IndyCar: Qualifying Update from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Update)

It’s Chevy 1-2-3 for the provisional front row after a crazy day of Indy 500 Qualifying.  The weather did not interrupt the earlier schedule allowing 32 drivers to get a four-lap run before the track went yellow again at 2:14 pm for lightning and rain in the area.

At 3:34 pm, the weather hold was lifted and pit lane was open only to the cars that were in line when the rain started to fall.  The temperature had dropped to 69 degrees and the track was cloud-covered.  Rain came down heavier than before at 4 pm and concluded the PPG Armed Forces Qualifying Day 1.

Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay topped first day qualifying for the Indy 500 with his four-lap average speed of 233.655 mph in the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team with BitNile Chevrolet, with his early run at 11:06 am and kept the top position all afternoon.  He was followed by Arrow McLaren SP teammates Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, who both also qualified in the first 15 minutes of qualifying.

O’Ward is second at 233.037 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, followed by Rosenqvist at 232.775 in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.

Positions 13 through 33 are locked into the field today, with the top 12 from today advancing to two rounds of qualifying Sunday afternoon to set the rest of the starting grid, including the coveted NTT P1 Award for pole.

All five of Chip Ganassi Racing’s cars are in the top 12 after their qualifying runs. Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou is the fastest of the Ganassi cars, fourth at 232.774 in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Alex Palou was fastest for the Ganassi team. Penske Entertainment: James Black

Andretti Autosport had a horrible day, getting only one car in the top-12, that being Indy rookie Romain Grosjean. The other three Andretti drivers simply were not fast enough.

The only driver to not take an attempt was Stephen Wilson, in the no 25 Palermos’s Screaming Sicilian Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry.


May 21, 2022 

The weather is looking to mess up the start of qualifying for the Indy 500.   The first few cars are in line in the qualifying line but a sprinkle has caused a yellow flag for now.  And the safety trucks are out on the track trying their best to dry out the track.

Not all drivers took advantage of the practice session this morning.  Ed Carpenter, driver of the no 33 Alzamend Neuro Ed Carpenter Racing, posted the fastest time in the half an hour session.

Qualified when the rain hit

Pos No Name QSpeed QLap1Speed QLap2Speed QLap3Speed QLap4Speed QStatus Engine Team
1 21 Rinus VeeKay 233.655 234.702 233.921 233.353 232.655 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Ed Carpenter Racing
2 5 Pato O’Ward 233.037 233.401 233.176 232.804 232.767 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Arrow McLaren SP
3 7 Felix Rosenqvist 232.775 233.512 233.131 231.931 232.532 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Arrow McLaren SP
4 10 Alex Palou 232.774 233.588 233.175 232.607 231.734 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Chip Ganassi Racing
5 1 Tony Kanaan 232.625 233.180 232.680 232.362 232.280 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Chip Ganassi Racing
6 48 Jimmie Johnson 232.398 233.135 232.428 232.134 231.897 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Chip Ganassi Racing
7 33 Ed Carpenter 232.397 232.954 232.792 232.549 231.299 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Ed Carpenter Racing
8 8 Marcus Ericsson 232.275 232.728 232.406 231.973 231.993 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Chip Ganassi Racing
9 28 Romain Grosjean 232.201 232.596 232.374 231.955 231.882 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Andretti Autosport
10 9 Scott Dixon 232.151 232.750 232.286 231.980 231.590 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Chip Ganassi Racing
11 12 Will Power 231.842 232.485 232.236 231.665 230.986 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Team Penske
12 51 Takuma Sato 231.708 232.482 231.890 231.244 231.221 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Dale Coyne Racing w/RWR
13 18 David Malukas 231.607 232.482 232.206 230.552 231.200 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Dale Coyne Racing with HMD
14 2 Josef Newgarden 231.580 233.209 232.333 231.184 229.623 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Team Penske
15 3 Scott McLaughlin 231.543 232.831 231.897 231.003 230.458 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Team Penske
16 23 Santino Ferrucci 231.508 232.239 231.729 231.329 230.741 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Dreyer & Reinbold
17 60 Simon Pagenaud 231.275 232.189 231.726 230.688 230.505 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Meyer Shank Racing
18 11 JR Hildebrand 231.112 231.601 231.118 230.926 230.807 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy AJ Foyt Enterprises
19 20 Conor Daly 230.999 232.448 231.459 230.822 229.288 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Ed Carpenter Racing
20 77 Callum Ilott 230.961 231.869 231.452 230.824 229.709 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Juncos Hollinger Racing
21 27 Alexander Rossi 230.812 231.379 231.076 230.514 230.282 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Andretti Autosport
22 15 Graham Rahal 230.766 231.083 230.643 230.678 230.662 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
23 98 Marco Andretti 230.345 230.996 230.283 230.117 229.986 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Marco & Curb
24 29 Devlin DeFrancesco 230.326 231.511 231.228 230.737 227.865 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport
25 26 Colton Herta 230.235 230.613 230.280 229.844 230.204 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Andretti Autosport
26 06 Helio Castroneves 229.630 230.306 229.803 229.570 228.845 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Meyer Shank Racing
27 14 Kyle Kirkwood 229.406 230.124 229.728 229.303 228.476 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy AJ Foyt Enterprises
28 4 Dalton Kellett 228.916 229.673 229.403 228.538 228.058 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy AJ Foyt Enterprises
29 6 Juan Pablo Montoya 228.622 229.478 229.381 227.897 227.741 Qualified – Opening Day Chevy Arrow McLaren SP
30 30 Christian Lundgaard 227.053 227.597 228.507 226.594 225.537 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
31 45 Jack Harvey 226.851 230.401 225.447 228.032 223.640 Qualified – Opening Day Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
34 51 Takuma Sato 232.196 232.319 232.558 232.135 231.775 Failed – Opening Day Honda Dale Coyne Racing w/RWR
35 27 Alexander Rossi 231.341 232.680 232.013 230.271 230.419 Withdrawn Honda Andretti Autosport
36 24 Sage Karam 229.905 232.555 231.613 227.324 228.211 Withdrawn Chevy Dreyer & Reinbold
37 06 Helio Castroneves 225.482 230.607 230.299 229.180 212.863 Withdrawn Honda Meyer Shank Racing

 

Lucille Dust reporting live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway