Scott McLaughlin set a new record as he claimed pole position for next week’s Indianapolis 500.
He will share the front row of the grid with his Penske team mates Will Power and Josef Newgarden. McLaughlin’s four-lap average speed of 376.940kph (234.220mph) beat the pole record set by Alex Palou last year by just 0.004kph.Santino Ferrucci was first to run in the decisive Fast Six session. After a slightly loose run to an average of 374.481kph (232.692) he was powerless to prevent the runners who followed from beating his time.
Kyle Larson did so on the next run, then headed to North Wilkesboro where he is competing in NASCAR’s All-Star Open tournament. His McLaren team mate Alexander Rossi looked set to raise the benchmark far higher when he produced a stunning 234.0 mph first lap. However his speeds dipped sharply from there, and though he moved to the top his 375.121kph (233.090mph) effort looked beatable for the Penske trio.
So it proved. Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin took their turns to beat the best run. Newgarden, still seeking his first win this year following his and McLaughlin’s disqualifications from the season-opening round, posted an average over 1kph quicker than Rossi’s.
Power narrowly beat that time, but McLaughlin’s last effort was sensational. His stunningly consistent run ensured the Penske trio will own the front row of the grid for next week’s 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.
The earlier top 12 session confirmed the third and fourth rows of the grid. Rinus Veekay, who claimed his place in the top 12 with a daring late run yesterday, narrowly failed to reach the top six and will start seventh. Pato O’Ward thought his run was good enough for the Fast Six, but it proved not to be and the third McLaren will start eighth. Felix Rosenqvist is the first Honda-powered driver on the grid in ninth place behind eight Chevrolets.
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The final three places on the grid were decided before the Fast Six session began and almost saw a huge upset as Marcus Ericsson inadvertently abandoned his first run. The 2022 race winner backed off a lap too soon, leaving him last of the four drivers contesting the Last Chance session.
After a series of low-speed runs to cool his car down, Ericsson posted a quick enough run to claim 32nd on the grid behind Katherine Legge, who secured her spot in the race with a hair-raising run. That left Nolan Siegel the last driver to attempt to get in the race and the possibility Graham Rahal would be eliminated for the second year in a row. However after a sub-par opening lap, Siegel smacked the wall for the second time this week, ensuring he will not be on the grid.
2024 Indianapolis 500 starting grid
| Row 1 | 1: Scott McLaughlin | 2: Will Power | 3: Josef Newgarden |
| Row 2 | 4: Alexander Rossi | 5: Kyle Larson | 6: Santino Ferrucci |
| Row 3 | 7: Rinus Veekay | 8: Pato O’Ward | 9: Felix Rosenqvist |
| Row 4 | 10: Takuma Sato | 11: Kyle Kirkwood | 12: Ryan Hunter-Reay |
| Row 5 | 13: Colton Herta | 14: Alex Palou | 15: Callum Ilott |
| Row 6 | 16: Marcus Armstrong | 17: Ed Carpenter | 18: Kyffin Simpson |
| Row 7 | 19: Marco Andretti | 20: Helio Castroneves | 21: Scott Dixon |
| Row 8 | 22: Agustin Canapino | 23: Sting Ray Robb | 24: Christian Rasmussen |
| Row 9 | 25: Tom Blomqvist | 26: Romain Grosjean | 27: Linus Lundqvist |
| Row 10 | 28: Christian Lundgaard | 29: Conor Daly | 30: Pietro Fittipaldi |
| Row 11 | 31: Katherine Legge | 32: Marcus Ericsson | 33: Graham Rahal |
Did not qualify: Nolan Siegel
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EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
20th May 2024, 2:08
Rather impressed by Katherine Legge’s run.
Asd
20th May 2024, 8:17
An experienced driver in her 4th Indy attempt qualifying 31st is impressive? How?
PeterG
20th May 2024, 10:43
Because the car was a dog trying to throw her into the wall at every opportunity yet she kept her foot in.
Christopher
20th May 2024, 7:13
Let’s see. Penske owns the series, Penske owns the track, Penske owns the engine manufacturer (Ilmor), Penske has already been caught cheating this year, Penske front-row lockout for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Maybe Penske is that good. Maybe they are not.
Asd
20th May 2024, 12:16
Well, to be honest, I also have a bitter aftertaste after the scandal, but you gotta admit that top 3 are all fantastic drivers. Anyway, no team or driver has ever voiced a single complaint at Penske that I know of about monopolistic actions.
MichaelN
20th May 2024, 13:55
That’s what so disappointing about this. They really didn’t need to do this. They run a tight operation, have an excellent line-up and had no business being anywhere near tempted to engage in shenanigans.
bull mello (@bullmello)
20th May 2024, 15:59
So true. Been following Penske, his team, for decades. No “shenanigans” ever, until this happened.
So someone now says “cheating this year” and that is sad.
Avro Anson (@avroanson)
20th May 2024, 11:29
A Kiwi and an Aussie on the first row – is that a record in itself?
Got to say that New Zealand has produced more great drivers and engineers per capita than many other countries.
Matt (@hollidog)
21st May 2024, 13:53
I’m proud of the achievements of my countrymen! We also claim Blomqvist, he did his karting career here against the likes of Cassidy, Evans, and McLaughlin.
I think the Finns give us a good run though!
Don
20th May 2024, 14:31
That was some great stuff! Congrats to McLaughlin.