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The Indiana Daily Student

sports motor sports

Qualifications for Indianapolis 500 set for Saturday and Sunday

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Qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 begin Saturday at 11 a.m. with each of the 34 drivers attempting to qualify for the 107th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Full Field Qualifying makes up Saturday’s schedule, beginning at 11 a.m. and running until 5:50 p.m. Positions 13-30 will be set Saturday and those drivers will not take to the track Sunday.  

Drivers in the top 12 positions will return to the speedway for the top-12 qualifying at 2 p.m. Sunday, with the top six drivers then moving on to the Firestone Fast Six at 5:15 p.m. Sunday.  

The four drivers outside the top-30 come Saturday evening will return to the track at 4 p.m. Sunday. The slowest of the four drivers won’t take part in the Indianapolis 500. Heading into qualifying, there are a few storylines to keep an eye on throughout the two days at IMS. 

Storylines and personal thoughts:  

Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Callum Ilott 

The Juncos Hollinger Racing team had a busy Friday evening and night after deciding to swap chassis for Callum Ilott. Ilott was the slowest out of 34 drivers throughout practice. With that in mind, the team decided that changing chassis would give him the best odds to qualify for the race. Ilott will take to the track looking to improve the speed in his No. 77 Chevrolet as he aims to qualify for his second Indianapolis 500. 

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, comprised of Graham Rahal, Christian Lundgaard, Jack Harvey and Katherine Legge, struggled in mock qualifying runs Friday. Since none of their drivers finished in the top-28 during Friday’s practice, I believe one of their drivers could be the one bumped from the race. 

Chip Ganassi Racing 

In 2022, Chip Ganassi Racing dominated the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This year has been much of the same. A pair of engine changes in Scott Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Honda and Alex Palou’s No. 10 American Legion Honda took place Friday evening.  

The team’s other pair of drivers — defending Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato — will look to start on the front row for the 107th running of the race. 

Arrow McLaren 

We’ve seen the sheer speed out of the Arrow McLaren Chevrolet’s all month. I expect more of the same in qualifying this weekend. Each of their four drivers in Tony Kanaan, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi all finished in the top-16 of Friday’s practice session, which was full of mock qualifying runs. 

Although we may not see any of the four win the pole on Sunday, I think each Arrow McLaren driver will be at the front fighting for the victory come next Sunday.  

Who I predict will win the pole: Takuma Sato 

Who I predict will be bumped: RC Enerson 

The entirety of qualifying this weekend will be televised on Peacock with portions of the weekend also being televised on NBC. From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC will televise Full Field Qualifying with Last Chance Qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six will be televised Sunday. 

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