The majority of the starting positions for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 are now set.
On the first day of qualifying for the 106th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, positions 13-33 were solidified before rain moved into the area. Drivers made their runs on the famed 2.5-mile oval, with some making multiple attempts after issues earlier in the day.
When Mother Nature ended the session, 12 drivers advanced to the final day of qualifying tomorrow where they will fight for pole position. Those drivers that will make up the first four rows include: Rinus VeeKay, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Alex Palou, Tony Kanaan, Jimmie Johnson, Ed Carpenter, Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean, Scott Dixon, Will Power, and Takuma Sato.
All five Chip Ganassi cars made it in while Power was the only member from Team Penske. Ed Carpenter Racing and Arrow McLaren SP each had two of their three cars in the top 12. Grosjean was the only one of the five Andretti cars to advance.
Three of the top 12 drivers have qualified on pole here before. Dixon has four, Carpenter has three, and Kanaan’s lone pole came in 2005. Johnson and Grosjean will try to become the first Indy 500 rookie since Teo Fabi in 1983 to qualify on pole.
“What an awesome day here in Indy,” Johnson said. “Not only for the four laps on track, which were amazing, but in the quiet moments I had before my run. I was able to look around and take in the moment. What a special moment it was. I’m so lucky to be here, and things are looking pretty good for Sunday.”
The first driver that missed out on advancing was Sato’s Dale Coyne Racing teammate David Malukas, who will start 13th next Sunday. Joining him on Row 5 will be Josef Newgarden and Santino Ferrucci. Aside from Grosjean making the top 12, today was a brutal outcome for Michael Andretti’s team.
Colton Herta’s engine went south during his qualifying attempt and the crew was forced to swap it out for a new one in a time crunch. The team was…
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