Fort Worth, TX (1 April 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) drivers Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) and Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) will start 21st and 22nd respectively on Sunday after qualifying for the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway (12:15pm ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 160).
A busy first day on track featured just one practice session before qualifying midday. Teams had a short 30-minute turn around following qualifying to prep the cars for final practice to close out the day.
The team felt good after Saturday’s opening hour of practice, putting both cars in the top 17, but the Ohio-based squad was unable repeat the result over two qualifying laps around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval.
Pagenaud was first of the MSR drivers to qualify – third in the order – and was hoping that an earlier run and cooler temperatures would pose an advantage. Simon’s run yielded an average speed of 218.103 mph which puts him 22nd for tomorrow race.
Castroneves went out sixth in the qualifying order and posted a 218.196 mph lap which puts him 21st for tomorrow’s 250 lap race.
Sunday’s PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway will air on NBC on Sunday starting at Noon ET. SiriusXM will also host live IndyCar Radio coverage of both sessions on XM Ch. 160.
Driver Quotes:
Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) – Starting 21st, Two-Lap Avg. Speed 218.196mph: “The car felt pretty much the same as it did this morning, obviously the lap time is a little different because we had drafting during practice. Balance-wise, the cars felt good, but we just weren’t fast enough. We’ll get ready for tomorrow and see how it goes in the race.”
Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) – Starting 22nd, Two-Lap Avg. Speed 218.103mph: “The car felt good and the team did a great job making it handle really good in the corners. But we don’t know why just yet we didn’t pick up the speed in the car, but we will look into it and to understand what was going on. It’s a shame because the team did a great job preparing the car, but we’ll work hard and be ready for tomorrow.”
