Will 2014 be a repeat of Ganassi’s 2012 1-2 finish?
Not that defending champion Tony Kanaan and 2008 winner Scott Dixon seemed too worried, perhaps because their shiny, silver 25th-anniversary cars found some speed Sunday. Both drivers assured they will be ready come race day.
"Look, a week from now nobody is going to remember where we started when we win the race," said Kanaan, whose Chevrolet-powered No. 10 car qualified 16th, the inside of row six.
Dixon's No. 9 turned the second-fastest, four-lap qualifying run of non-shootout cars at 230.928 mph. That slotted him 11th, the middle of row four.
The day before, Dixon ranked 15th and Kanaan 23rd.
"We didn't do a good job," Dixon said. "We have some work to do. I think in a way it's been a good thing. It's opened our eyes.
We're not just unbeatable. We're not always going to be there without putting in the hard work."
"We're a big team and we should be better than what we showed (Saturday)," said Mike Hull, managing director. "There's no excuse for what we did (Saturday).
"What we're guilty of is working on the race maybe too much and qualifying not enough. And sometimes it shows. We took the time that we had available to us this week between the race showers to work on the race."
It's not the first time Ganassi cars have underwhelmed in qualifying. Two years ago, Dario Franchitti and Dixon qualified 16th and 15th, then finished 1-2.
"We're a lot closer to the speeds that we should have been at, it's just frustrating that we didn't have it (Saturday)," Dixon said.
Even then, qualifying can have its share of anxious moments. The only non-shootout driver faster than Dixon was Team Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya, who told Dixon of his No. 2 car's set-up, "It was looser than hell."
"I was loose on the last couple of laps," Dixon said.
"My last lap through three, I didn't think I was making it," Montoya said of trying to turn.
There's no wiggle room on expectations for Ganassi, who has been a part of five Indy 500 wins.
"We're a team that's won a lot," said Kanaan, in his first year with the team. "We have drivers that have won a lot. People don't expect anything less than us starting first and finishing first. Our expectations are high as well."