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Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Colton Herta's wish after qualifying pole? An 'easy race with no yellows' at Detroit Grand Prix
DETROIT — After a six-race start to his 2025 IndyCar season full of "what ifs" on race days and close calls on Saturdays, Colton Herta will finally have the best seat in the house to take the green flag for Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix, with hopes of turning his first pole of his season and 15th of his career into his first win of 2025, too. The Andretti Global driver finished well over a tenth of a second ahead of A.J. Foyt Racing's David Malukas in the battle for pole Sunday, having had four Fast 6 appearances already this year but so far no poles, matching his pole performance a year ago on the 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street course. But in the chaos of last year's race that featured eight cautions and 47 of 100 laps ran under yellow, Herta and the No. 26 Andretti Global crew faltered and fell back to 19th. Entering IndyCar's third race since the series' shift to the downtown street course track, Andretti Global and others are looking to knock Chip Ganassi Racing off the top step, with Alex Palou (2023) and Scott Dixon (2024) taking wins on the course thus far. 'We've been close a few times this year making it on a pole run, so I'm happy to do that and start P1 tomorrow,' said Herta, who's looking for his first podium finish of 2025. Entering Sunday, the Andretti Global driver's best finish of fourth came at The Thermal Club. Outside that, he's finished 16th at St. Pete after starting second, seventh at Long Beach after starting second and seventh at Barber after qualifying third, along with dismal runs during the Month of May at IMS (25th on the IMS road course and 14th in the Indy 500). Entering Sunday, Herta sits ninth in points, 22 back of eighth-place Will Power, 36 back of his fifth-place teammate Kyle Kirkwood, 74 back of second-place Pato O'Ward and 186 of runaway championship leader Alex Palou. 'Now we just need a nice, easy race with no yellows,' said Herta, referencing IndyCar's run of three full races (and parts of two others) that ran without a single caution earlier in the season. Among a Fast 6 that included Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Palou, Malukas and Graham Rahal, the battle for pole was essentially between the pair of Andretti Global teammates and Malukas, all three of whom had only used one set of Firestone alternate tires during Round 1 of qualifying instead of two like so many of their competitors had — done so they could better ensure they'd advance to the Fast 12. Despite ending up tying his best starting spot of his IndyCar career in second, Malukas said he and his No. 4 squad expected to have a better shot at giving Andretti a serious run, but finished well back of Herta on their fastest laps (1:00.4779 vs. 1:00.6492). Kirkwood, too, felt he gave away an opportunity for his second pole of 2025, having been sitting four-tenths up on Herta's fastest lap with half a lap left before making enough wall contact to break a tow link that left him losing time in bunches on the final couple corners. Entering Sunday, Kirkwood is the only driver to have finished ahead of Palou in the two-time defending series champ's only non-win of the year at Long Beach, where the Chip Ganassi Racing driver still managed a runner-up finish. 'I've never been more disappointed with third in my life,' said Kirkwood, who was stripped earlier this week of his sixth-place Indy 500 finish due to a post-race tech inspection failure. 'But congrats to Colton. I'm glad one of us got (pole), because it would've been really frustrating if neither one of us got it. 'I know I just threw away a pole, without a doubt, but our cars are fast, and that's what's really important. And I see no reason why we won't be fast once again (on Sunday).' Starting fourth on Sunday, Lundgaard said after stepping out of his car he was proud to have finished as the fastest driver not to have used a new set of alternates in the Fast 6, as he looks to potentially overtake teammate O'Ward for second in points and with any luck chip away a bit at his 125-point gap to Palou. Meanwhile, Palou, who finished 15th-fastest in Practice 1 Friday afternoon, was more than happy to settle for sixth in the Fast 6 after a whirlwind 48-hour media tour in New York City following his first career Indy 500 win on Sunday. In his five wins so far in 2025, Palou has started eighth (St. Pete), third (Thermal), pole (Barber and IMS road course) and sixth (Indy 500). He'll start fifth Sunday, with Graham Rahal dropping back from fifth to 11th due to a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Has a rookie ever won the Indy 500? Robert Shwartzman could join an elite group
Has a rookie ever won the Indy 500? Robert Shwartzman could join an elite group Robert Shwartzman made Indy 500 history last weekend, becoming the first rookie driver since 1983 to capture pole position for the Indianapolis 500 with a stunning run in Fast 6 qualifying. It's not only Shwartzman's first attempt at the Indy 500 - it's his first race on an oval in his entire racing career. Shwartzman moved up through the European karting and Formula levels, eventually becoming the Formula 3 champion in 2019 and a test driver for Ferrari's Formula 1 team. He made the move to IndyCar in 2025 with the brand new Prema Racing team, and hasn't finished above 18th in the five races so far in 2025 - but he showed plenty of speed when it mattered on the sport's greatest stage. A total of 10 Indy 500 rookies have won in their first attempt over the years - but it's become extremely rare in the modern era. Indianapolis 500 races won by a rookie driver: 2016: Alexander Rossi 2001: Helio Castroneves 2000: Juan Pablo Montoya 1966: Graham Hill 1928: Louis Meyer 1927: George Souders 1926: Frank Lockhart 1914: Rene Thomas 1913: Jules Goux 1911: Ray Harroun (inaugural Indy 500)
Indianapolis Star
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Rookie Robert Shwartzman won the Indy 500 pole, what other rookies have done it?
