Rinus VeeKay- left – Chevrolet IndyCar and – right – pole winner Alex Palou – Honda – after qualifying for the NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500.
Alex Palou produced Honda’s fourth consecutive Indianapolis 500 pole yesterday in a qualifying contest that resulted in the fastest field at 232 mph, as well as one of the closest front rows in Brickyard history.* Palou drove the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a four-lap record speed of 234.217 mph, surpassing the mark set last year by Scott Dixon also in a Honda-powered car. Dixon will start sixth this year.
Palou’s speed edged Rinus VeeKay by just 0.006 mph over the four-lap, ten-mile qualifying run. It is Honda’s fourth consecutive 500 pole, a streak started by Marco Andretti in 2020 and continued by Dixon in 2021-22. VeeKay, of Ed Carpenter Racing, has been the best qualifying Chevrolet for the Indianapolis 500 for four years in a row. VeeKay will be joined on the front row by Felix Rosenqvist at Arrow McLaren, also Chevy powered, for his first front row start at the 500. The 33-car field is almost evenly divided between Honda (16) and Chevy (17) engines.
“We knew it was going to be tight, and it was really tight, but the #10 car guys and Honda did an amazing job. They made the fastest car today,” said Palou. ” I’m just super-proud of the work they’ve done all month, all year, to get us to this point. We knew that we had to go aggressive (with the setup) to get a good first lap. That made the fourth lap really tough to stay flat (in the turns), but we did it.”
Chevrolet – Ed Carpenter Racing
“I got everything out of it but I wish I had just a little bit more. I got tight and I should have let it run a little bit, but I mean, it’s, it’s so close,” said Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet. “I got everything out of it but I wish I had just a little bit more. I got tight and I should have let it run a little bit, but I mean, it’s, it’s so close. You know, the whole group really had a shot for pole position. I am a bit spoiled to say that so starting second, and still very happy. We don’t win anything with this you know, this is only the start to the race.”
*Next Sunday 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
Live NBC network coverage of the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins at 11 a.m. EDT, with the green flag to start Sunday’s 200-lap contest at 12:45 p.m. EDT. Live streaming will also be available on NBC Peacock. The starting grid is here.
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.
Chevy Versus Honda in Fastest Field Ever at Indy 500
Rinus VeeKay- left – Chevrolet IndyCar and – right – pole winner Alex Palou – Honda – after qualifying for the NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500.
Alex Palou produced Honda’s fourth consecutive Indianapolis 500 pole yesterday in a qualifying contest that resulted in the fastest field at 232 mph, as well as one of the closest front rows in Brickyard history.* Palou drove the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a four-lap record speed of 234.217 mph, surpassing the mark set last year by Scott Dixon also in a Honda-powered car. Dixon will start sixth this year.
Palou’s speed edged Rinus VeeKay by just 0.006 mph over the four-lap, ten-mile qualifying run. It is Honda’s fourth consecutive 500 pole, a streak started by Marco Andretti in 2020 and continued by Dixon in 2021-22. VeeKay, of Ed Carpenter Racing, has been the best qualifying Chevrolet for the Indianapolis 500 for four years in a row. VeeKay will be joined on the front row by Felix Rosenqvist at Arrow McLaren, also Chevy powered, for his first front row start at the 500. The 33-car field is almost evenly divided between Honda (16) and Chevy (17) engines.
“We knew it was going to be tight, and it was really tight, but the #10 car guys and Honda did an amazing job. They made the fastest car today,” said Palou. ” I’m just super-proud of the work they’ve done all month, all year, to get us to this point. We knew that we had to go aggressive (with the setup) to get a good first lap. That made the fourth lap really tough to stay flat (in the turns), but we did it.”
Chevrolet – Ed Carpenter Racing
“I got everything out of it but I wish I had just a little bit more. I got tight and I should have let it run a little bit, but I mean, it’s, it’s so close,” said Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet. “I got everything out of it but I wish I had just a little bit more. I got tight and I should have let it run a little bit, but I mean, it’s, it’s so close. You know, the whole group really had a shot for pole position. I am a bit spoiled to say that so starting second, and still very happy. We don’t win anything with this you know, this is only the start to the race.”
*Next Sunday 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
Live NBC network coverage of the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins at 11 a.m. EDT, with the green flag to start Sunday’s 200-lap contest at 12:45 p.m. EDT. Live streaming will also be available on NBC Peacock. The starting grid is here.
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.