CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT INDIANAPOLIS: Team Chevy Sunday Qualifying Report

Team Chevy Dominates Pole Day in Qualifying with an All-Team Penske Front Row and First Two Row Lockout

Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, set the fastest pole-winning four-lap average in track history, and claimed the NTT P1 Pole Award for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Additionally, Team Penske swept the front row, with Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet, qualifying second and third, respectively.
With McLaughlin’s pole at Indianapolis, Chevrolet now holds 13 earned pole awards historically, and seven in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012.
Team Chevy strongly solidified their speed and strength at Indianapolis, with all Firestone Fast Six shooting out for the NTT P1 Pole Award representing the Bowtie brand.
In the V6 era since 2012, Chevrolet has locked out the first two rows now three times, including 2012, 2013, and 2024.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, dethroned Benjamin Pedersen as the fastest one-lap rookie with his four-lap average in the top-12 of 232.071 mph.
Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet represented Arrow McLaren in the Firestone Fast Six and qualified fourth for the Indianapolis 500 with his four-lap average of 233.090 mph.
Santino Ferrucci, driver of the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, took the legendary AJ Foyt Racing to the Firestone Fast Six and qualified sixth with his four-lap average of 232.692 mph.
In the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012, Chevrolet has 65 appearances in either the Fast Nine or top-12.
Monday sees a two-hour practice post-qualifying, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and broadcasted with Peacock.

INDIANAPOLIS (May 19, 2024) – Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, stunned the crowd at Indianapolis Motor Speedway setting the fastest pole-winning four-lap average in the track’s history on his way to claiming the prestigious pole position for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

With today’s strong effort by McLaughlin, Team Penske, and Chevrolet, Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet, qualified second and third respectively to sweep the row for the second time in team history. The first came in 1988, with Rick Mears on pole in the Pennzoil “Yellow Submarine,” along with Al Unser, Sr., and Danny Sullivan.

With hard work and collaboration by everyone at Chevrolet, as well as the strong performance by drivers and teams in the top-12 as well as the Firestone Fast Six, the Bowtie brand locked out the first two rows of the Indianapolis 500 for the second time in the V6 era since 2012, including 2012, 2013, and now 2024.

“What an incredible day here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports. “Congratulations to Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet team on achieving the fastest four-lap average to clinch the pole for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Together, everyone did a great job delivering when it mattered most. It was exciting to see six Chevrolet drivers representing three different teams in the Firestone Fast Six. Chevrolet engineering, in partnership with Ilmor and our teams, worked hard in the offseason to find incremental power and performance that made a difference this weekend. I’m really proud of how our teams worked through challenges from Saturday to deliver the performance we needed today. Now, the focus turns to final preparations for the race.”

Campbell added, “Kyle Larson has shown what a talent he is behind the wheel of an Indy car, taking on the four toughest qualifying laps in motorsports with skill. Congratulations to Kyle and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew on making the Fast Six and qualifying fifth for the Indianapolis 500.”

Putting on a show and showcasing his talent behind the wheel of a race car, Larson laid down a four-lap average in the fast-12 at 232.788 mph to become the fastest rookie with one-lap speed. Additionally, with his run in the Firestone Fast Six at 232.846 mph, Larson became the second-fastest rookie on a four-lap average behind Tony Stewart’s 233.100 mph in 1996.

Shifting to preparing for the prestigious Indianapolis 500, Chevrolet drivers and teams will practice Monday, May 20 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coverage will broadcast live on Peacock.

TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX QUALIFYING RESULT:

Pos. Driver

1st Scott McLaughlin (234.220 mph)

2nd Will Power (233.917 mph)

3rd Josef Newgarden (233.808 mph)

4th Alexander Rossi (233.090 mph)

5th Kyle Larson (232.846 mph)

6th Santino Ferrucci (232.692 mph)

TEAM CHEVY TOP-12 QUALIFYING RESULT:

Pos. Driver

7th Rinus VeeKay (232.610 mph)

8th Pato O’Ward (232.584 mph)

12th Ryan Hunter-Reay (230.567 mph)

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Man, you know, we were kind of missing that little half mile an hour and it’s tough, it’s a tough field, a tough grid. We’re just happy all six Chevy’s are in the front. The Homes For Our Troops car was really fast. I came our of (turn) one on lap three, I got into the apex and it moved and I was like ‘I don’t know’ and and then it moved again on the exit and I waxs scrambling to hit my tools before (turn) two. I was still trying to gather the car, but when I turned in I was able to adjust it going down the backstretch and I was just hoping that my following lap into one and it was just go to stick. It was one of the moments where you don’t lift, and hope and pray.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“We’re starting eighth for the big show, so we got what we wanted – a good starting position. We were a bit disappointed that we didn’t find the speed that the other cars have had all month, but it is what it is. We’re going to make sure the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet is the best as it possibly can be and race our way to the front.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy have done an amazing job this month. Team Chevy locking up the Firestone Fast Six is incredible, so hats off to them. It’s a little disappointing to accept the inevitable here, but the car’s been good all month. The No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet’s race trim is just as good, if not better, than our qualifying trim. We’ll get back to work tomorrow.”

