INDIANAPOLIS 500-MILE RACE
QUALIFYING REPORT
05.20.18
No. 98 U.S. CONCRETE / CURB HONDA
•Will start the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the 12th spot after averaging a four-lap speed of 227.288 mph
•Andretti's best start was in third in 2013 // Has started in the first three rows nine times in twelve starts
"I thought it was alright. I was chasing balance end to end. Even though there’s not that much wind, the balance end to end was different and it kind of caught me out. Lap 2 exiting [Turn] 1 had a big washout but then corrected with the tools and just road it out. I’m excited about the race that’s for sure. Yesterday wouldn’t have been enough for the top nine - I just want to be Row 4 because we can get it done from there."
No. 28 DHL HONDA
•Will start the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the 14th spot after averaging a four-lap speed of 226.788 mph
•Hunter-Reay's best start was in third in 2012 and 2016 // Has started in the first three rows only three times in 10 starts // Started from 19th when he took Indy 500 victory in 2014
"I was hoping for more – but I think that’s the speed the car has it in. That last lap killed us a little bit, I was really aggressive with the tools. I had a good balance with the car, my engineers told me we had wind pick up on our last lap. Only in the last six or seven cars has the wind really changed from the south to the north direction, which is a headwind on the back straight, and that kind of killed the speed on the back. It just is what it is, that’s how it works. I’m looking forward to focusing on the race car tomorrow. If you have a good race car here, none of this qualifying stuff matters."
No. 29 RUOFF HOME MORTGAGE HONDA
•Will start the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the 21st spot after averaging a four-lap speed of 266.048 mph
•Muñoz's best start was in second in 2013 // Has started in the first three rows three times in just five starts
"I want this race. I’ve been so close, so many years. I love the Indy 500. I’m a little disappointed in our qualifying. My last run wasn’t what I expected - this morning we were much quicker, and I don’t really know what happened. Even yesterday we were quicker. I’m really proud of my Ruoff Home Mortgage guys, though. I think the most important thing is to have a good car for the race and now we’ll switch our focus to making our race car the best – that’s what really matters."
No. 25 DRIVEN2SAVELIVES HONDA
•Will start the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the 23rd spot after averaging a four-lap speed of 225.863 mph
•Wilson holds only one previous start at the Indy 500 where be began the race from the 30th position (2016)
"I’m, honestly, a bit disappointed with our qualifying run today. I thought we found something overnight, and it felt like this morning when we went out the car had some speed. I was really hoping to improve on yesterday’s run and I think we ended up slower than yesterday’s run. So, I’m a bit disappointed right now, honestly, but now we’ll focus on the race car and running in traffic."
No. 26 RELAY / GROUP 1001 HONDA
•Will start the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the 25th spot after averaging a four-lap speed of 225.748 mph
•Veach holds only one previous start at the Indy 500 where be began the race from the 32nd position (2017)
"We tried some things that we thought we needed and the car is pretty good – just not the speed we needed. Honestly, I’m a little shocked – a little concerned. The balance felt like where it needed to be, I just don’t understand where the speed went. It’s going to be tough starting where we’re starting with that kind of speed, so we’re going to need all the help we can get in traffic, but it’s a long race so we’ll see."
No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS HONDA
•Will start the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the 32nd spot after averaging a four-lap speed of 224.935 mph
•Rossi's best start was in third in 2017
"The NAPA AUTO PARTS Andretti Honda deserved to be higher up. I thought we were fighting for a position in Row 4, and we ended up in the last row. We’ll look into it, but that’s what makes this place what it is. We saw yesterday, there are a lot of curveballs that are unexpected around here. Starting this far back is a new challenge and a new opportunity to show what we can do. I have a lot of experiences people around me who have had a lot of starts her – some at the front, some at the back, so I’ll lean on them and we’ll go forward from there."
MEDIA CONTACTS.
Ryann Weatherford
Vice President, Communications
ryann.rigsby@andrettiautosport.com
+ 610.909.7312
Britni Allen
Senior Manager, Communications, INDYCAR
britni.allen@andrettiautosport.com
+ 740.816.2748
Phil Zielinski
Manager, Communications, Formula E
phil.zielinski@andrettiautosport.com
+ 317.373.9549
Amber Stevenson
Associate, Communications, Indy Lights
amber.stevenson@andrettiautosport.com
+ 574.361.4325
Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=26018.msg118585#msg118585
