Category: NTT Indy

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT
MAY 20, 2024

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, TEAM PENSKE, AND CHEVROLET LEAD MONDAY’S SHORT INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

• Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet, led Monday’s two-hour practice for Chevrolet with a best speed of 226.238 mph.
• Chevrolet was represented by four drivers in the top-five and seven of the top-10.
• Monday’s session saw the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 field turn a total of 2,655 laps, with Chevrolet completing 1,273 laps.
• The NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers and teams have one practice left before the prestigious Indianapolis 500, with Carb Day on deck Friday. Coverage of Carb Day practice airs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Peacock, as well as the Pit Stop Challenge at 2:30 p.m. ET.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:
Pos. Driver
1st Josef Newgarden (226.238 mph)
3rd Will Power (226.137 mph)
4th Agustin Canapino (225.747 mph)
5th Pato O’Ward (225.738 mph)
6th Christian Rasmussen (225.718 mph)
8th Romain Grosjean (225.507 mph)
9th Alexander Rossi (225.448 mph)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Feeling really good. We’re slowly tuning this thing up. Every time we go out there, we find a little bit and find a little bit, and that’s part of the game. As long as we don’t lose a little bit, we’ll be good.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Today was good. I think that we have a better idea of where our Goodheart Chevrolet needs to be and where it is compared to where we were before today, which is nice. We had a little bit of an issue in the middle of the session and we were able to come back to the garage and figure it out quickly, which I’m super proud of the guys for doing. Got back out there, and got some race running in. I’m really excited about the race. I think we can go forward in the field. It’s going to be tight. Super competitive this year. Everyone is on top of their game this year. I’m excited to see how it shakes up. I’m really proud of the Goodheart crew and really want to do well. I think we have good potential.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It’s definitely not the best day that I’ve had all month. I’m hopeful that we can continue to make some changes to find even more. In terms of balance, I don’t think we’re in a bad spot. We just need to make sure we get all of the speed out of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet that we can.”

Callum Ilott, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was pretty interesting session considering the hot temperatures. I think we made some big improvements towards the end and had some good traffic running. We went through everything we needed to, so I’m pretty happy with the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Now we’ll move on to Friday and go for it there.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was our next to last practice before the race and the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet is in a good window. We’re just carrying on the goodness all month. I’m looking forward to Carb Day on Friday.”

Kyle Larson, No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“I thought today was great. I got more comfortable with different scenarios that I haven’t been able to put myself in yet, mostly focused on pit lane. It was good to finally get some runs at pit entry and run the length of pit lane. I like that our pit stop is on the Turn 1 side. It gives me time to think about how to execute a pit stop, which I still need get more comfortable with. I feel like I could race now and do a decent job, but it’s good that we still have another day left to get ready.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

 It’s always amazing how you feel like you’ve got all the time in the world when you get here, and then when you get through qualifying, you don’t have much time left. It was a busy session trying to get the Arrow McLaren Chevrolet cars as good as can be for the race. We feel pretty good about where we’re at and we have some happy drivers. We’re chipping away at things bit by bit. There’s one more session to go and then it’s time for the real thing.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Happy to be back in race trim and in race running! It was a pretty solid practice. We were able to run closely to other guys which was good considering we are in a car that was put together in a few hours. The guys now have the time to straighten out the car ahead of the race. I’m happy and confident heading into Carb Day.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 33 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Good practice. Gone from quali trim and focusing on that to race trim and focusing on traffic. I think we’ve done some good learning for me personally, but also some good tweaks on the car. We’ll be ready for the race. It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to it.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“The car feels good. I’ve been happy with it since we showed up. There’s been a lot of work put into this racecar all year from everybody. I’m excited to go racing. It’s exciting to have Shell back on board, trying to have another solid day this Sunday coming up. The team has done a great job. We’re excited to be here, like I’ve talked about all week. I love this place. We’re going to see how things shape up. You’ve just got to be ready for everything. I think we’re going to make a plan, and might follow the plan, or we might change the plan. You never know with the Indianapolis 500. Just ready for Sunday. I think we checked (the box) pretty early in the week. Our racecar and what we showed up with is very much intact. It’s there. The car is capable of racing and doing well. That’s kind of a box of its own. There’s a lot of other things you’ve got to be able to do in the race to tackle any challenges, but I think the car is very raceable and it’s got speed. You have that box check. You can kind of make anything else work, in my opinion.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – End of Day Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Pato O’Ward has joined us, fifth quick on the speed chart today, 225.7 in the 70 laps turned by the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. He’ll start eighth, middle of row 3 coming up on Sunday in his fifth Indianapolis 500. Are you good to go or do you need a little more practice time on Friday? What’s the thought process right now?

PATO O’WARD: Definitely hasn’t been the best of the days of the month. We’re just — we’ve had some annoying issue that we just can’t seem to perfect. I just hope we can fix it. If not, we’re going to be in handicapped mode for the race.

But in terms of balance, I think we’re pretty sporty if we fix that.

Q. Now you’ve got us curious. What’s the issue?

PATO O’WARD: Too many variables.

Q. Was it speed? Was it balance?

PATO O’WARD: Yeah. We’re slow. We know what it is, but it’s a lot easier said than done to fix it or not have the issue.