Kyle Larson, No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“This is just a great team, really. They prepared an awesome race car that’s stuck to the racetrack, and also has speed. Qualifying went a lot better than I ever could have hoped or anticipated. I’m just proud of everybody at Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports that’s been involved in this. Now, it’s time to switch the mindset over to the heavy stock car and try and go figure out North Wilkesboro.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

“On one hand, I feel like we put our cars all in a position to fight for the win for next weekend. That’s the most important thing. On the other hand, this isn’t where we want to be as a team. We want to be the team walking out on the front row, but it’s not an overnight process. Frankly, that’s not realistic. We’re up against some incredibly established teams with tons of resources and a huge amount of experience. We’ve got a laundry list that’s a mile long of things to improve to become even more competitive. When we get that sorted out, we’ll be right there. It was kind of a bittersweet day, but we can focus on the race from here because the big prize is still to come.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet:

“All things considered, the worst we can do is 12th. Obviously, we had big ambitions coming out today. Punching well above our weight yesterday, making it into the Fast 12. Unfortunate. Really proud of this team. This VensureHR Chevy has been awesome. We’re the only one-off team that made it into the Fast 12 so very proud of this group.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Seventh for the Indianapolis 500 after yesterday’s morning… sick! We were so close and were able to beat some fast cars today. It would have been amazing to make it into the Fast Six, but this was way more than I was expecting. It was a really good team effort to get here. I have won a race here at IMS from seventh before – I don’t want to be superstitious, but it is a statistic.”

Tim Broyles, President, Ed Carpenter Racing:

“I am really proud of the effort of the whole ECR group and the work that went into putting together solid race cars. A testament to that is to have a car in the Top 12 and two others that were capable of doing that as well. Proud of the effort that Chevy has put in and to be a part of the top eight lockout they have here. Looking forward to getting our race cars back in race trim and continuing preparations for what really matters on Sunday.”

Ed Carpenter, Team Owner, Ed Carpenter Racing:

“It is always a privilege to be a part of these shootouts. The entire team did a great job making improvements. Rinus (VeeKay) and the No. 21 team were able to pass some cars from where they were yesterday which is a positive. The focus now is to put the focus back into the plan for tomorrow and towards the ultimate goal of what it takes to win this race.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“This is sweet. This is an amazing job by Team Penske to have all three cars on the front row. It is a testament to the team. That is what Indianapolis rewards is the effort by every individual in this group. I’ve said this all month, it takes an entire month to get to this point. We didn’t find this over a week or two. I’m thrilled for the team. I wish the No. 2 car could be up there, but it’s great for the team. The Shell Chevy is fast. The Verizon Chevy is fast, and I’m sure the boss is happy. Us as a group we are happy we are ab le to work together and try to win this race. This is a great day.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“The car has been good. I thought the potential was there, even yesterday. It was just about getting the right balance. I knew my engineer would nail it, and they did, and when first number came up, I just had to hold on. Got a little bit loose at the end but the Pennzoil Chevy held on. Super proud to put the Yellow Submarine back on the pole and sweep for Team Penske. What a great spot for the 108th Running (of the Indianapolis 500). I’m really proud. I think it’s the first Team Penske clean sweep of the front row since ’88. In this day and age, that’s a proud moment.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“That was a very strong run by Scott (McLaughlin). But I knew a Penske car was going to get the pole. I said so at Long Beach, a Penske car was going to be on pole because of the amount of work we have done. Just happy for all of the engineers. They are the ones that have put the effort in. This is through extreme hard work the last four or five years and tough qualifying sessions. Pretty cool that we have three cars on the front row. But this year man, once again I am second (laughs) in so many qualifying sessions. This one here seems to allude me. We’ve had the quickest car with the quickest team all year, and we are on the front row, and will have a good chance to win the race. The race will be better from where we are all starting. Big congrats to Scott. That was a great run. Very happy with where I am starting with the Verizon Chevy.”

GM PR