Team Penske Sweeps “500” Front Row; Rahal Survives Indy Bump Day
Photo Credit: Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment
Back at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April, Will Power predicted a Team Penske driver would win the pole for the Indianapolis 500. He even speculated that the team could sweep the three front row starting positions.
Fast Friday and the first day of qualifications did nothing to dispel that notion.
Sunday, Team Penske steamrolled the competition to lock out the front row for next weekend’s 108th running of the Indy 500.
Driving the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, Scott McLaughlin set the record for the fastest pole speed in Indy history at 234.220 miles per hour, beating the mark set last season by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou. Power will start next to McLaughlin, posting a speed of 233.917 mph in his No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Defending 500 champion Josef Newgarden rounds out the front row with a speed of 233.808 mph.
It’s only the second time in Indy history that a team has locked out the first three starting positions. In 1988, Team Penske drivers Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser, Sr. swept the top three starting spots. Mears went on to score his third of four 500 wins two weeks later.
“Very proud of the crew,” said McLaughlin. “I think it's our first front row sweep since 1988. I think to do it now with these two boys but also (at) Roger's house (IMS), 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.”
According to Power, it wasn’t just one thing that gave him the confidence back in April that a front row sweep at Indy was possible.
“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.”
Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
“It's not one thing,” Newgarden added. “Look, 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,” Newgarden continued. “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.”
Photo Credit: Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment
“Holy cow. Just don't spray it,” McLaughlin thought to himself after his first lap at 234.5 mph. “Just wanted to make sure I brought it home. Look, we worked 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 an 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.”
Much like Team Penske advisor Rick Mears, the man who sat on pole in a bright yellow Pennzoil-sponsored car in the team’s 1988 front row lockout, McLaughlin’s path to INDYCAR was an unusual one. Unlike Mears’ off-road racing background, McLaughlin came from the Australian SuperCar Series in 2020 with the belief that he could be successful in INDYCAR.
“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 (Roger Penske) to give me this opportunity. 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 in 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.”
Photo Credit: Joe Cote, Penske Entertainment
Before heading off to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series All Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Indy rookie Kyle Larson qualified his No. 17 hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in the middle of the second row at 232.846 mph.
"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."
For the second year in a row, Graham Rahal was forced to endure the Bump Day rollercoaster and the possibility of not qualifying for the race.
“Yeah, this time around was a little calmer,” said the driver of the No. 15 United Rentals Honda. “Probably just because I've been there before and done it. Similar sort of stuff. You know, you're sitting there in the hour. You do your first draw, and you can't run again the way the rules are written. You can't pull out of your box, so you're kind of at the mercy of everybody else.
“We knew Marcus (Ericsson) was going to have to run again clearly, and then we felt that he was going to have the speed for sure to get in. Barely bumped up. I think less than half one-tenth of a mile an hour. Then it was all on waiting it out with Nolan (Siegel) to see what happens.
“Unfortunately (he) lost it. The first lap I had a 229.2. We felt fairly safe, but it's never good to see anybody lose it like that. Nolan is a young kid. He has a bright future and I expect to see him back here and doing great things.”
Photo Credit: Matt Fraser, Penske Entertainment
Rahal could empathize with the 19-year-old Dale Coyne Racing driver trying to qualify for his first 500 for an underfunded team after crashing his primary car earlier in the week.
“To have an accident midweek and to get the confidence to come back and just jump right back into the high boost and everything else, it's not easy at all. To go out there and to do what he did today and what Dale Coyne did, they found a lot of speed over the last two days. I don't think there's a lot of teams out there that can say they magically found I think over a mile an hour on his car, a couple of miles an hour on Kat (Coyne teammate Katherine Legge). That's not easy thing to accomplish. Tip of the cap to them.”
As far as his own situation, having survived Bump Day, Rahal shrugged.
“It's not much better being 33rd. I can tell you that. At least we're in the field, and we're going to go racing.”