CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
INDIANAPOLIS, IND
INDYCAR GRAND PRIX
QUALIFYING RECAP
MAY 10, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS – The field is set for sixth running of the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the Road Course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sitting inside the famed 2.5-mile oval, the Road Course consists of 14-turns in the 2.439-mile circuit.
Ed Jones, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet, led the way for Chevrolet posting the fifth fastest time in the final round of the Firestone Fast Six. It was Jones first trip to the Firestone Fast Six since joining the team at the beginning of the 2019 season and shares driving duties in the No. 20 with team owner Ed Carpenter.
Will Power, three-time winner of the INDYCAR Grand Prix, including 2018 as a precursor to his career-first victory in the Indianapolis 500, was the second Chevrolet in the Firestone Fast Six and will start sixth in the 85-lap/207.315-mile race.
A total of 10 Chevrolet 2.2 liter V6 drivers will take the green flag Sunday.
Felix Rosenqvist will start on the pole followed by Scott Dixon, Jack Harvey and Colton Herta.
The race will be broadcast on NBCSports.com, INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com, the INDYCAR Mobile app, Sirius 113 and XM 209 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.
DRIVER QUOTES:
ED JONES, NO. 20 ED CARPENTER RACING SCUDERIA CORSA CHEVROLET. QUALIFIED 5TH: “This is a really good starting position for us. It’s been a tough start to the season, especially qualifying-wise, but we have had a solid car all day long. We managed to put it together in qualifying, especially Rounds 2 and 3. It’s great for Ed Carpenter Racing and for Chevrolet, as we were the fastest Chevy. Thanks to Scuderia Corsa and ECR for all of the hard work! This gives us good momentum going into tomorrow and the entire month of May.”
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 6TH: “I think we’ve been on the back foot all day honestly. The lap I did to get in the Fast Six was a great lap at just the right time on the tires. Then the tires had gone away in the final session. But man, I wasn’t even close in the final session and I was killing myself out there for position six. But that is what we are dealing with now. It is so competitive out there and if you are a little bit out of the window, you are going to struggle.”
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 8TH: “It’s a lot of fun out there. It is so competitive. Everyone on the Menards Chevy did a great job today. We took a step backward in practice two and took a big step forward in that qualifying session. I’m pretty happy thought. I gave it everything I could. That was the best lap I could have done, we just need to find a little bit more. We are right there. And if it rains tomorrow, you just have to adapt. It’s the same for everyone. I enjoy driving in the rain, so we will put on a good show tomorrow.”
SPENCER PIGOT, NO. 21 AUTO GEEK ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 12TH: “Qualifying was a little frustrating after the pace we had in practice, but we think we know where we went wrong. Hopefully, we can make a few changes overnight and be back to where we were earlier today!”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 FITZGERALD USA TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 13TH: “The car feels really good, so I’m not really sure where the speed is at. The Fitzgerald car feels really good out there, we are just six-tenths off. I felt like I did a good lap, but for whatever reason, we are all back there. I am not sure where we are missing it. But I can promise you we are going to go to work and figure it out. Unfortunately, we just aren’t that close. So now you just go to work and try and figure out where you can do better. If you can’t get the speed completely, you just make the most of the race, and that’s all we can do. This Fitzgerald USA team is the best, so we will make the most of it. And it might rain, so it could be a crapshoot either way.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PENNZOIL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 15TH: “Going out on reds twice was the strategy that we decided early on to see if we were going to be able to make the next round. We are not in the hunt for points or anything. We are just looking for the Indy 500, so it was a good gamble to find out what we could do. Plus, it collects information for our teammates for the setup on the reds. That is what we did. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and we were just five hundredths behind. And it was good for me to get rhythm and for everyone else. So we will just see how the Pennzoil Chevrolet is tomorrow.”
PATRICIO O’WARD, N0.31 CARLIN CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 19TH: “It’s been a very messy day. We just didn’t have time to get a run on the reds this morning in the second practice because of an alternator issue, so we were a little bit behind everyone else in qualifying. We missed it by I think a tenth and a half to transfer into the second round, but we’re just not near where we should be with the No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet. We just need to find some grip and work out what’s going on before the warm-up tomorrow morning so we can make sure we’re in good shape for the race.”
MATHEUS LEIST, NO. 4 ABC SUPPLY AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 21ST: “A tough day today. We are struggling for grip everywhere. There’s not much else to say right now.”
MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22ND: “Something really caught us out today in qualifying. I was really quite happy with our red pace in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet this morning – I knew where I needed to improve but that just wasn’t the case during our qualifying run. I know I wasn’t the only one to have some issues out there – a few of the front runners were caught out as well. I just had a massive lack of grip from this morning on reds and the problem is when you only have one or two laps to get it right. Any time I tried to do what I did this morning, it bit and then I lost all my speed down the straight. I ended up just basically losing time for two laps. We’re starting nowhere near where we wanted to be or where we should be, but at least this is a track where you can overtake.”
TONY KANAAN, NO. 14 ABC SUPPLY AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 24TH: “We’re having trouble getting the car to where we need and it’s been frustrating not only for me but for all team members. We need to regroup and focus on moving forward to get this month going in the right direction.”
