Daly P18 at Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Qualifying
MADISON, Illinois – Qualifying Friday for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 NTT IndyCar Series event on the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, and average speed of two qualifying laps: 18. (59) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 179.399
CONOR DALY (Qualified 18th – No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet): “It’s just such a shame – it’s an ice skating rink out there. These Carlin guys did an awesome job with the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet and we had a really good session this morning, but with the oil dry down we just didn’t have a chance. We didn’t even really get to show our true pace this morning because we saved a set of tires, so I feel like we could’ve been even stronger if we weren’t the first one out again in this qualifying session. There was just no grip at all in Turn 1, which is where you need it the most. It is a shame because the car was good and we were really aiming to start in the top 10, which was completely realistic with the car we had in this morning. We’ll just work on our race car tonight and work our way up from the back like we did last weekend.”
Meanwhile, what Conor Daly did Friday night didn’t count for much and doesn’t often lead to much, but it was still noteworthy and surely confidence building at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
The driver of Carlin’s No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet posted the fastest lap in the final practice for Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta & Valvoline. Daly’s lap was 181.931 mph. (Unfortunately, there are no bonus points for the Indiana driver.)
Daly will start 18th in the 22-car field. He had one of the best races of his INDYCAR career here two years ago, finishing fifth for A.J. Foyt Racing.
Pole winner and NTT IndyCar Series points leader Josef Newgarden posted the second-fastest lap in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet (181.312 mph). Newgarden’s pole speed was 186.508 mph.
Among the championship contenders, Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing was sixth, Simon Pagenaud of Team Penske was seventh and Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport was eighth.