It just sucks when you’re not fast enough around here. You feel helpless.

Q. How much does this elevate the importance of the two-hour Carb Day practice?

PATO O’WARD: I would love to get another run in. Just a few laps would be great, just to see if we’re able to at least minimize it. But it’s all good. Still enjoying the process. (Smiling).

Q. When you’re going through your practice programs and you’re seeing thing after thing that doesn’t quite work, how much does that exacerbate everything that’s going on?

PATO O’WARD: I mean, all you can do is kind of just ignore it and try to make all the other things work and just put a lot of emphasis on that to make sure it doesn’t happen on race day. Obviously there’s still a possibility that it could. I think it’s just part of what you have to kind of battle with around this place. There’s a fine line with everything. If you want the car to stop well, you’re going to give up in other areas. If you want more speed, you’re going to give up in other performance areas where you kind of need them all in the race.

It’s just part of it. It’s part of it. I mean, I’m confident my guys are going to fix it and truly kind of dig into just see how can we not have that issue and/or just get rid of it completely.

Q. How good is it to not have — maybe you do want practice between now and Friday, that by not having any track activity, they can go through everything, try and take everything apart and iron everything out?

PATO O’WARD: The problem is a lot of the times you take everything apart and it’s fine as soon as you go out, but then as runs go on, they start building, building, building. It’s just you’ve got to pepper it in is probably the best way I can express it.

I don’t want to worry about it. Obviously it’s just — it’s annoying whenever you’re not aware of it until — obviously until you are aware of it. Then it’s like, oh, that explains this, this and this. But up until then, it was kind of like, dang, where are we.

Q. How easy is it to go into race trim after spending the last couple days in qualifying trim? Is that an adaptation you have to make yourself?

PATO O’WARD: Definitely a lot slower. Qualifying is a different dimension I would say in terms of just how much lighter the car is by yourself. But in race mode, you can scare yourself for sure.

Today the track in 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 for me was a bit of a — a bit different than what I had felt in the past couple days of race running. In race day maybe it comes, and it’s the absolute opposite, or maybe both ends of the track feel the same. I think that’s why you’ve got the tools inside of the car. But ultimately it’s just all about staying on top of it and then just having enough things that you can kind of pepper in throughout the race in order to have it comfortable enough.

The worst thing that can happen is just the front wing or rear wing or the bars that you’ve got and the weight jacker, if you can’t really alter the balance to a somewhat comfortable liking, then it really is a miserable three hours.

Q. The last few weeks how has it been working with Kyle Larson? Have you learned anything from him? Have you been talking to him much in the entire process?

PATO O’WARD: Honestly, he’s had a very intense schedule, so I haven’t really seen him much. We’ve talked to each other a couple of times, but yeah, in a lot of the debriefs he’s not there because — like yesterday he had a race. He’s got a packed schedule, so we actually don’t get to see him a lot.

Q. I know you’re working on your own program, but was there anybody else out there who looked particularly sporty?

PATO O’WARD: I think a lot of cars looked very sporty, more than I can count with my fingers I would say. I think there’s a lot of cars with a shot. Maybe it’s just because I felt a little slow. We speed up, we’ll be fine.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 20, 2024) – Whether running with qualifying or race setups, there is one indisputable fact this Month of May: Team Penske is fast.

Reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Josef Newgarden led the two-hour practice Monday for the 108th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” as teams shifted from the all-out speed of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying last weekend to stable setups for the race Sunday, May 26. Newgarden, who qualified third Sunday, turned a best lap of 226.238 mph in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet.

“The car feels good,” Newgarden said. “I’ve been happy with it since we showed up. I’m excited to go racing. The team has done a great job.

“We’re going to see how things shake up. You’ve just got to be ready for everything. We’re going to make a plan, like qualifying, and we might change the plan. You never know with the Indy 500. We’re ready for Sunday.”

The next and final on-track session is Miller Lite Carb Day practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET Friday (live, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network). Live coverage of the race starts at 11 a.m. ET Sunday on NBC, Universo, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Colton Herta, who qualified 13th, climbed to second on the speed charts Monday at 226.222 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. 2018 “500” winner Will Power, who qualified second, was third in practice at 226.137 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.

Agustin Canapino, who qualified 22nd, jumped to fourth in the thick traffic of this practice at 225.747 in the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Pato O’Ward, who qualified eighth, rounded out the top five at 225.738 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Team Penske swept the front row in qualifying for just the second time in “500” history Sunday – repeating its feat from 1988 – with Scott McLaughlin winning the NTT P1 Award, Power qualifying second and Newgarden third. McLaughlin was 21st fastest Monday in practice at 224.031 in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet.

Drivers flipped the mental switch from running alone in four-lap qualifying runs Saturday and Sunday on the 2.5-mile oval to darting in and out of tight thickets of traffic Monday in preparation for the race.

All 33 starters combined to turn 2,655 laps, more than any practice this month despite the session lasting only two hours. Rookie Tom Blomqvist was the busiest driver, turning 106 laps – more than half of the race distance – in his No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing.

Indianapolis, Ind. (16 May 2024) – With the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 right around the corner, Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is excited to welcome Mike’s Hard Lemonade onboard for both the Indianapolis 500 and Music City Grand Prix.

