INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Felix Rosenqvist posted the fastest four-lap average of 232.599 mph in the first round of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 qualifications.
David Malukas was second at 231.813 with Conor Daly third at 231.744, topping the 12-car pole shootout.
Others who advanced were Scott McLaughlin, the 2024 Indy pole winner and Malukas' teammate with Team Penske; Rinus Veekay of Juncos Hollinger Racing; 2016 race winner Alexander Rossi of Ed Carpenter
Racing; two-time Indy runner-up Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren; Santino Ferrucci and rookie Caio Collet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises; and three Chip Ganassi Racing drivers: 2008 race winner Scott Dixon, defending champ Alex Palou and Kyffin Simpson.
The semifinal round will be held later Sunday afternoon with the six fastest vying for the pole in next Sunday's sold-out race.
Katherine Legge cleared the initial step in trying to complete racing's “double” by qualifying 27th. She's also hoping to qualify for next weekend's Coca-Cola 600. She's trying to become the first female to attempt the one-day, 1,100-mile marathon in Indianapolis and Charlotte.
Helio Castroneves, the Brazilian driver with Meyer Shank Racing, will start his quest for a record-breaking fifth Indy win from the No. 15 starting spot, the outside of Row 5. Indy rookie Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, will make his first start from No. 28.
But qualifying weekend certainly did not go according to script after heavy rain washed out the first scheduled qualification day — the first time since 2008 a full day of 500 qualifications was lost. When drivers returned Sunday, they competed in the hottest temperatures of the week on a track with less grip than they had in practice.
And the changing conditions certainly made an impact.
Two-time Indy winner Takuma Sato, the Japanese driver with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, failed to make the shootout after brushing the wall during Sunday’s pre-qualifying practice. He had a surprisingly slow average of 230.576 to finish 13th.
Josef Newgarden, the third Penske driver, qualified 24th with an average of 230.165.
And Andretti Global drivers were shut out of the shootout. Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indy champ, will start 18th, while 2018 race winner Will Power earned the No. 20 starting spot and Kyle Kirkwood will start 26th as he heads into next weekend second in the points.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
