Indy 500 qualifying: McLaughlin beats Power in Fast 12 by 0.009mph
The 11th driver to go out on track as track temperatures hit a scorching 125F, McLaughlinās No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet put together four inch-perfect laps āĀ including an opening circuit of 233.870mph ā for 233.492mph to lead the six drivers transferring into the Fast Six and the shootout for pole.
Power was the last driver of the 12 to go out and was level on pace until a slight wind change out of Turn 4 on the final lap was enough to drop him to second at an average of 233.483mph in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet.
Defending race winner Newgarden collected a 233.286mph four-lap average to take third and give Team Penske a sweep of the front row heading into the final fight for pole.
Arrow McLaren occupied spots fourth and fifth with the duo of Alexander Rossi (233.071mph) and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson (232.788).
AJ Foyt Racingās Santino Ferrucci, who finished third in the Indy 500 last year, was able to secure the sixth and final transfer spot with a four-lap average of 232.723.
Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images
Rinus VeeKayās streak of three consecutive front row starts came to end after his No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet was the first driver on the outside of the bubble in seventh after a 232.610mph four-lap run.
But considering he made it this far after an early qualifying crash on Saturday, the Dutchman will take it.
āI was happy,ā said VeeKay. āI was having a little bit of understeer and it was building understeer, so that was pretty easy to adjust with the tools in the car. But, yeah, pretty happy.
āIt was really hot out here and the track was almost like 10 degrees hotter than when I went out last for yesterday. Car is faster I feel like from yesterday.ā
Arrow McLarenās Pato OāWard was eighth (232.583mph), while the first Honda engine represented was courtesy of Felix Rosenqvist in ninth, after his Meyer Shank Racing entry had a four-lap average of 232.305mph.
Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato was 10th in the No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda after a 232.171mph four-lap outing.
The No. 27 Andretti Global Honda of Kyle Kirkwood, who went out eighth, was having a stable run in the 232mph range before encountering a near-miss with the Turn 1 wall that required him to back out of the throttle. In turn, it dropped his average to 230.993mph to end up 11th.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 winner, was the first to go out in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Chevrolet and established a consistent four-lap average of 230.567mph to slot in the final spot in 12th.
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