Lundqvist Wins Confidence-Building INDYCAR Pole at Road America
Photo Credit: Justin Walsh/Penske Entertainment
With a podium finish at the Alabama Children’s Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, Linus Lundqvist felt he was right on schedule in his first full season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. But a tough month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Detroit street course rattled the confidence of the rookie driver of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 8 American Legion Honda.
For Lundqvist, pole position for Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America was just what the Stockholm, Sweden native needed.
“Over the last couple races, the month of May was kind of rough for us. I kind of came in wanting to rebuild my confidence. Detroit was not a confidence builder. It was a rough place. Coming in here was a bit of a reset. I mean, this is one way of doing it, I suppose. Dare I say, this was surprising even to me.”
With each knock-out qualifying segment he made it through, Saturday, Lundqvist’s confidence grew.
“I felt pretty good in the first qualifying segment. My last lap there wasn't perfect. I had a little bit of time to improve. I was happy, honestly, just to transfer from that.
“In the Fast 12 I felt pretty confident that we could do a pretty good job.
“In the Fast Six, that was a big thing for me, just transferring to the Fast Six for the first time. I said, All right, let's try to go for it, see what we got here.
“I think the red flag helped me a little bit because it kind of put me on sequence with the other guys that went out firstly on dry tires. I knew as well it was going to come down to the last lap. Yeah, it was good enough.”
Photo Credit: Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
To win his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES P1 Award, Lundqvist had to navigate challenging and rapidly changing track conditions, from rain at the start to a dry line forming by the time the Firestone Fast Six session rolled around.
“Yeah, it was hectic. It was crazy. I say one of the craziest qualifying sessions I've had. This feels like an average British F3 qualifying back in the day type of style where started off torrential rain, then the last part it dried up, we threw on the slicks.
“It was kind of fun going back to that, a little bit back to my roots. Even growing up back in Sweden, half the races we did were in the rain. I'm pretty comfortable there.
“Obviously towards the end it was staying online, not touching the wet. That's basically what I had in my mind.
“It happened to be good enough for pole.”
Close calls on the slippery track? Lundqvist said he had many.
“There were plenty of times I thought I was going off.
“There were plenty of times I thought I was going off.”
“In the wet it feels like every other corner you might be going off. Even now towards the end, because you went in a little bit blind, if it's completely dry, how should I approach the corner? There were a couple times I approached it as a fully dry corner. Came to the apex, realized there was a little bit of moisture still. I had a couple moments mid-corner on that final lap. I did well enough to keep it out of the really wet parts.”
Lundqvist was the only driver to venture out on the rapidly drying 4.048-miles circuit on rain tires in the Fast Six, only to immediately come back in to switch to the slick, red-banded alternate tires.
“The strategy was my stand telling me you need to go on slicks and me saying no, I'm not going on slicks. I just didn't feel confident enough to do it. Then I saw everybody else doing it. I think I was the only one on rain tires on the out lap. I realized there's a dry line coming down here. I told the guys a little bit shamefully that you were right, let me come in for the reds.
“We came in, and it was just about building the temperature because we knew it was going to be maybe the last lap that's going to be the fastest. It was just about staying on track until then, try to build as much temperature as you can, then hopefully it will be good enough for whatever.
“I was happy firstly just transferring to the Fast 12, then the Fast Six. I was happy with that. I actually told my guys, as well, ‘All right, let's try to go for pole here, see what we got. So I'm happy it worked out.”
Photo Credit: Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
For Lundqvist, his first pole was also huge for a reason bigger than himself.
“What makes it even bigger is to do it together with Chip Ganassi Racing and the American Legion, as well. Especially with their message, to be the one. It feels special to be able to say that proudly now. It feels you're representing something bigger than racing and bigger than life.
“To be able to bring that to the forefront, to the front of the field, is something I'm incredibly proud of. Hopefully not the last time.”
As far as Lundqvist’s confidence-level now that he’s won a pole?
“It definitely helps. We'll see. Saturdays and qualifying has been the focus of mine. I know that's where we struggled kind of in the first five or six races here. It feels good to do this.
“I know it wasn't a very conventional qualifying session, but either way I'm going to take it as a step forward. Hopefully we can just build on this confidence. Again, points are being handed out tomorrow. Firstly, it's going to be the focus on that. Either way, it's a good step forwards for us on Saturdays.”
Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix of Road America is scheduled to take the green flag at 2:38 p.m. (CDT)