By John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com

Alex Palou will attempt to lower the broom on INDYCAR’s traditional Month of May from pole position during the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.

The 2021 NTT IndyCar Series champion, Palou secured P1 Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the fastest pole speed in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The Chip Ganassi Racing ace secured his first 500 pole _ and first in the 500 for a Spaniard _ via a four-lap/10-mile  average speed of 234.217 mph/2-minutes, 33.7037-seconds) during a dramatic Firestone Fast Six session.

Palou delivered Chip Ganassi Racing’s third consecutive Indy 500 pole around the famed 2.5-mile oval at the record-erasing expense of teammate Scott Dixon, who set the previous mark of 234.046 mph last May. CGR is the first team to win three consecutive Indy 500 poles since Team Penske secured four in a row from 1988-91.

“We went big today. We got the pole for the Indianapolis 500,” said Palou, a 26-year-old native of Barcelona, Spain. “I am so proud of the No. 10 American Legion Honda. It’s been so fast all month, honestly. We knew it was going to be really tight, but we got it. We knew we had to go aggressive, to trim the car a lot to get a good first lap and try to be consistent. The fourth lap was really tough to keep it flat, but we did it. I knew it was one chance only.

“It couldn’t be better starting on-pole with the ‘Be The One’ car. Hopefully we can make some tweaks, improve things even more and go for that win.”

Palou is positioned to sweep INDYCAR’s two-race schedule this month at IMS. Palou won the GMR Grand Prix on the IMS Road-Course on May 13 after starting third in the season’s fifth event.

“This start of the season, especially the Month of May, couldn’t be better with the GMR Grand Prix and obviously the pole today,” said Palou, the series point-leader. “We knew we had a fast car since the beginning. We had to take advantage of that. Yeah, enjoying my time here. Last year we were really close (for P1), learned how we could go be more aggressive if we were in that position again, and luckily we were in that position again today, we took it.”

Palou will lead the fastest field in Indy 500 history to the green flag on Sunday, May 28. Average speed for the 33-car lineup is 232.184 mph, shattering the record of 231.023 mph set last year.

CGR has scored eight Indy 500 poles dating to 1993, when Dutchman Arie Luyendyk qualified the No. 10 Target/Scotch Video Lola/Ford Cosworth XB at 223.967 mph under sanction of the Championship Auto Racing Teams. 

“We worked hard and never gave up,” said team-owner Chip Ganassi, who made five consecutive Indy 500 starts between 1982 and 1986. “We had plenty of opportunities to quit but that’s not what we do here. That is exactly what this team is all about.”

Palou secured his second career INDYCAR pole, first on an oval and first since prevailing on the Portland International Raceway Road-Course in 2021. Palou will race from the three-car front row at IMS for the second time after starting second in 2022.

Rinus VeeKay of The Netherlands will start second in the No. 21 Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing after his four-lap average of 234.211 mph. That is the second-closest margin in terms of speed between the top two qualifiers in Indy 500 history, as the 0.006-mph margin was bested only by the 0.003-mph gap between pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe in 2012. The .0040 -second gap between Palou and VeeKay broke the record for closest time margin between the top qualifiers _ 0.01 between pole-sitter Al Unser Sr. and Johnny Rutherford in 1970. Unser won the Indy 500 four times while “Lone Star J.R.” is a three-time event champion.

“Yeah, it was very close. Wow, very happy, but also a bit bummed,” said VeeKay, 22. “We had that shot and I wish we could have done it. It would have been so great for the team. But also I’m bummed to be starting the Indy 500 second. Not bad, definitely, but yeah, it just has to sink in a little bit. It’s my best starting position so far in the 500, which fourth, third, third and second _ we all know what comes in my car number after second, and that’s a 1.

“We had a tough morning, kind of went downhill for a bit, and we still…the team still made it happen. The only thing I had to do was stay flat for four laps, and the ECR Bitnile crew gave me the best possible car for this moment.”

Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist _ last driver with a chance to knock Palou off his provisional P1 perch _ earned the outside front-row starting spot in third at 234.114 mph in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“Overall, it’s a very good day for us,” Rosenqvist said upon joining the post-qualifying presser. “I think these two (Palou and VeeKay) found something in the Fast Six that we didn’t find. We felt like we were kind of on top of it going into it. We were not confident, but we felt like we put the best possible scenario on the car _ and big thanks to all the group for Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy, as well.

