“I thought we had potential,” Veekay said.
Rinus Veekay in the No. 21 SONAX Ed Carpenter Racing car took his second NTT IndyCar pole with a top lap of 1m, 6.2507s for the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park tomorrow.* Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet qualified second to make it an all-Chevrolet power front row. VeeKay became the fourth different NTT P1 Award winner in as many races this season.
“I thought we had potential,” VeeKay said. “It was a chaotic session. We knew we were in a good position, but to actually put it on pole was an accomplishment. I think the whole team maximized everything. We made the right decisions with tires, setup, everything. “Confidence is high. I think from here we can have a great race and fight for the win, definitely.”
The 90-lap race starts at 1:15 p.m. (ET) Sunday, with live coverage from NBC and the IndyCar Radio Network. Team Penske drivers have won the first three races of the season, with Scott McLaughlin capturing the season opener at St. Petersburg and Josef Newgarden winning at Texas and Long Beach.
Reigning IndyCar champion and 2021 Barber winner Alex Palou will start third after a quick lap of 1:06.4415 in the No. 10 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. McLaughlin will join him in the second row after a best lap of 1:06.4967 in the No. 3 Sonsio Team Penske Chevrolet.
Alexander Rossi qualified fifth, tying a season best, with a lap of 1:06.5549 in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda. But this effort probably was far more satisfying for Andretti Autosport and Rossi than his fifth-place starting spot earlier this month at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, as crews from all four Andretti teams hustled to repair or replace the entire back half of Rossi’s car in two hours, 45 minutes after he crashed during morning practice.
Felix Rosenqvist will start sixth after his best lap of 1:06.6410 in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Arrow McLaren SP was the only team with more than one car in the Firestone Fast Six.
Series points leader Newgarden will start seventh in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet after falling less than two-hundredths of a second short of earning a spot in the Firestone Fast Six.
Callum Ilott was the top rookie qualifier, grabbing a career-best 11th spot in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Ilott and a handful of other drivers were on quicker final laps at the end of the second round of qualifying when Marcus Ericsson drove into the gravel in his No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, triggering a red flag and ending the session.
Three former series champions will need to work overtime to get to the front Sunday on the tight, 17-turn, 2.3-mile circuit after disappointing qualifying results. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon qualified 13th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while 2014 series champ Will Power will start 19th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. The 2016 title winner Simon Pagenaud endured a tough Saturday, qualifying 24th in the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda.
*NTT IndyCar Series continues the 2022 season at 1 pm ET on Sunday, May 1 from Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The race will air live on NBC, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160). Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
IndyCar – Chevy Front Row at Grand Prix Of Alabama
“I thought we had potential,” Veekay said.
Rinus Veekay in the No. 21 SONAX Ed Carpenter Racing car took his second NTT IndyCar pole with a top lap of 1m, 6.2507s for the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park tomorrow.* Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet qualified second to make it an all-Chevrolet power front row. VeeKay became the fourth different NTT P1 Award winner in as many races this season.
“I thought we had potential,” VeeKay said. “It was a chaotic session. We knew we were in a good position, but to actually put it on pole was an accomplishment. I think the whole team maximized everything. We made the right decisions with tires, setup, everything. “Confidence is high. I think from here we can have a great race and fight for the win, definitely.”
The 90-lap race starts at 1:15 p.m. (ET) Sunday, with live coverage from NBC and the IndyCar Radio Network. Team Penske drivers have won the first three races of the season, with Scott McLaughlin capturing the season opener at St. Petersburg and Josef Newgarden winning at Texas and Long Beach.
Reigning IndyCar champion and 2021 Barber winner Alex Palou will start third after a quick lap of 1:06.4415 in the No. 10 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. McLaughlin will join him in the second row after a best lap of 1:06.4967 in the No. 3 Sonsio Team Penske Chevrolet.
Alexander Rossi qualified fifth, tying a season best, with a lap of 1:06.5549 in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda. But this effort probably was far more satisfying for Andretti Autosport and Rossi than his fifth-place starting spot earlier this month at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, as crews from all four Andretti teams hustled to repair or replace the entire back half of Rossi’s car in two hours, 45 minutes after he crashed during morning practice.
Felix Rosenqvist will start sixth after his best lap of 1:06.6410 in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Arrow McLaren SP was the only team with more than one car in the Firestone Fast Six.
Series points leader Newgarden will start seventh in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet after falling less than two-hundredths of a second short of earning a spot in the Firestone Fast Six.
Callum Ilott was the top rookie qualifier, grabbing a career-best 11th spot in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Ilott and a handful of other drivers were on quicker final laps at the end of the second round of qualifying when Marcus Ericsson drove into the gravel in his No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, triggering a red flag and ending the session.
Three former series champions will need to work overtime to get to the front Sunday on the tight, 17-turn, 2.3-mile circuit after disappointing qualifying results. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon qualified 13th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while 2014 series champ Will Power will start 19th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. The 2016 title winner Simon Pagenaud endured a tough Saturday, qualifying 24th in the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda.
*NTT IndyCar Series continues the 2022 season at 1 pm ET on Sunday, May 1 from Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The race will air live on NBC, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160). Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.