has recorded 27 wins, 16 NTT P1 Awards for pole position and INDYCAR championships in 2017 and 2019. The top oval-track racer in the series, Newgarden’s 30 career victories place him alone in the 13th position on the all-time wins list.
“Driving for Roger Penske and this iconic team is a dream that I never thought I would realize,” Newgarden said. “I’m thankful for the opportunities that I’ve been given during my time at Team Penske.
“I have a great amount of respect for the individuals that comprise our group, including the partners who support us. Our time together has been filled with hard work, teamwork and dedication and I’m so excited that we will continue on for many more years to come. I’m sure that we can achieve much more in the future. I still believe we haven’t reached our full potential together just yet.”
A native of Nashville, Tenn., Newgarden took the checkered flag at the Indy 500 in 2023 and 2024, becoming the first driver since Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002 to win the race in consecutive seasons. Newgarden’s 2024 Indy 500 victory gave Team Penske 20 wins in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” This contract extension will allow Newgarden to chase history as first driver to win three consecutive Indy 500s with the most successful team in the race’s 108 years.
Newgarden is the first driver in Team Penske history to win the Indianapolis 500 and IMSA’s prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona in the same season. Newgarden was a member of the driver lineup that scored an overall win for Penske and Porsche in the endurance classic at Daytona International Speedway for the first time since 1969.
Newgarden is seventh in the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series point standings with one win and two top-five finishes in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet.
The contract extension was part of the news surrounding Newgarden on Saturday in Detroit, as longtime partner Hitachi Astemo renewed its partnership with Team Penske. The Astemo livery is featured on Newgarden’s car this weekend in the Motor City.
Englishman Louis Foster obliterated the INDY NXT by Firestone track record Saturday en route to winning pole position for the Detroit Grand Prix.
Foster earned his first pole of the season and fifth of his career in the INDYCAR developmental series with a top lap of 1-minute, 5.1079-seconds/90.957 mph in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Autosport.
Louis Foster – INDY NXT by Firestone – Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by James Black
Foster, who led all three on-track sessions this weekend, broke the circuit record of 1:06.8374 he set last year in the debut of the current 1.645-mile/nine-turn temporary street layout in Downtown Motown. He enters the event with the momentum of his first win of the season on May 11 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course.
“It’s about time, really,” Foster said. “We’ve had a lot of pace. It’s nice to get the monkey off the back, so to speak. (Sunday) we can have a good race. We’ve been fast all season. Just haven’t had the best of luck and a few mistakes by me. Happy to get a pole, and hopefully we can get a win.”
Live coverage of the 45-lap/55-minute race was scheduled for 10:20 a.m. (EDT) on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
The starting grid was determined after the field was split into two qualifying groups. Championship leader Jacob Abel will start second after leading the first qualifying group at 1:06.0048 in the No. 51 Abel Construction car fielded by Abel Motorsports.
Rookie Caio Collet will start third in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports machine after his best lap of 1:05.4952 in the second group. Jamie Chadwick will join him in Row 2 after her best lap of 1:06.5050 in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global. That was a career-best start for second-year driver Chadwick, whose previous best was fifth earlier this season at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Rookie Michael d’Orlando qualified fifth at 1:05.6157 in the No. 3 Flat Rock Motorsports Park/Rising Stars machine fielded by Andretti Cape INDY NXT. Callum Hedge was the third rookie to qualify in the top three rows, as he will start sixth after a best lap of 1:06.7954 in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports car.
Another rookie, Myles Rowe, suffered a tough break late in the session. Rowe was quick enough to secure the No. 3 starting spot late in the second group when he crashed the No. 99 HMD Motorsports with Force Indy car in Turn 9, triggering a red flag and losing his two quickest qualifying laps. Rowe will start 19th in the 21-car field.
Qualifying results for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear NTT IndyCar Series event on the 1.645-mile/nine-turn temporary Streets of Detroit circuit, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:
1.(26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:00.5475 (97.808)
2. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:00.6995 (97.563)
3. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:00.9607 (97.145)
4. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:01.3344 (96.553)
5. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:01.3905 (96.464)
6. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 01:04.2926 (92.110)
7. (6) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 01:00.7342 (97.507)
8. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:00.7612 (97.464)
9. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:00.8505 (97.320)
10. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:01.0351 (97.026)
11. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:01.1663 (96.818)
12. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:03.0479 (93.929)
13. (20) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 01:01.3930 (96.461)
14. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:01.1336 (96.870)
15. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 01:01.4933 (96.303)
16. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 01:01.3684 (96.499)
17. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 01:01.5905 (96.151)
18. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:01.5566 (96.204)
19. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:01.6040 (96.130)
20. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 01:01.7406 (95.917)
21. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 01:01.6297 (96.090)
22. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 01:01.7441 (95.912)
23. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 01:01.7770 (95.861)
24. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 01:01.8454 (95.755)
25. (51) Tristan Vautier, Honda, 01:02.2091 (95.195)
26. (66) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 01:01.9687 (95.564)
27. (18) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:02.1185 (95.334)
