Indy Qualifying Still A White Knuckle Experience
Photo by Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment
Four laps. Ten miles. Sixteen corners.
While it sounds simple and straightforward, qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is anything but.
Ask any driver who’s had to do it. It’s a white knuckle, rollercoaster experience. And that’s just once. Imagine having to hang it all out there multiple times on both Saturday and Sunday.
For the fastest, the reward is being able to start up front for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in one week’s time.
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon has won the pole five times, second only to the legendary Rick Mears. If Dixon is able to do it again Saturday, he would tie Mears and become the only driver to win the pole three consecutive times.
“Yeah, that's the goal. We're here to try and capture the pole. If it's not myself, hopefully it's one of my teammates. I think the cars have definitely been very fast.
“As a team, I think the pole is a big deal. The amount of effort that goes into it and the small tweaks and adjustments and everything for this race, for this weekend for the pole is very special. So it's very rewarding, and it’s always great for the team.
“I think last year to have all of us in the hunt for it was very special, as well, and I'd say kind of looking at the last couple of days, the car has definitely had speed. We'll have to see if that plays true come tomorrow and Sunday.
“But yeah, it would be amazing.
“But for me the focus right now is to do the best we can to try and capture that pole.”
“Yeah, that’s the goal. We’re here to try and capture the pole”
While Mears has a ton of respect for Dixon, there is a part of him that would like to retain the record for most Indy 500 poles.
“Yeah, if it happens, it happens. That's the old saying, records are meant to be broken.
“Obviously would I like to hang on to it? Sure. But if he gets it, he's earned it. The job he's done to be able to get to that position, I definitely respect that.
“In one respect I'd be happy for him for the job he's been doing, but in another respect I'd rather keep it.”
Photo by James Black, Penske Entertainment
Dixon’s toughest competition could come from within the Ganassi team. Takuma Sato, signed to drive the coals on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule turned the quickest practice since 1996 on Fast Friday at 234.733 mph. He also had the fastest four lap average and the fasted no-tow speed to check all the boxes.
“Sounds like it. But it was day early. I think we want to be competitive tomorrow. That's the whole purpose.
“Of course, it's nice to be quick this much. Working with my teammates and team, I did a fantastic preparation. Fastest after 26 years you said? Entirely impressive with the current package, with HPD. The group of engineering and the team working extremely hard, of course.
“Happy to be here. It was my first experience for Chip Ganassi qualify trim car today with high boost. My eyeballs go big first lap in the morning. They give me equipment of same trimming with Scott made last year with a significant speed.
“That's probably perhaps in the condition maybe too light, so I couldn't compete a lap. As soon as I had a moment, my team put a few more degrees on the wings.
It's all working together to find the limit, consistency. How you drive the tires is the key with the degradation, the management. I love it. I love it to working through the process.”
Team Penske president Tim Cindric admits the Ganassi team has been the strongest recently, but the practice speeds are so close that there could be a few surprises qualifying when it coms to qualifying.
“I guess when you look at the past few years, there hasn't been a dominant team, obviously, in qualifying here. Ganassi and Carpenter have been the ones at least we look at as having the most consistent speed here in what I call the wind screen era.
“Prior to that, I think you could look at us and a few others.
“But it's been something that for us every little detail is really, really important in qualifying, and every condition, as it's closer, the conditions and when you run and what you do there are that much more important, at least getting into the top 12.
“Once you get into the top 12 and you go through that process, it becomes -- for who actually gets the pole, typically the fastest car is the one that gets the pole here.
“I think over the years, when you look at the past few years, you've got to start up front when you look at who's won the race and where they've started from the past three or four years.”
Photo by Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment
While INDYCAR has adjusted the aero rules to make it a little easier for cars back in the pack to pass, Indy still appears to be a track position race. That makes qualifying as important as ever. Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver Graham Rahal explains.
“I think for sure nowadays, the further you start forward, the better it is. Frankly, the evolution of the sport and the competitiveness -- the other day I was watching I think it was 95 or something in the gym working out, and it was lap 78. The headline on ABC was, the race is wide open, six cars on the lead lap. I just laughed to myself.
“It's changed so much. Everybody is so good today. I was even looking at 2008 like my first year, '09, and half the names on the board, okay, they really didn't have a shot at this, whatever. Today that's just genuinely not the case.
“The further forward you start, the easier it's going to be. But I will also say that I think INDYCAR has done a good job with the aero tweaks. I think it's a lot -- not a lot easier, but it's quite a bit easier to pass this year and follow than in years past.
“I think if you were fourth, fifth, sixth car in the train, let alone 15th last year you were in deep trouble as far as trying to stay close.
“I think it's a little more open this year. If you have a good car, I do think you can make your way through. But naturally, the further forward, the more you can just control your whole day and you don't have to worry about being in X position by lap 50, 100, 150.
“If you can be up front and just stay there and kind of control the pace, it certainly helps.”
Reigning INDYCAR Series champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power thinks if you start in the first four rows, you have a shot to win.
“I think that's -- you can come from the back. It's just very difficult. You've got to have a very good day and yellows fall your way, but top 12, you can definitely work from there.”
Power’s Team Penske teammate, Scott McLaughlin, thinks the race can still be won from deeper in the field..
“Yeah, I've seen the 20s, I've seen the teens, and would love to be in the top 12 for my third.
“But like Will said, it's definitely doable, but a couple things fall your way, and if you're got a fast car, you can come from wherever you want.
“But certainly it would be a lot easier at the start when you can get into a fuel mileage deal and look after your car before you get into the nitty-gritty stuff towards the end of the race.”
Photo by Paul Hurley, Penske Entertainment
But qualifying at Indy is a multi-day, multi-attempt process. In order to be able to make a run for the pole on Sunday, drivers have to be in the top 12 at the end of Saturday. In order to do that, Andretti Autosport driver Kyle Kirkwood says you need to be consistent.
“I think that's the biggest thing INDYCAR qualifying in general, just making sure you don't make any mistakes. There will be people that make mistakes. If you have a car that's able to do it and go fast, then there shouldn't be any issues.”
Sato agrees.
“Yeah, I think it's difficult to say. What you got is what you got. You have to be accepted the condition and be the best. Hopefully that's get through the segment. We'll see. Even if wasn't great for Saturday, as long as you get to the top 12, you still have a chance on Sunday, so... We'll see.”
After all, it’s just four laps, ten miles and sixteen corners