A particular begin to the weekend for Chip Ganassi Racing’s as he earns P1 for Sunday’s race at Barber Motorsports Park — the . The distinction now could be that , and presently main the standings for the 2025 championship.
Whereas it appears as if the weekend’s Youngsters’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix is ready as much as be one other lesson on Palou’s perfection, there have been just a few different surprises to come back from the qualifying session at Barber.
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First, is Penske’s workforce struggling? It is a recurring query each IndyCar weekend of 2025 to this point as its three stars, (#2), (#12), and (#3), have did not dominate the Quick Six this season. Nonetheless, they could have discovered a few of their footing at Barber.
Each McLaughlin (who has made just a few Quick Six appearances by way of the season) and Energy reached the ultimate stage of qualifying, with McLaughlin beginning P2 on Sunday and Energy P4, in his highest beginning place for the 2025 season. Penske teammate Newgarden did not make it to the Quick Six in the long run, and can line up for the race in P9.
In the meantime within the Arrow-McLaren camp, (#5) did not make it into Saturday’s Quick Six.
“I am not displeased with it,” O’Ward mentioned. “Clearly, we need to be additional up entrance, however I believe it is all to play out tomorrow. Technique goes to be essential prefer it’s been the previous couple of races. It is good to see all three vehicles obtained into the highest 12 and funky to see Nolan [Siegel] get into his first Firestone Quick 6. We are able to work from right here.”
Pato O’Ward, Arrow-McLaren, on monitor throughout qualifying on the Youngsters’s Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Saturday
Pato O’Ward, Arrow-McLaren, on monitor throughout qualifying on the Youngsters’s Alabama Indy Grand Prix on SaturdayPenske Leisure – Paul Hurley
Penske Leisure – Paul Hurley
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Earlier within the day, throughout the second observe session, O’Ward skilled a small incident that despatched his automobile into the wall at Flip 17. Fortunately, the automobile got here out of the nook with solely minor harm, and was capable of run by itself energy.
O’Ward will begin P8 on Sunday, filling out Row 4 alongside teammate (#7). However as O’Ward talked about, the larger shock of qualifying was (#6) making it into the Quick Six for his very first time, with a P6 end result, beginning proper forward of his teammates.
“I believe it was simply execution to be sincere,” Siegel defined. “Within the Quick Six I believe all the things went easily. We have been calm, collected, and made good small adjustments, did not get forward of ourselves, and executed all the things rather well. And that is what it takes. Everybody else right here is ideal, and if you happen to’re not excellent, it does not come. “
One other first time within the Quick Six, though only for Barber, is , who will begin P3.
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The toughest loss by way of qualifying, although, could have been watching ‘s wrestle along with his automobile after dropping the rear and operating off-track, ruining his quickest lap run, and taking him out of qualifying within the very first spherical.
“Irritating as a result of the automobile was fast. Lap was coming fairly straightforward. We have been fairly unfastened on the blacks, however our occasions gave the impression to be good. I believe we had third or fourth on the blacks after which simply misplaced the rear there, and sadly you don’t have any time to get well. So yeah, fairly irritating.”
Noting Dixon’s remark, this weekend, that’s alleged to be a extra sturdy tire and Firestone has mentioned will really feel prefer it has misplaced a few of its grip. Drivers noticeably favored the alternate pink tires for qualifying, with some having pitted mid-session to trade used for brand spanking new reds to complete out every spherical’s time crunch.
You may watch how tire technique performs out for drivers throughout the Youngsters’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber which airs Sunday, Could 4 at 1:30pm EDT on FOX, the FOX Sports activities app and INDYCAR Radio Community.
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