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Statistics: Qualifying results To look at: Qualifying Highlights
Pato O’Ward is looking to add fuel to his NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship challenge after winning the NTT P1 award for the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
O’Ward notched his third pole position of the season at the top of the series with Arrow’s No. 5 Chevrolet McLaren SP with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 10.7147 seconds. He is third in the series, 48 points behind leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, with two wins this season. But his best result in his last three starts is eighth on July 4 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“I wanted to make sure this was the turning point,” O’Ward said. “We have had the last three very difficult races and we are ready to go back to Victory Lane. This is the first step towards that, and tomorrow we have a job to finish.
“There are still five races to go. Lots of things can happen. But it’s definitely on the right track.
O’Ward’s pole position capped a tight and tense Firestone Fast 12 final segment that ended with the top five riders, all in the 1: 10.7 range. Will Power will join O’Ward in first place for the 85-lap race on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET, live on NBCSN and the INDYCAR radio network) after his fastest lap of 1: 10.7214 in the No.12 Chevrolet Verizon 5G .
The rookies Romain Grosjean and Christian Lundgaard will start from the second row. Grosjean finished third in 1: 10.7418 in the # 51 Honda Nurtec ODT, while FIA Formula 2 Championship driver Lundgaard qualified fourth for his first career start in INDYCAR in 1: 10.7433 in the Mi-Jack Honda n ° 45.
Colton Herta was the last rider in the 1: 10.7 lineup, qualifying fifth at 1: 10.7631 in the # 26 Honda Gainbridge.
Palou will look to defend his championship lead from sixth starting position after a fastest qualifying round of 1: 10.8290 in the # 10 Honda NTT DATA. He led the opening practice Friday afternoon on the 2,439-mile 14-turn road course that incorporates part of the famous IMS Oval.
Six-time Series Championship and reigning Scott Dixon faces a tough climb to the top of the field on Saturday as he begins a 26th place at the season low in the PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda n ° 9 after having spun in his last lap of the first qualifying segment. Dixon sped off turn 10 and lost his fastest lap of the session for causing a local yellow that affected another competitor.
“It will definitely make for an interesting race tomorrow,” said Dixon. “Definitely a tough day. We’ll see how it goes. “
Dixon is second in the series standings, 42 points behind his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou.
Among the other contenders for the championship, Marcus Ericsson will start 11th after a fastest lap of 1: 11.0342 in the # 8 Huski Chocolate Honda. Ericsson is fifth in the standings, 79 points behind Palou.
Double series champion Josef Newgarden will start 20th. He qualified 14th in 1: 11.3623 in the No.2 Chevrolet Penske Team XPEL after failing to reach the final segment of Firestone Fast 12, but will return to the starting lineup after incurring a six-position penalty. on the grid for an unapproved engine change after the race last Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee. Newgarden is fourth in the standings, 75 points behind Palou.
Track activity resumes at 8:45 am Saturday with a 30-minute warm-up, broadcast live on Peacock Premium.
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