INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — After retiring in his first attempt at qualifying for the Indy 500, Kyle Larson returned to the track Saturday and moved to the front of the qualifying grid.
He averaged four lap times, putting the NASCAR star in position to take pole position. Larson averaged 232.563 mph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning him a spot in next weekend’s 33-car field. He was sixth midway through the first day of qualifying and 12th by the end of the day. He is scheduled to return to the Shootout on Sunday. “I definitely embrace that,” Larson said. On May 26, Larson will attempt to become the first driver to complete the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in Charlotte since Tony Stewart in 2001.
“I think it will be enough to get 12th right away tomorrow, that would be really great, but I’m happy with the balance of the car. I’m proud of the team because not everyone was in a hurry. Masu.”
There was cause for concern when Larson, who was the sixth of 34 cars to qualify, retired near the end of his first run after his engine appeared to stall.
Team officials took his No. 17 car back to the garage, inspected it while the rest of the field qualified, and returned it to the track once everything was clear. “Honestly, I didn’t finish the first time, but I feel like I was a lot less nervous the second time,” Larson said. “I’ve never qualified in a way where I’ve been given so many chances.”
Larson qualified with teammate Alexander Rossi in the top six, joining the top three Team Penske cars, giving Chevrolet the top spot on the qualifying grid. Larson managed it even in the afternoon heat, where rising temperatures tend to slow down speeds. “We’re not intentionally trying to create drama,” said Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon.
He grew up primarily near Pittsboro and dreamed of running the Indy 500. “Now we can breathe a sigh of relief.” Now we can prepare for tomorrow.”
Larson was not the only Arrow McLaren driver to have issues on the first day of qualifying. Arrow McLaren Director Gavin Ward said Pat O’Ward was out of the lineup for the first run when the team decided to make some changes to the setup.
When O’Ward finally qualified, he encountered similar issues to Larson’s first attempt. Earlier in the day, Callum Ilott had qualified in the top 10 with a four-lap average speed of 231.995 mph, but lost time when a career issue with the left rear wheel offset was discovered during post-run technical inspection.
Ilott was slightly slower in his second attempt, reaching 231.871 mph, which put him in a comfortable position within the field. Alongside Sunday’s pole shootout, the four slowest cars will compete for the last three places on the starting grid.