In collaboration with SiriusXM, Mike’s Hard Lemonade will appear on all three MSR Indy 500 machines during the Month of May as the team prepares for the biggest race of the year.

Produced by the fourth largest brewer in the United States, Mike’s Hard Lemonade has been brewing its beverages since 1999. Mike’s Hard Lemonade prides itself in selecting hand-picked lemons sourced from family-owned farms.

Now, Mike’s Hard Lemonade will join forces with Meyer Shank Racing as it enters its first-ever NTT INDYCAR SERIES race as a three car team. Rookie and MSR IMSA Championship winning driver, Tom Blomqvist will look to make his Indianapolis 500 debut in the No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda while six-year INDYCAR veteran Felix Rosenqvist (N0. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) will aim to bring his strong run of results so far this season into the Indy 500.

MSR and Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Cleveland Cliffs Honda) are hoping to make history on Memorial Day weekend as the Brazilian driver looks to take a history-making fifth Indianapolis 500 victory this Memorial Day weekend.

The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will be on Sunday May 26th with live broadcast coverage beginning at 11:00am ET on NBC and Peacock. INDYCAR Radio will also host live radio coverage on SiriusXM Ch. 218.

INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 19, 2024) – Facts and figures about the starting field for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

• Scott McLaughlin earned his first career Indianapolis 500 pole. He is the first New Zealand native and the second New Zealand citizen to win a pole for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Scott Dixon, who is a New Zealand citizen but was born in Australia, has won five Indianapolis 500 poles.
• Scott McLaughlin’s best qualifying position in three previous Indianapolis 500 starts was 14th in 2023.
• Scott McLaughlin produced the fastest four-lap average speed in history for an Indianapolis 500 pole winner, 234.220 mph. The previous record was 234.217 set in 2023 by Alex Palou. Arie Luyendyk set the all-time four-lap qualifying average speed record of 236.986 in 1996, but his run came on the second day of qualifications and wasn’t eligible for the pole.
• Team Penske earned its record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 pole. The team’s last pole was delivered by Simon Pagenaud in 2019. Team Penske also has a record 19 Indianapolis 500 victories.
• Team Penske swept the front row for the Indianapolis 500 for just the second time in Indianapolis 500 history, with Scott McLaughlin on pole, Will Power second and Josef Newgarden third. Team Penske first achieved the feat in 1988 with Rick Mears on pole, Danny Sullivan second and Al Unser third.
• In 1988, pole sitter Rick Mears drove a yellow Pennzoil-sponsored car, No. 2 starter Danny Sullivan was a one-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and No. 3 starter Al Unser was the defending winner of the “500.” This year, Scott McLaughlin drives a Pennzoil-sponsored car, No. 2 starter Will Power is a one-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and No. 3 starter Josef Newgarden is the defending winner of the “500.”
• Chevrolet-powered drivers earned the first eight starting spots this year. The last time one manufacturer earned as many of the top starting spots was 2013, when Chevy took the top 10 starting positions.
• This is the 10th time car No. 3 has won the Indianapolis 500 pole. The last time was 2010 with Helio Castroneves of Team Penske. Car No. 1 has won the pole a record 13 times.
• This is the second-fastest starting field in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 231.943 mph. The record of 232.184 mph was set last year.
• This is the second-fastest front row in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 233.981 mph. The record of 234.181 mph was set last year.
• Kyle Larson turned the fastest qualifying lap by a rookie in Indianapolis 500 history, 233.453 mph on the first lap of his Top 12 Qualifying attempt. The previous record was 233.297 by Benjamin Pedersen in 2023.
• Kyle Larson recorded the second-fastest four-lap qualifying average by a rookie in Indianapolis 500 history, 232.846 mph. The record is 233.100 set by Tony Stewart in 1996.
• There are eight former Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Marcus Ericsson (2022) and Josef Newgarden (2023). Between them, they have 12 victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912.
• There are six rookies in the field: Kyle Larson (starting fifth), Marcus Armstrong (16th), Kyffin Simpson (18th), Christian Rasmussen (24th), Tom Blomqvist (25th) and Linus Lundqvist (27th).
• Other than the six rookies, Pietro Fittipaldi is the only driver in the field who didn’t start the race in 2023. Fittipaldi’s last start was in 2021.
• Helio Castroneves is the most experienced driver in the field, with 23 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt.
• Scott Dixon has led 665 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, the all-time event record. The only other driver in the field who has led more than 200 laps is Helio Castroneves (326).
• The oldest driver in the starting field is Helio Castroneves, 49 years, 16 days on Race Day. The youngest driver is Kyffin Simpson, 19 years, 230 days. A.J. Foyt is the oldest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. He was 57 years, 128 days old when he made his last start in 1992. A.J. Foyt IV is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on Race Day, 2003.
• Helio Castroneves will be older on Race Day than Al Unser when he became the oldest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1987 at age 47 years, 360 days old.
• Kyffin Simpson will be younger on Race Day than Troy Ruttman when he became the youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952 at age 22 years, 80 days old.
• Twenty different drivers in this year’s field have led a total of 2,279 laps in previous Indianapolis 500s.
• There are a combined 222 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year’s field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 235 years of combined experience in last year’s field.
• The most-experienced row in this year’s starting lineup is Row 7, with a combined 62 career starts (Marco Andretti 18, Helio Castroneves 23, Scott Dixon 21). The least-experienced rows are Rows 8 and 9, with two combined career starts (Row 8: Agustin Canapino 1, Sting Ray Robb 1, Christian Rasmussen 0; Row 9; Tom Blomqvist 0, Romain Grosjean 2, Linus Lundqvist 0).
• There are seven former Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year in this year’s field. The record is nine, in 1991 and 2021.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, WILL POWER & JOSEF NEWGARDEND POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 19, 2024