“I think the whole team came together for this final run where we threw everything we had at it, and we missed out, and it’s the second time in not so long I’m sitting here and missing pole with I think one or two-thousandths. It’s what it is, but overall we have to be proud to have all the cars in the top-12. It’s just been a phenomenal month for us so far.

“Big congrats to Alex and also to Rinus. That was a hell of a run. We couldn’t match that today.”

All three front-row starters were faster than the previous pole record of 234.046 mph set last year by Dixon. Only two-time Indy 500 champion Luyendyk’s massive run of 236.986 mph, set on the second day of qualifying in 1996 and not eligible for pole, is faster.

This also is the closest front row in Indianapolis 500 history by speed, as 0.103-mph separates the top three. The previous record was 0.112-mph among pole-sitter Hinchcliffe, No. 2 qualifier Josef Newgarden and No. 3 qualifier/2014 Indy 500 champ Ryan Hunter-Reay during the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016.

Once Rosenqvist’s run fell short of P1, Palou launched into an animated, emotional celebration along pit road with members of his team. Palou momentarily lost his voice after a series of screams while exchanging hugs with anyone within arm’s distance. 

“We just live. We know that this time doesn’t come very often,” Palou said during the post-race presser. “We celebrated last week because it was a big win and today we were the best on-track, so we had to celebrate. We couldn’t celebrate last year, and we don’t know if we’re going to be able to celebrate next week. Yeah, when there’s chances like that, especially nowadays in INDYCAR, you have to celebrate.

“You could see every mechanic, every engineer, even Blair Julian, my engineer _ he’s really quiet _ when we win, he’s normally like, ‘Yeah, that was a good race, good job.’ But he was super-excited today. It means a lot. It’s a big deal. It’s the pole for the Indy 500. It’s not the win for the race but it’s as best we could do today.”

Santino Ferrucci continued a magical week of practice and overall preparation for legendary team-owner A.J. Foyt Jr. by qualifying fourth at 233.661 mph in the No. 14 Chevrolet.

“I think our Firestone Fast Six run was unfortunately our worst run today,” said Ferrucci, a 24-year-old native of Woodbury, Conn. “I just made a couple of mistakes an I don’t think we trimmed (the rear wing) enough. We were on the conservative side of things but that was the whole point. You know, I race cars definitely better (than qualify them) and I think we’re going to show that come race day.

“I’m so proud of this whole team and everything we’ve accomplished up to this point. You know, it shows that we’re the underdog that can definitely win this race.”

Foyt, first four-time winner of the Indy 500 as driver (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), is looking to add a second Brickyard win as team-owner. Sweden’s Kenny Brack won the 83rd Indy 500 on May 30, 1999 in the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Power Team Dallara/Oldsmobile Aurora under sanction of Tony George’s Indy Racing League. Brack, first Swedish driver to win the Indy 500, also won the IRL championship in 1998 for Foyt’s organization.

“Today was a pretty good day,” said “Super Tex,” 88, who watched the session on TV from inside his Gasoline Alley garage. “We had high hopes of maybe getting a pole but you know, getting a pole with all the competition you have here is pretty tough. This is about the best we’ve been in the last 20 years. So, I’m happy we’re starting fourth. I won the race from the fourth spot (twice) so maybe that’s a good luck charm. I never won it from the pole, so maybe it’ll come true again. Anyway, we had a lot of fun.”

Rookie Benjamin Pederson of Denmark added to A.J.’s enjoyment by methodically qualifying for his first Indy 500 an impressive 11th at 232.671 mph in the No. 55 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet.

Day-to-day operation of A.J. Foyt Enterprises in Waller, Texas, is managed by Team President Larry Foyt, A.J.’s son. “Definitely just a little disappointed that we weren’t a little closer going for the pole,” Larry Foyt said. “But that’s just the racer in you. We knew we had a fast car and the guys did a terrific job, but we weren’t gonna do anything to jeopardize our race car either. We know we have a good race car; we’re in a perfect spot that we can win the race from and that’s the most important thing.

“That’s a great start for us. I hope it shows the direction we’re headed as a race team. Surely a lot of work to still do, but this was just a great week because Indy’s still very much our Super Bowl. It’s super- important for us. So, to come here and be competitive, especially for A.J., means a lot.”

Native Mexican Pato O’Ward _ runnerup to 2022 Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson of Sweden and CGR _ was fifth at 233.158 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Six-time series champion Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner from New Zealand, completed the Firestone Fast Six and Row 2 at 233.151 mph in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Palou was the third driver on-track during the Firestone Fast Six, which put the six fastest drivers from the Top 12 Qualifying session earlier in the day in competition for the pole. VeeKay, Ferrucci and Rosenqvist followed but could not out-run Palou.

