Indianapolis 500 qualifying Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Sage Karam had an eventful Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Not only he had to make the 33-car field, he had a good view of Simon Pagenaud’s mechanical problems. Karam had began the Month of May showing good speed where he even end up in the top-10 standings. Like his competitors starting on the final row next Sunday, Fast Friday and qualifying proved to be a struggle. As a result of missing the top-30 Saturday, Karam had to qualify again and makeRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – The “Iceman” certainly melted the competition once again in the NTT IndyCar Series as Scott Dixon won his fourth Indianapolis 500 pole Sunday. His four-lap average of 231.685 mph certainly wowed the crowd, but also knew once again in order to win an IndyCar race, you’ll have to get through Dixon. Dixon went out first to qualify yesterday and went out last Sunday. Right out of the gate, Dixon set an opening lap speed of 232.787 mph and never looked back. Like yesterday,Read More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Will Power got a different taste of Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he was surprisingly relegated to the stress of last-chance qualifying to make the final row of the Indianapolis 500.  What the Team Penske driver didn’t expect Sunday was a kiss of the Turn 2 wall on the last lap of his four-lap run.  Power, the second driver on the track in the five-car session to settle the final three spots in the race, drifted high out of the corner and smacked the SAFER Barrier with the right rearRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – The clock sometimes moves slowly when the seconds are counting down to history.  The Paretta Autosport team, the first at Indianapolis Motor Speedway owned by a woman, driven by a woman and crewed mostly by women, sat in the 33rd and final spot in the Indianapolis 500 during last-chance qualifying Sunday. Simona de Silvestro had driven a four-lap average of 228.353 mph on the third qualifying run of the day.  Then they waited.  Sage Karam and Will Power, the first two drivers to post speeds inRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – A day removed from a risk gone wrong crash during yesterday’s qualifying session, Alex Palou will roll off sixth (230.616 mph) for the 105th Indianapolis 500. The Spaniard had an opportunity of bringing Chip Ganassi Racing home the NTT P1 Pole Award. In fact, his three other teammates also had a shot at pole. However, the aforementioned accident could’ve possibly prevented him from fighting for the top spot. In a blessing in disguise, Palou didn’t need a backup car and was able toRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Three years later than it was supposed to happen, a Fittipaldi is back in the Indianapolis 500.  Pietro Fittipaldi, 24-year-old grandson of two-time Indy winner and former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, qualified 13th fastest Saturday in the Dale Coyne Racing No. 51 car and will start the May 30 race on the inside of the fifth row at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  His Indy debut was supposed to happen in 2018.  Just days before he was to drive a Coyne car at Indy, Fittipaldi crashed onRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – There’s no qualifying stress like the battle to make the Indianapolis 500, where one of the NTT IndyCar Series’ all-time best qualifiers finds himself fighting just to make this year’s race.  Team Penske’s Will Power, whose 62 career pole positions are one short of Mario Andretti’s all-time record, failed to qualify Saturday among the 30 fastest that locked themselves into the field for the May 30 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He must come back Sunday and take part in a five-car battle for the final three spots in the 33-car field.  All five drive cars are powered byRead More

By Kirby Arnold, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – They’re the Chevrolet flies in the Honda soup, but two cars from Ed Carpenter Racing are ready to take an important plunge into familiar waters – a run for the pole position in the Indianapolis 500.  On a day when Honda-powered cars dominated the speed charts Saturday on the first day of qualifying for the May 30 race, Ed Carpenter and Rinus VeeKay carried the Chevrolet banner. Carpenter qualified fourth fastest at 231.616 mph and VeeKay fifth at 231.483. The third Carpenter car, driven by Conor Daly, qualified 19th at 230.427. Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – On a hot Saturday at Indianapolis, 35 drivers had the daunting task of trying to put together four solid laps that’ll either get them into the Fast Nine or make the top-30. It’s no easy task as conditions, the luck of the draw and risking everything can dictate how a competitor go about their run. Scott Dixon wasted no time as not only he was the first man to qualify, he literally set the tone. His four-lap average of 231.828 mph was theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS – Risk vs. reward is one of those deals where people have to put up with in life. Alex Palou was no exception after an attempt for a better qualifying run went totally awry Saturday. Palou was already seventh fastest with a four-lap average of 231.145 mph, but wanted to see if a better run can be achieved. Motorsports Tribune asked the Barber winner about the confidence levels on making Sunday’s Fast Nine. “We don’t want to risk a really good car that weRead More