Following the conclusion of the Firestone Fast Six competition for the pole for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, pole winner Scott McLaughlin accompanied by teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden met with media to discuss the Chevy/Team Penske front-row lockout, the all-Team Chevy first two rows and other topics:

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. As we wrap up qualifying ahead of next Sunday’s 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. Obviously the pole winner for this year’s race, Scott McLaughlin, once he wraps up celebration down on the Yard of Bricks. Will Power will be up momentarily as well.Fi

Joined now by Josef Newgarden, who will start third on the outside of row one for the Indy 500 driving, of course, the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress, Team Penske Chevrolet, 233.808 miles an hour, his four-lap average. Second front row start for Josef in the Indianapolis 500 as he qualifies for his 13th 500 mile race here in Indy.

THE MODERATOR: Of course, Josef, congratulations. Starting on the front row for the second time in your Indy 500 career. Just your thoughts on a Team Penske sweep here to kick off this next couple of weeks.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was a great day for the team. This is a huge result. We’ve been working for this for the last three, four years. We’ve certainly not had an easy time in qualifying and trying to regain the speed that we had lost probably since 2019.

It’s just been a nonstop effort ever since that point. We hadn’t turned the page, and I think today is really the first time we’ve turned the page. We’ve got the speed back, and it’s a testament to the entire group.

It takes a whole year to find this. You don’t find it in a week. You don’t find it in two weeks. You have to take the whole year to show up with this type of speed.

Really proud of the team. I’m sure they’re over the moon and excited for the race weekend. It gives us a good shot at going for this race win together. We’re going to be able to work together hopefully and have a clean day.

But yeah, really, really proud. The Shell car was fast, and we’re in position. Yeah, great day.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up to questions.

THE MODERATOR: Obviously joined by Will Power, who, of course, qualifies for the middle of row number one, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Business, Team Penske Chevrolet, who it’s the third

THE MODERATOR: Will, we were talking about another Team Penske front row. Just your thoughts on that?

WILL POWER: I was pretty certain one of their cars would get pulled back at Long Beach. In the offseason, to be honest, I just knew how much work we had done.

Pretty cool to get a front row lockout. I definitely like second place this year. It’s just every single weekend it’s either second in the race or second in qualifying, so I’ll continue that for the rest of the year. Maybe I’ll get a championship, and that will be a first, so it’s good stuff.

THE MODERATOR: That’s the plan. We’ll pencil you in for a second in Detroit next week or two weeks?

WILL POWER: Yes, and qualifying too.

Joined by Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Penske Chevrolet, four-lap average 234.220, which is the fastest pole speed ever at the Indianapolis 500. Second NTT P1 Award of the season, 7th of his career. As has been talked about, front row sweep for Team Penske for the first time since 1988. Team Penske’s 19th pole at the Indy 500 and 301st all told. Congratulations. Are you going to celebrate this for a while, I’m assuming?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, absolutely, but we have next week, but very proud of the crew. I think it’s our first front row sweep since 1988. I think to do it now with these two boys but also Roger’s house, and I think we’re all really happy for Roger. It’s been a tough few years, obviously, at least with the car speed.

Josef winning last year was fantastic, but a lot of the objective was to bring faster cars, and I think we certainly have, obviously. So proud of the effort.

Yeah, that was just a gnarly run. It was so cool, man. Really proud of everyone.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for any of the three drivers.

Q. Pretty cool since 1988 was the last Team Penske was on the front row together. You’ve all said the team has worked hard in the offseason on your pace here. Can you maybe walk us through a few of what those things are, and did your new partnership with AJ Foyt Racing help at all?

WILL POWER: It was a few things. The push rod was one. That was a gain for us. I was the only of the Top 12 last year that didn’t have that, and that might be half mile an hour. Chevy worked hard in the offseason. That was gain. All the other little details we did, including working with Foyt was a little bit of it.

Q. Either of you guys, anything to add?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s not one thing. Look, like I said earlier, we’ve been working on this for the last four years, and every year we show up we felt like we’ve put in as much effort as we can, this must be a turn-around for us, and it hadn’t been.

SO when you go that many off-seasons combing every detail, they’re bound to add up, and I think we probably were still missing a couple of things this last year. When you compile a couple new things with three years prior of just stacking little details together, it’s hundreds of items. It’s a lot. It’s not there was one magic bullet.

It’s a testament to the team. This is pretty cool that they were able to put — look, this is what Indianapolis is all about is showcasing the talent of the team as a whole. It’s every individual. I mean, we definitely — we’re driving it, and it sometimes is hair-raising, but it is about the team and what they build for race cars.

It’s a badge of pride for everybody in this garage that we have at Team Penske. They’re going to be really proud of this one to have one, two, three.

