It’s Time to Go Racing at IMS
Good afternoon from Indianapolis Motor Speedway! We arrived to the track just as qualifying was underway. We dropped our gear in the Media Center and went down to the pits for qualifying. Afterwards, we went straight to get a bite to eat. Then Susan decided she needed a sweatshirt.
We went to the new temporary gift shop in the infield. While Susan shopped, I was in my usual shopping spouse daze. It was then that I saw Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles, walk in. I’m not sure what he was doing, but he was just wandering around looking at the various racks and displays. The thought crossed my mind to ask if he was looking for a T-shirt for the Freedom 250, but I decided that may not be the wisest thing to do, so I just left him alone.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Alex Palou won the pole for today’s race for the fourth time in a row. The fact that he won another pole for this event was not what had everyone talking, but it was that he was a half-second ahead of the second-place car of Pato O’Ward. The rest of the Firestone Fast Six in starting order was Felix Rosenqvist, Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas and Louis Foster.
Foster making the Fast Six was the biggest surprise to me, because after a few flashes last year, he has really done nothing in his sophomore season in the NTT IndyCar Series.
The other big surprise was who qualified in dead last for this afternoon’s race – Will Power. I asked someone what happened. Did he have a problem? Was he penalized? Nope, he was just slow. Power won five races on the IMS road course with Team Penske. I expected him to have a good weekend on a familiar course with his new team. Instead, his teething problems at Andretti Global continue. The only consolation is that his teammates didn’t set the world one fire either. Marcus Ericsson will start fourteenth and Kyle Kirkwood will roll off ninth.
While the Andretti cars struggled, the Arrow McLaren cars were dialed in. pato O’Ward will start second, and Christian Lundgaard fourth. Two of their three cars in the Firestone Fast Six is not bad.
The Rahal cars fared well also. Not only did Louis Foster make the Fast Six, Graham Rahal barely missed it and will start seventh. Mick Schumacher starts eighteenth. David Malukas led the Penske charge in the old Will Power livery that won the 2018 Indianapolis 500. It was hard to look at that car and not tyhink of Power. It almost seemed like a cruel irony to run that livery on a day when Power struggled so mightily. Josef Newgarden starts tenth, and Scott McLaughlin will start seventeenth on what looks like may be a mediocre day for team Penske.
Rookie Caio Collet continues to impress, as he will start twelfth for AJ Foyt Racing. He outqualified his teammate Santino Ferrucci, who will start fifteenth.
Two drivers I will be keeping my eye on will be starting mid-pack. Romain Grosjean will start eleventh and Alexander Rossi starts thirteenth. They may not have burned up the track in qualifying, but I think they will both be racy this afternoon.
The weather has certainly cooperated. As nasty as yesterday ended, today was beautiful from the moment we woke up. As I type, it is about an hour before the IndyCar race, and there is not a cloud in the sky. Consequently it looks like there has been a good walk-up crowd today.
It is perfect! It’s a nice crowd, but not too nice. There are no crowded areas, which is a good thing. As I glance out the fourth floor of the Media Center, it looks like there is a good crowd building on the viewing mounds for road course Turn One. I’m hoping it looks good on television.
I will have a wrap-up this evening after the race is over. Please check back then.
George Phillips
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