QUALIFYING REPORT – SUNDAY: 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge
Qualifying Notes
- Qualifying came to a close today as the first four rows and the last row were set for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500. In a day of mixed emotions for the Andretti camp, Marcus Ericsson tried his hand at the pole position in the Fast 12 while teammate Marco Andretti competed in the Last Row Shootout for a chance to run in next Sunday’s 500-mile race.
- In drastic contrast to his 2024 Indianapolis 500 Qualifying experience that saw the Swede battle for a last-row starting position, Ericsson was the sole Andretti INDYCAR driver competing in today’s Fast 12 session. Heading off second in the qualifying line, Ericsson maintained just over a 231 MPH pace, but unfortunately did not have enough speed to advance to the Firestone Fast Six. Ericsson’s P9 starting position will mark the third time the Swede will start the Indianapolis 500 from the first three rows.
- Despite numerous qualifying attempts on Day 1, Andretti was unable to get the No. 98 MAPEI / CURB Honda above the cutline, forcing the team to participate in today’s Last Row Shootout. Rolling off second in today’s qualifying session, Andretti led the Last Row leaderboard, securing a P31 starting position.
- The other two Andretti INDYCAR entries had their qualifying positions for this year’s Indianapolis 500 set in yesterday’s qualifying session. Kyle Kirkwood qualified the No. 27 Siemens Honda in 25th and Colton Herta locked in the 29th spot for the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda after an impressive rebuild effort from the team.
- The 33 qualifiers will continue with their Indianapolis 500 preparations tomorrow in a two-hour practice session that will air live on FS1 at 1 PM ET on Monday afternoon.
Qualifying Results
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Allegra® Honda
P9
| 4-Lap Average | 231.014 MPH |
“It’s been a good qualifying weekend for us. A big bounce back after last year’s drama. It’s better to be running in this part of the Sunday qualifying, that’s for sure. I think the whole 28 Allegra® crew did a really good job. The Honda power has been good all weekend, so I’m looking forward to starting from the outside of Row 3. I think that’s a perfect spot to go fight for a win.”
Marco Andretti
No. 98 MAPEI / CURB Honda
P31
| 4-Lap Average | 229.741 MPH |
“I never thought I’d celebrate 31st, but I’m just happy. I’m honestly so proud of the 98 guys, especially over the last couple of days, and how they’ve been sticking with it. I’ve been telling all of them this might be the one we win, the one we barely make. That’s Indy, that’s what it does.”
Rob Edwards
Chief Operating Officer
“Much like yesterday, this was a team effort. I’m super proud of the team. The 98 guys hung in there, and the whole garage came together to make sure that we got Marco in the show. He did a great job and executed where he needed to. I’m also happy for Marcus that he’s in the Fast 12; the 28 crew has worked hard to be up there. I think we’ve got good race cars, so we’re excited for next Sunday.”