Q. Will, it was Friday at Long Beach. They brought you in after practice, and you were so excited about Chevy power that you guaranteed a Penske driver would win the pole for the Indianapolis 500. You even went one step further and said we might even sweep the front row.

WILL POWER: Yeah.

Q. Now, what was it all the way back in April that gave you that confidence that today was going to happen?

WILL POWER: Well, everything we just talked about, the hundreds of little details that add up to speed around this place with this current formula.

Yeah, for everything, the engine was a big upgrade from last year. We certainly struggled last year against Honda, and just all those little things that add up. It’s crazy. It just blows my mind how many things you have to do to be fast here.

To put it in perspective, if you put a standard Dallara that looks exactly the same as our cars and all the cars on the grid, it would be about 10-mile-an-hour slower than what we run. That’s how ridiculous it is. There’s so much work you have to do to get to this speed.

Q. Your INDYCAR’s all-time leading pole winner, but this is the one race you haven’t won a pole in.

WILL POWER: Yeah.

Q. Something that eats away at you a little bit.

WILL POWER: Yeah, I just keep getting seconds this year, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get this positive. For some weird reasons I just think it’s one of those things, you know, where racing Gods go, Yeah, you can have the pole record, but you’re certainly not going to get this one.

That’s just the irony of life, you know. Like I said yesterday, it’s not the end of the world if I don’t. It’s just a box to tick. It’s a good one. Obviously the race winner is much bigger.

The two days of qualifying is very stressful. You put a lot on the line, and it’s really hard to have the quickest car and the quickest team on that year. To put all that together, that’s a lot of things that have to align, and that’s very difficult because you see every team. There’s one car that just seems to be a little bit quicker for whatever reason, but I have to say that our cars have been the closest they’ve ever been, so it shows the quality control that we have.

Yeah, second again, Bruce. I’ll tell you (laughing), that’s it.

Q. For Josef and Will, I was just wondering, baseball analogy, watching all three of you qualify, it was like watching the Yankees in the 1960s. You know Slugger’s Row? Would you rather be last at-bat or where you went? You understand what I’m saying? How much faster can you drive if you — does it really make a difference if you know what you got to beat, I guess?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Oh, man, I think if you were going to choose, you would go last for sure. To Will’s point, Indy is such a curious little place, particularly with the pole.

It is funny that he is the all-time pole winner and that he has not had a pole at Indianapolis. I think it speaks a little bit to this facility. That’s why for me the emphasis really comes to the team because to put three cars at that level of speed is incredibly difficult. I don’t think there’s another team in this paddock that can have their cars stacked as tight as we’ve had them. I can’t tell you how difficult it is.

There’s always a little quicker car. One day your car is the quickest, and the next day it’s not. To have them as close as we’ve had them is very difficult to do. It’s impressive. It’s very, very impressive. The team should be proud.

Q. Will, is it likely standing here somebody shooting at you? What does it feel like to watch somebody else out there with that last shot?

WILL POWER: It sucks, man. When you see the first lap — as soon as I saw the first lap, I knew it was over. To me if I was going last and I saw my run, I would have definitely taken a couple of steps of rear wing out because mine was extremely consistent. My car never slid. I finished that, and I was, like, Man, that was easy. If I’m Scott, I’m —

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: We took three out.

WILL POWER: That’s what I told Dale. I said, He went minus-three. You could go minus-three or four there. The condition was quite good. That’s basically what we needed in speed. Minus-three degrees is around half a mile an hour.

Yeah, that was the benefit. He was quicker in the 12, and he was able to take that step.

THE MODERATOR: Scott, when you saw 234.5, what were your thoughts on that first lap?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Holy cow. Just don’t spray it. Just wanted to make sure I brought it home. Look, we work really hard to get a really good balance in the Fast 12, and I felt like my best run of the weekend was actually the Fast 12. I knew going last was going to be advantage, and we used it.

To execute the way we he have as a team, that’s what’s really cool. You see the time, and then it’s all about just executing. After that your weight jacker and figuring out, okay, what was the car doing and what do you think the car is going to do the next lap. So you are playing with bars and weight jacker and trying to hold on to it.

Yeah, we all have been really working that this week and understanding it, and I was glad I was able to put it to the test when it mattered the most.

Q. Will, just to piggyback off that last answer, had your rear wing been at negative three, would you have gotten pole?

WILL POWER: Impossible to answer. My run was comfortable enough to certainly trim. It was very consistent. Hardly any drop-off. Hardly sliding even on the last lap. I don’t know if the condition just got nicer from Ferrucci because we watched Ferrucci’s run. It looked sketchy. I think he was at zero or minus-one. Man, it’s just the circumstance it is.

Q. If 100 is fully trimmed out and zero is like nothing, no trim at all, how close to the edge were you?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I could have gone to 40 if you are using that spectrum. Minus-four, because he went minus-three, so you would have gone one more step. Minus-three would have been good. It would have been bloody close, to be honest.

Q. You guys said that you all have been at this four or five years working out the details of things. Just kind of curious, with that Foyt technical partnership that’s still relatively new within the team over the past year, how much did maybe that help provide a missing link, if any, to this?

WILL POWER: It did provide just a little bit of information, yeah. It certainly wasn’t a big chunk of what we have done here.

