Rosenqvist qualifies on the front row while Malukas qualifies P3
Madison, IL (16 August 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) came back from the three week break in top form, with both team cars qualifying in the top three and marking the 12th and 13th times that MSR has qualified in the top six this season.
After scoring a third place finish in his rookie season at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), David Malukas continued that momentum into this weekend’s qualifying run. Malukas manned the No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda to the top of the charts early on in qualifying on Friday afternoon with a two lap average speed of 179.503 mph – which was over 1 mph quicker than the third fastest driver.
Malukas’ pole run held for more than half the session, until teammate Felix Rosenqvist claimed the top spot, posting an average speed of 179.796 mph. Although Rosenqvist was poised to start at the pointy end of the field he was bumped to second in the final moments of the qualifying session.
The No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda also took a 9-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change which will provisionally drop Rosenqvist to 11th for Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The penalty will also move Malukas to P2 with the young racer starting on the front row on Saturday.
Coverage of Saturday’s 260-lap race at World Wide Technology Raceway will begin at 6:00pm ET on USA and Peacock. Live radio coverage will be broadcast on SiriusXM Ch. 218.
Meyer Shank Racing Team Quotes:
David Malukas: “We definitely did a really good job with the setup. Missed it a little bit, but it’s so hard to judge, with the temperature changing and the track being so green. There’s a little bit more time in it, but coming from practice one, it was pretty good.(On using every inch of the racetrack) It was definitely getting a little bit close! On that exit from Turn 2, I had to lay on the deployment of the hybrid, I was really pushing it, getting close to those walls – and that’s what it takes to get a good lap.”
Felix Rosenqvist: “It was a pretty solid run, no major mistakes. I had a little bit of understeer on the first lap so I tweaked the car a little bit for the second lap. We have a nine-place grid drop so we need to be up there, so I gave it everything I had. It felt like it was a solid run, it’s a solid car, so we’ll hang tight and see where we end up.”
Mike Shank: “We’ve been quick on ovals this year, which has been great. I give a lot of credit to our Andretti technical alliance for the basis for that. There’s a lot more going on back in the garage before qualifying, to get these cars to their optimum – there’s quite a sequence that we got right today, same with the drivers. The deployment of energy now is really interesting, with all the tactics, I’m super proud of where we are. Obviously, tonight’s practice will be different, with the change in temperature, but we have a plan.”