INDIANAPOLIS -- Robert Shwartzman is the third rookie to win the pole at the Indianapolis 500, the first since Teo Fabi in 1983. Shwartzman posted an average speed of 232.790 mph in the Fast 6 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday to beat out Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O'Ward, Takuma Sato, Alex Palou and Scott Dixon. Fabi won the pole in 1983 and Walt Faulkner in 1950. Tony Stewart started on the pole as a rookie in 1996 but did not win the pole. Scott Brayton won the pole at the very end of the qualifying day and Arie Luyendyk was second, with Stewart third. But Luyendyk's car failed post-qualifying inspection for being below the minimum weight. On the Friday before race day, Brayton was running laps with his back-up car when his right-rear tire deflated as he entered Turn 2 and crashed into the outside wall. Brayton was found unconscious in the car, transported to the hospital and declared dead by a skull fracture.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kyle Kirkwood snags second IndyCar Long Beach pole to claim an Andretti 1-2
Motorsport photo For the second time in his young NTT IndyCar Series career, Florida's Kyle Kirkwood is set to lead the field to green in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Andretti Global star laid down a top time of 1:06.1921 to score his third-career pole and second in Long Beach. Advertisement 'I'm shaking,' an excited Kirkwood told FOX Sports afterward. 'That was great. Such a good lap, such a good qualifying. Fortunately, I didn't put any wheel wrong and hit anything. That's always a question here at street courses. You've got to send it to get that top spot.' Kirkwood's effort was one of a trio of solid results for Andretti Global. Teammate Colton Herta followed in second, with Marcus Ericsson just three spots behind in fifth. 'When you're in an Andretti Global car at Long Beach, you know you're going to be quick,' Kirkwood said. 'I'm so happy to capitalize on that here today. Front row lockout with Colton. I thought it was going to be him or I after that first quali run. He was super quick, I was super quick. I knew it was going to be a dogfight between him and I.' Herta settled for second after a busy session, slapping the wall at the exit of the final corner after advancing to the Fast 12 and having to run without a prep lap in the final round. The 2022 polesitter felt the circumstances kept him from a potential pole run. Advertisement 'That was a difficult one,' Herta said. 'The prep lap is what we do to try to get the temperatures in the right window, try to get the front and rear as equal as we can. I didn't have that, so the tires started off a little bit cold. But they got there in the end, after three or four corners. 'I'm guessing the time loss to Kyle is probably in those first few corners. It sucks. This is a pole that I feel like I should have gotten without getting that penalty and going off in the first run. But I still can't be mad at a front row and an Andretti 1-2.' Championship leader and undefeated driver to this point, Alex Palou, slotted in third for Chip Ganassi Racing. Defending pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist took fourth for Meyer Shank Racing, with Ericsson and Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin rounding out the Fast 6. As the Fast 12 unfolded… Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Advertisement Kirkwood led the way in a Fast 12 impacted by a late red flag when Christian Lundgaard, who was sitting fifth at the time, slid wide and collided with the tire barrier. Lundgaard's exit brought an unexpected end to the Fast 12, stopping the proceedings when drivers were on their final laps. It brought an end to the session for all three Arrow McLaren entries, who were on the wrong side of the cutline at the time of stoppage. 'I'm glad that we have good pace,' Nolan Siegel said. 'It's just frustrating to not get to show that. I think that we probably could have transferred and had the pace to do that. It would have been nice to actually make it happen, but we've got another day tomorrow. That's when it counts.' 'I'm glad Christian's alright, but (it's) a bummer for me, bummer for Nolan as well,' Pato O'Ward said. 