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It felt like it was a confirmation of a couple of things.

WILL POWER: Yeah. We weren’t missing a big chunk. Just a couple of little things, as it is around here.

Q. Then the second part is, I think — I have to double-check this, but I believe that session started — that last session started and the track temp was close to 130, and it dropped down to about 122 when Scott went out for his final run. How much does 8 degrees of track temp make a difference around here?

WILL POWER: A lot. It really did. Compared to my run in the 12 to then, I just was solid, solid, consistent, hardly slid.

I think Josef even a run before was a little bit worse. He was sliding a bit more. That happens quickly. Maybe they should have the Fast Six in the heat of the day when the condition is stable if you want to be completely fair, but you know, it is what it is.

Q. Scott, you gave it a bit of (indiscernible) today, didn’t you?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Oh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. We just held the (indiscernible) down.

Q. This makes you the second New Zealander to ever qualify on pole for the Indy 500.

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I knew obviously Scotty had. I thought someone else had already. That’s cool. Proud Kiwi, and absolutely pumped to be able to fly the flag. I’ve always dreamt about being in the front row, doing the front row photo shoot tomorrow morning. That’s just a bonus to be on the pole with the New Zealand flag behind me.

Q. I was watching you come into the pit lane and know that it had all happened. What’s going through your mind as you are coasting that car in?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: You just want to get out of the car as fast as you can. You go back into the procedures and making sure it’s all right, but at the same time you are looking around, and it’s the first time you sort of enjoy and soak in the crowd. I felt like we had a hell of a crowd here today, around the banks and even at four and down the front straight. It was incredible can.

Just soaked it in as much as I can. You just never know when this moment will every happen again, especially at this place. As the boys said, it’s a pretty weird joint. But then when you get out of the car, you celebrate, and we’ll enjoy this, but it’s hard work next week to make sure we win the big one.

Q. Then I’m sure I’ll pass this on to two people in Cambridge tonight. Emotion from them being as well. That must run very high in the family. They’ve seen you take pole position at Bathurst, but this goes another layer again, doesn’t it?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s a completely different kettle of fish. Bathurst is one lap. This is basically four and four good ones. I said to myself, you know, it felt like a shoot-out at Bathurst, but I’ve said I’ve done this many times before. It’s just a matter of nailing it again. I felt like those two runs that I had today were some of the best laps I had ever driven.

Q. Just quickly, Will, because I know it’s been touched on, but you have said to me on numerous occasions, also on Zoom from Long Beach onwards, that this would potentially happen today, a front row shoot-out. Is this just sheer belief in what Team Penske are doing this year that gives you that confidence to be able to say something like that?

WILL POWER: It was just knowledge of what we were doing, what we have done over the last four years and just a couple of things that went our way as well, such as a better engine this year and that push rod thing. That’s just a couple of things that went our way that the Top 12 had last year and we didn’t.

Yeah, I was going to be shocked if we weren’t on pole. I was going to be shocked. We would have been really scratching our heads with as much as we’ve done. We would have been scratching our heads if we weren’t on pole this time or fighting for it. We would have just been, you know, What are we missing?

THE MODERATOR: Scott, could you hear the fans cheering?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: When I turned the engine off and coasted down pit lane, for sure, yeah. Yeah, it was an amazing feeling.

Q. Speaking of going down pit lane, I was just actually curious seeing your emotion in the car before you came down pit lane and all the craziness. What was that last cool-down lap knowing that’s probably the last time by yourself before your celebration? What was that moment? What was going on in your head knowing that you just won the pole for the Indy 500?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s cool. Another thing I said to myself before I went out, I’m the last one to qualify. How cool is that? I just went out and enjoyed it. And then, yeah, that last into four and what not, I was just enjoying and gave a wave to the fans for staying out so long. It was a hot day today, so appreciate everyone coming out.

It’s just incredible. It’s going to take a while to sink in. Super cool place to be on pole, but like I said, the big focus is next week.

Q. When you made this move to come over here in 2020, I remember you talking about how challenging — how competitive you were in that conversation with Tim, and here we are a few years later, and you are an Indy 500 pole winner. If somebody told you in 2020 that you would be to this point, I know you want to win a championship in the 500 race, but what would you have told somebody when they told you that?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I felt like I could do it. I felt like I believe in my talent and believe in my team around me. I’m very lucky to be able to drive for the captain to give me this opportunities. A big part of me coming to INDYCAR was to be a part of this race and to be part of the biggest race in the world.

I’m glad I came to INDYCAR. I’m loving every minute of it, and then to compete it with Team Penske and good cars each time has been a lot. It’s been a roller coaster, as everyone knows, my Indy 500 experience. Ultimately, there’s the only way to keep working and keep trying to get up the front, and bit by bit we’ll get there, and this is just the start.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING DAY 2 REPORT
MAY 19, 2024

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN PUTS CHEVROLET ON THE POLE FOR THE 108TH RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500
Team Chevy Dominates Pole Day in Qualifying with an All-Team Penske Front Row and First Two Row Lockout

• Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, set the fastest pole-winning four-lap average in track history, and claimed the NTT P1 Pole Award for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
• Additionally, Team Penske swept the front row, with Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet, qualifying second and third, respectively.
• With McLaughlin’s pole at Indianapolis, Chevrolet now holds 13 earned pole awards historically, and seven in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012.
• Team Chevy strongly solidified their speed and strength at Indianapolis, with all Firestone Fast Six shooting out for the NTT P1 Pole Award representing the Bowtie brand.
• In the V6 era since 2012, Chevrolet has locked out the first two rows now three times, including 2012, 2013, and 2024.
• Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, dethroned Benjamin Pedersen as the fastest one-lap rookie with his four-lap average in the top-12 of 232.071 mph.
• Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet represented Arrow McLaren in the Firestone Fast Six and qualified fourth for the Indianapolis 500 with his four-lap average of 233.090 mph.
• Santino Ferrucci, driver of the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, took the legendary AJ Foyt Racing to the Firestone Fast Six and qualified sixth with his four-lap average of 232.692 mph.
• In the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012, Chevrolet has 65 appearances in either the Fast Nine or top-12.
• Monday sees a two-hour practice post-qualifying, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and broadcasted with Peacock.

INDIANAPOLIS (May 19, 2024) – Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, stunned the crowd at Indianapolis Motor Speedway setting the fastest pole-winning four-lap average in the track’s history on his way to claiming the prestigious pole position for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

With today’s strong effort by McLaughlin, Team Penske, and Chevrolet, Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet, qualified second and third respectively to sweep the row for the second time in team history. The first came in 1988, with Rick Mears on pole in the Pennzoil “Yellow Submarine,” along with Al Unser, Sr., and Danny Sullivan.

With hard work and collaboration by everyone at Chevrolet, as well as the strong performance by drivers and teams in the top-12 as well as the Firestone Fast Six, the Bowtie brand locked out the first two rows of the Indianapolis 500 for the second time in the V6 era since 2012, including 2012, 2013, and now 2024.

“What an incredible day here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports. “Congratulations to Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet team on achieving the fastest four-lap average to clinch the pole for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Together, everyone did a great job delivering when it mattered most. It was exciting to see six Chevrolet drivers representing three different teams in the Firestone Fast Six. Chevrolet engineering, in partnership with Ilmor and our teams, worked hard in the offseason to find incremental power and performance that made a difference this weekend. I’m really proud of how our teams worked through challenges from Saturday to deliver the performance we needed today. Now, the focus turns to final preparations for the race.”

Campbell added, “Kyle Larson has shown what a talent he is behind the wheel of an Indy car, taking on the four toughest qualifying laps in motorsports with skill. Congratulations to Kyle and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew on making the Fast Six and qualifying fifth for the Indianapolis 500.”

Putting on a show and showcasing his talent behind the wheel of a race car, Larson laid down a four-lap average in the fast-12 at 232.788 mph to become the fastest rookie with one-lap speed. Additionally, with his run in the Firestone Fast Six at 232.846 mph, Larson became the second-fastest rookie on a four-lap average behind Tony Stewart’s 233.100 mph in 1996.

Shifting to preparing for the prestigious Indianapolis 500, Chevrolet drivers and teams will practice Monday, May 20 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coverage will broadcast live on Peacock.

TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX QUALIFYING RESULT:

Pos. Driver

1st Scott McLaughlin (234.220 mph)

2nd Will Power (233.917 mph)

3rd Josef Newgarden (233.808 mph)

4th Alexander Rossi (233.090 mph)

5th Kyle Larson (232.846 mph)

6th Santino Ferrucci (232.692 mph)

TEAM CHEVY TOP-12 QUALIFYING RESULT:

Pos. Driver

7th Rinus VeeKay (232.610 mph)

8th Pato O’Ward (232.584 mph)

12th Ryan Hunter-Reay (230.567 mph)

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Man, you know, we were kind of missing that little half mile an hour and it’s tough, it’s a tough field, a tough grid. We’re just happy all six Chevy’s are in the front. The Homes For Our Troops car was really fast. I came our of (turn) one on lap three, I got into the apex and it moved and I was like ‘I don’t know’ and and then it moved again on the exit and I waxs scrambling to hit my tools before (turn) two. I was still trying to gather the car, but when I turned in I was able to adjust it going down the backstretch and I was just hoping that my following lap into one and it was just go to stick. It was one of the moments where you don’t lift, and hope and pray.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“We’re starting eighth for the big show, so we got what we wanted – a good starting position. We were a bit disappointed that we didn’t find the speed that the other cars have had all month, but it is what it is. We’re going to make sure the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet is the best as it possibly can be and race our way to the front.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy have done an amazing job this month. Team Chevy locking up the Firestone Fast Six is incredible, so hats off to them. It’s a little disappointing to accept the inevitable here, but the car’s been good all month. The No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet’s race trim is just as good, if not better, than our qualifying trim. We’ll get back to work tomorrow.”