“It was not ideal, honestly,” said Palou, referring to watching the last three qualifying attempts. “It was tougher than doing the four laps.

“This place is so special. We’ve been here for more than two weeks, working on this race car for more than a year. As soon as we finished Indy 500 last year, they started working on Indy 500 2023. There’s so much effort that goes into this, not only from myself, the engineering team, the mechanics, everybody back at the shop, that it means a lot.

“It (P1) doesn’t feel better or worse than a win, it just feels different, and as I said, I think we couldn’t do a better job until today, so that’s why we celebrated.”

Sunday’s drama began one hour earlier at the opposite end of the 11-row grid. Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard, rookie Sting Ray Robb and Jack Harvey of Great Britain earned the final three spots during an incredibly intense Last Chance Qualifying session. Harvey capped the frantic activity by bumping Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate and 15-time Indy 500 starter Graham Rahal by 44-10-thousandths-of-a-second on the session’s last attempt.

Harvey, a 30-year-old native of Bassingham, England, will start his seventh Indy 500 after qualifying at 229.166 mph in the No. 30 Honda.

“We had done two attempts. Neither of them seemed to be enough to get it done,” Harvey said during the presser. “And actually on the final one, I said to the guys, ‘Do you even think we can do this? The car is hot, engine is hot,’ and they said, ‘Yeah, you’ve got to try; it’s the Indy 500.’ In that moment just tried to forget about everything else.”

Rahal, son of team co-owner and 1986 Indy 500 champion Bobby Rahal, remained strapped in the cockpit of his No. 15 Honda during Harvey’s final attempt. As Harvey and his team began a muted celebration, Rahal exited his car for a brief, emotion-filled TV interview before excusing himself. Rahal returned to his car, sat on the right side pod and dropped his head into his hands before being consoled by wife Courtney Force, a former NHRA Funny Car driver, and daughter Harlan Ann.

“You’ve got to be positive,” said Rahal, 34, a six-time series race-winner. “You’ve got to be humble and gracious in victory and defeat. I just knew from the start that we were in trouble. It’s a tough day. The last few days I’ve said that we’re in trouble. Ultimately, I don’t know why but that run was just really slow. We had a part failure during the run but you’ve got to finish it and unfortunately, rules are written that you can’t fix that part which was a key component, a weight jacker. You can’t fix that part without withdrawing your time so we had to sit there and wait. There was nothing we could do.

“I think everybody has tried exceptionally hard the last couple of days. We came up short. This place, you have to earn it. It’s not handed out. It’s not given. It’s not a guarantee. We came up short. I appreciate all of the support. I think people have known the struggle we were in the last few days. The outpouring of support from the other drivers too, we really appreciate it.” 

Harvey admitted the outcome of the hour-long scramble among four drivers was bittersweet. “It’s not a good feeling, to be honest with you,” Harvey said. “It’s not a moment necessarily for celebration. As a team we’re going to be starting 30th, 31st and 33rd, and I hated it today, felt like we were in the Hunger Games with our own team.”

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Katherine Legge of Great Britain will start 30th in the No. 44 Honda at 231.070 mph _ fastest four-lap speed by a female driver in the event’s history. RLLR’s Lundgaard will start 31st in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda after his effort of 229.649 mph.

“Of the four (RLLR) people driving, three of them are in,” Harvey said. “I know it’s not great odds and it’s not a great feeling. To be honest, it’s unbelievable relief. I’ve got to be honest with you. It’s actually quite hard to process it.

“There’s a lot of emotions. Like massively grateful to be in the race, massively sad that we bumped out a teammate because I know what that means for the entire team. There’s an enormous amount of work to try and do, in truth, and hopefully we’ve got (time) here to try and figure it out. For anyone who thinks we’re jumping up and down celebrating, they’re a little bit mistaken today.”

Harvey said he spoke briefly with Rahal at the end of what he termed “a tough day” at the Speedway.

“I said to Graham, ‘I’m sorry, I’m not sorry.’ What do you say to someone in that moment? I want to be in the race. I want to be in the 107th running of the Indy 500. I want to do it for me, for my family, my friends. I want to do it for the mechanics on the team, for everybody on the team, for all of the sponsors that we have on the No. 30 car, especially for PeopleReady this weekend.

“I hate what it means for the No. 15 car and for Graham and all his crew because at the end of the day we are one united effort and we know there’s a lot of work ahead. But I just said to him, ‘I just wanted to do the best four laps I could. I’m sorry it’s bumped you out.’