'He didn't get his lap in, too. I think we all had the pace to be in there. Sad to see there's only one Chevy in there, but we can fight from ninth.' Rosenqvist was seventh as the red flag flew, but snuck through to the Fast 6 after Lundgaard lost his top two lap times for causing the stoppage. Marcus Armstrong and Alexander Rossi sat seventh and eighth, with O'Ward, David Malukas, Siegel and Lundgaard completing the Fast 12. Advertisement Before his second round shunt, Lundgaard topped the opening group session, sneaking through to the Fast 12 with his final lap. Herta, Rosenqvist, O'Ward, Armstrong and Malukas followed. Kirkwood led the second group over Palou, McLaughlin, Siegel, Ericsson and Rossi. Former champs suffer difficult qualifying days Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Defending Long Beach winner Scott Dixon will have to rally from the midfield if he hopes to repeat last year's heroics in the iconic street race. The Kiwi and his No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing team endured a difficult Saturday, starting early with an unusual hit into the wall in second practice. Advertisement Dixon's crew spent the hours between practice and qualifying repairing his stricken No. 9. But when qualifying finally came, another atypical mistake from the typically-consistent 'Ice Man' kept him from advancing into the Fast 12. 'The lap I was on was good for, I think, almost quick time, but I clipped the wall on the exit of (turn) 6 and it bent the toe link, so I had to abort,' Dixon said. 'Just kind of frustrating. I should have done it a lap earlier, but with car spacing. I think the car aborted in front of me on the first lap so I had to do the same thing. So the second lap wasn't as quick as it should have been. 'I think we were up on our teammate by about a tenth-and-a-half at that point, so (I would have been) easily through on that session.' It was another difficult qualifying day for Team Penske, who saw star drivers Will Power and Josef Newgarden fail to advance out of group qualifying for the second-straight race. Power's qualifying effort was impacted by a hit in the turn 6 wall. Newgarden felt his run was impeded by a slow Rosenqvist in the hairpin, but no penalty came of the lodged complaint. Advertisement 'It was kind of difficult to get a clear lap with people backing up a lot. … Almost needed to go on the first lap, I guess,' Power told FOX Sports afterward. 'It's hard to have a good out lap. Then you've got to (create a) gap and let people go. Then people stop at the hairpin. 'No excuses, man. I mean, we're quick in practice. Every single practice this year we've been fast. Every single one. And we haven't gotten (into) the top 12 yet. You can make as many excuses as you want. We've just got to get it done when it counts on the soft tires.' Power's three-straight races without a Fast 12 appearance are the most for the Australian since a run of four races from Belle Isle through Toronto in 2022. It would have been a second-straight race without a Fast 12 qualifier for series owner Roger Penske's squad had McLaughlin not made it through the second group. Advertisement It was a difficult qualifying session for several drivers, with many suffering damage after contact with the wall. Lundgaard was the only one to crash out of a run, but Herta, Power, Dixon and Santino Ferrucci all went wide at different corners along the treacherous street circuit. Ferrucci's incident at the end of group qualifying forced him to stop in the runoff area. The Fast 12 was briefly delayed so his vehicle could be retrieved. Sunday's race will go live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network at 4:30 p.m. ET. Photos from Long Beach - Practice & Qualifying Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Will Power, Team Penske Will Power, Team Penske Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Patricio O'ward, Arrow McLaren Patricio O'ward, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Colton Herta, Andretti Global Colton Herta, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Colton Herta, Andretti Global Colton Herta, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Will Power, Team Penske Will Power, Team Penske Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment General view General view Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Callum Ilott, Prema Racing Callum Ilott, Prema Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment David Malukas, A. J. Foyt Enterprises David Malukas, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Colton Herta, Andretti Global Colton Herta, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Colton Herta, Andretti Global Colton Herta, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Penske Entertainment Penske Entertainment