Kyle Larson, No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“This is just a great team, really. They prepared an awesome race car that’s stuck to the racetrack, and also has speed. Qualifying went a lot better than I ever could have hoped or anticipated. I’m just proud of everybody at Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports that’s been involved in this. Now, it’s time to switch the mindset over to the heavy stock car and try and go figure out North Wilkesboro.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

“On one hand, I feel like we put our cars all in a position to fight for the win for next weekend. That’s the most important thing. On the other hand, this isn’t where we want to be as a team. We want to be the team walking out on the front row, but it’s not an overnight process. Frankly, that’s not realistic. We’re up against some incredibly established teams with tons of resources and a huge amount of experience. We’ve got a laundry list that’s a mile long of things to improve to become even more competitive. When we get that sorted out, we’ll be right there. It was kind of a bittersweet day, but we can focus on the race from here because the big prize is still to come.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet:

“All things considered, the worst we can do is 12th. Obviously, we had big ambitions coming out today. Punching well above our weight yesterday, making it into the Fast 12. Unfortunate. Really proud of this team. This VensureHR Chevy has been awesome. We’re the only one-off team that made it into the Fast 12 so very proud of this group.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Seventh for the Indianapolis 500 after yesterday’s morning… sick! We were so close and were able to beat some fast cars today. It would have been amazing to make it into the Fast Six, but this was way more than I was expecting. It was a really good team effort to get here. I have won a race here at IMS from seventh before – I don’t want to be superstitious, but it is a statistic.”

Tim Broyles, President, Ed Carpenter Racing:

“I am really proud of the effort of the whole ECR group and the work that went into putting together solid race cars. A testament to that is to have a car in the Top 12 and two others that were capable of doing that as well. Proud of the effort that Chevy has put in and to be a part of the top eight lockout they have here. Looking forward to getting our race cars back in race trim and continuing preparations for what really matters on Sunday.”

Ed Carpenter, Team Owner, Ed Carpenter Racing:

“It is always a privilege to be a part of these shootouts. The entire team did a great job making improvements. Rinus (VeeKay) and the No. 21 team were able to pass some cars from where they were yesterday which is a positive. The focus now is to put the focus back into the plan for tomorrow and towards the ultimate goal of what it takes to win this race.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“This is sweet. This is an amazing job by Team Penske to have all three cars on the front row. It is a testament to the team. That is what Indianapolis rewards is the effort by every individual in this group. I’ve said this all month, it takes an entire month to get to this point. We didn’t find this over a week or two. I’m thrilled for the team. I wish the No. 2 car could be up there, but it’s great for the team. The Shell Chevy is fast. The Verizon Chevy is fast, and I’m sure the boss is happy. Us as a group we are happy we are ab le to work together and try to win this race. This is a great day.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“The car has been good. I thought the potential was there, even yesterday. It was just about getting the right balance. I knew my engineer would nail it, and they did, and when first number came up, I just had to hold on. Got a little bit loose at the end but the Pennzoil Chevy held on. Super proud to put the Yellow Submarine back on the pole and sweep for Team Penske. What a great spot for the 108th Running (of the Indianapolis 500). I’m really proud. I think it’s the first Team Penske clean sweep of the front row since ’88. In this day and age, that’s a proud moment.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“That was a very strong run by Scott (McLaughlin). But I knew a Penske car was going to get the pole. I said so at Long Beach, a Penske car was going to be on pole because of the amount of work we have done. Just happy for all of the engineers. They are the ones that have put the effort in. This is through extreme hard work the last four or five years and tough qualifying sessions. Pretty cool that we have three cars on the front row. But this year man, once again I am second (laughs) in so many qualifying sessions. This one here seems to allude me. We’ve had the quickest car with the quickest team all year, and we are on the front row, and will have a good chance to win the race. The race will be better from where we are all starting. Big congrats to Scott. That was a great run. Very happy with where I am starting with the Verizon Chevy.”

Today’s end-of-day transcript to follow shortly featuring Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, and Josef Newgarden of Team Penske.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Rosenqvist top qualifying Honda

Indianapolis, Ind. (19 May 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will start in the top 10 for the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 2021, as Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) used a four-lap average speed of 232.305 mph Sunday to claim the ninth position on the 33-car grid for next Sunday’s Indy 500 (11:00am ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 218)

Rosenqvist earned his fifth top-10 qualifying result in as many races this year, and his effort today puts the Swedish driver in the top 10 at Indy for the third consecutive season. The result is the first time that an MSR car has started in the top 10 in five consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES races since 2020.

Sunday’s result set the grid for MSR’s three-car entry as Rosenqvist joined teammates Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Cleveland-Cliffs Honda) and Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) who took the 20th and 25th positions respectively, marking the first time MSR has ever started three cars in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

Rosenqvist had another consistent run on his midday qualifying run, starting with a lap of the 2.5-mile oval at 232.571mph, and kept the MSR machine above 232mph on three of the four laps.

The MSR drivers will have two final practice sessions available next week to prepare for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Teams will have two hours of practice Monday from 1 – 3 p.m. ET, followed by the final Carb Day practice which takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Fans can follow both practices live on Peacock. NBC and Peacock will air the Indianapolis 500 live Sunday with pre-race coverage beginning at 11 a.m. SiriusXM will also host live INDYCAR Radio coverage on XM Ch. 218.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist – Starting 9th, Four-Lap Avg. Speed 232.305mph: “”P9, so we did not make the Fast Six, but I don’t think we would have made it, even with how good that run was. We definitely think we had more, that the track came back to us a bit, so we could have trimmed a bit more. But we’re super stoked to start in the top 10, hopefully we can get a top 10 finish. We’re in the game, the car has been good in race trim in practice. The AutoNation / SiriusXM team is ready and we are looking forward to race day.”