“Today is about as humbling a moment as I’ve had at a racetrack. I don’t want to do this dance again, and neither do the team. There’s a lot of responsibility for all of us here. Just everybody please remember that we’re trying. We might not be trying the best way, but not one person in our team is happy with our performance, from the very top to the very bottom.”

Practice for the 33-car field is scheduled to take place from 1-3 p.m. (EDT) today (live, Peacock and INDYCAR Radio Network). It’s the last on-track session before the traditional final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 26.

Pre-event coverage on Race Day, May 28, will begin at 11 a.m. (EDT) on NBC, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes on Universo and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Green flag for the flying start is set to wave at 12:45 p.m.

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Firestone Fast Six qualifying results Sunday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge NTT IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rank, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:

1.(10) Alex Palou, Honda, 02:33.7037 (234.217 mph)
2. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 02:33.7077 (234.211)
3. (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 02:33.7713 (234.114)
4. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 02:34.0695 (233.661)
5. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 02:34.4015 (233.158)
6. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 02:34.4066 (233.151)
7. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 02:34.4332 (233.110)
8. (11) Takuma Sato, Honda, 02:34.4416 (233.098)
9. (66) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 02:34.4558 (233.076)
10. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 02:34.5801 (232.889)
11. (55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 02:34.7246 (232.671)
12. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 02:34.7488 (232.635)
13. (33) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 02:34.7128 (232.689)
14. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 02:34.7206 (232.677)
15. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 02:34.7311 (232.662)
16. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 02:34.8833 (232.433)
17. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 02:34.9039 (232.402)
18. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 02:35.0837 (232.133)
19. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 02:35.1744 (231.997)
20. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 02:35.2032 (231.954)
21. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 02:35.2055 (231.951)
22. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 02:35.2539 (231.878)
23. (18) David Malukas, Honda, 02:35.3270 (231.769)
24. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 02:35.3857 (231.682)
25. (24) Stefan Wilson, Chevrolet, 02:35.4083 (231.648)
26. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 02:35.6061 (231.353)
27. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 02:35.6287 (231.320)
28. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 02:35.7212 (231.182)
29. (50) R.C. Enerson, Chevrolet, 02:35.7574 (231.129)
30. (44) Katherine Legge, Honda, 02:35.7971 (231.070)
31. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 02:36.7607 (229.649)
32. (51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 02:36.8293 (229.549)
33. (30) Jack Harvey, Honda, 02:37.0916 (229.166)

2023 INDY 500 ENTRY BREAKDOWN

Winners (9) _ Helio Castroneves, Takuma Sato, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, Alexander Rossi.

Rookies (4) _ Agustín Canapino, R.C. Enerson, Benjamin Pedersen, Sting Ray Robb.

U.S. drivers (12) _ Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter, Conor Daly, R.C. Enerson, Santino Ferrucci, Colton Herta, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Sting Ray Robb, Alexander Rossi.

International drivers (21 from 14 countries) _ Agustín Canapino, Helio Castroneves, Devlin DeFrancesco, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean, Jack Harvey, Callum Ilott, Tony Kanaan, Katherine Legge, Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Simon Pagenaud, Alex Palou, Benjamin Pedersen, Will Power, Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma Sato, Rinus VeeKay, Stefan Wilson.

Engines (33) _ Honda 16, Chevrolet 17 (all cars use Dallara chassis and Firestone Firehawk tires).

Point Standings (top-15): 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 174; 2, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 168; 3, Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 155; 4, Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport, 134; 5, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 133; 6, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 131; 7, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 127; 8, Will Power, Team Penske, 122; 9, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 111; 10, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren and Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport, 108; 12, Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport with Curb/Agajanian, 107; 13, Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren, 97; 14, Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 92; 15, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 86.

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Official NTT IndyCar Series entry list for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, with car number in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car name with engine supplier and team entrant:

1. (2) Josef Newgarden, Nashville, Tenn., Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet/Team Penske
2. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Christchurch, New Zealand, Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet/Team Penske
3. (5) Pato O’Ward, Monterrey, Mexico, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
4. (06) Helio Castroneves-(W), Sao Paulo, Brazil, AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda/Meyer Shank Racing
5. (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Varnamo, Sweden, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
6. (7) Alexander Rossi-(W), Nevada City, Calif., Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
7. (8) Marcus Ericsson-(W), Kumla, Sweden, Huski Ice Spritz Chip Ganassi Racing Honda/Chip Ganassi Racing
8. (9) Scott Dixon-(W), Auckland, New Zealand, PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda/Chip Ganassi Racing
9. (10) Alex Palou, Barcelona, Spain, The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda/Chip Ganassi Racing
10. (11) Takuma Sato-(W), Tokyo, Japan, Deloitte Honda/Chip Ganassi Racing
11. (12) Will Power-(W), Toowoomba, Australia, Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet/Team Penske
12. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Woodbury, Conn., Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet/A.J. Foyt Enterprises
13. (15) Graham Rahal, New Albany, Ohio, United Rentals Honda/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
14. (18) David Malukas, Chicago, Ill., HMD Trucking Honda/Dale Coyne Racing with HMD
15. (20) Conor Daly, Noblesville, Ind., Bitnile.com Chevrolet/Ed Carpenter Racing
16. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands, Bitnile.com Chevrolet/Ed Carpenter Racing
17. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay-(W), Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
18. (24) Stefan Wilson, Sheffield, England, DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
19. (26) Colton Herta, Valencia, Calif., Gainbridge Honda/Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
20. (14) Kyle Kirkwood, Jupiter, Fla., AutoNation Honda/Andretti Autosport
21. (28) Romain Grosjean, Geneva, Switzerland, DHL Honda/Andretti Autosport
22. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Toronto, Canada, Sodexo Honda/Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport
23. (30) Jack Harvey, Bassingham, England, Kustom Entertainment Honda/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
24. (33) Ed Carpenter, Indianapolis, Ind., Bitnile.com Chevrolet/Ed Carpenter Racing
25. (44) Katherine Legge, Guildford, England, Hendrickson Honda/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
26. (30) Christian Lundgaard, Hedensted, Denmark, Hy-Vee Honda/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
27. (50) R.C. Enerson-(R), New Port Richey, Fla., Abel Motorsports Chevrolet, Abel Motorsports
28. (51) Sting Ray Robb-(R), Payette, Idaho, biohaven Honda/Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing
29. (55) Benjamin Pedersen-(R), Copenhagen, Denmark, A.J. Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet/A.J. Foyt Enterprises
30. (60) Simon Pagenaud-(W), Montmorillon, France, AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda/Meyer Shank Racing
31. (66) Tony Kanaan-(W), Salvador, Brazil, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
32. (77) Callum Ilott, Cambridge, England, Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet/Juncos Hollinger Racing
33. (78) Agustin Canapino-(R), Arrecifes, Argentina, Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet/Juncos Hollinger Racing
34. (98) Marco Andretti, Nazareth, Pa., KULR/Curb Honda/Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian

Note _ All cars use the fourth generation NTT IndyCar Series chassis (Dallara IR-12) with universal IR-18 aerodynamic bodywork, Chevrolet or Honda twin-turbocharged V-6 engines and Firestone Firehawk tires.

(W) _Denotes Indianapolis 500 winner

(R) _ Denotes Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year candidate

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2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SCHEDULE/EVENT WINNER AND ENTRANT

Sunday, March 5 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.: Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing

Sunday, April 2 _ Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Sunday, April 16 _ Streets of Long Beach: Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport

Sunday, April 30 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala.: Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske

Saturday, May 13 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course: Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Sunday, May 28 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, NBC/Peacock

Sunday, June 4 _ Streets of Detroit, NBC/Peacock

Sunday, June 18 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., USA Network/Peacock

Sunday, July 2 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio. USA Network/Peacock

Sunday, July 16 _ Streets of Toronto, Peacock

Saturday, July 22 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, NBC/Peacock

Sunday, July 23 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, NBC/Peacock

Sunday, Aug. 6 _ Streets of Nashville, NBC/Peacock

Saturday, Aug. 12 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, USA Network/Peacock

Sunday, Aug. 27 _World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., NBC/Peacock

Sunday, Sept. 3 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, NBC/Peacock

Sunday, Sept. 10 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., NBC/Peacock

(Editor’s Note: John Sturbin is a Texas-based journalist specializing in motorsports. During a near 30-year career with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he won the Bloys Britt Award for top motorsports story of the year (1991) as judged by The Associated Press; received the National Hot Rod Association’s Media Award (1995) and several in-house Star-Telegram honors. He also was inaugural recipient of the Texas Motor Speedway Excellence in Journalism Award (2009). His list of freelance clients includes Texas Motor Speedway, the Dallas Morning News, New York Newsday, Rome (N.Y.) Daily Sentinel, Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller Times, NASCAR Wire Service, Ford Racing and Used Car Dealer magazine).

 

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