INDYCAR QUALIFYING REPORT: Detroit Grand Prix

Will Power

No. 26 TWG AI Honda

• Taking on qualifying on the Streets of Detroit after finishing second yesterday and third in this morning’s practice session, Will Power looked to capitalize on the pace he showed in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda.
• Continuing his success on the Streets of Detroit, Power advanced through both rounds to earn his fourth consecutive Firestone Fast Six appearance on the downtown circuit.
• The second driver to take to the track in the single-car format, Power missed the pole by just 0.2232 seconds.
• Power’s second-place result marks both his first front-row start with Andretti Global and on the Streets of Detroit.

“This race is usually a bit of mayhem, so second is a good place to be at the start. We just need to try to stay out of trouble. So second is a good place to be at the start, and we just need to try to stay out of trouble. We definitely have a great car and a very good team. We’ve been good in a lot of places this year; we just haven’t put a whole weekend together yet.”

Kyle Kirkwood

No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda

• After finishing second on yesterday’s practice leaderboard and clocking the fastest lap this morning, defending Detroit Grand Prix winner Kyle Kirkwood entered qualifying this afternoon in Group 2.
• Advancing out of the first two rounds of qualifying, Kirkwood secured a spot in the Firestone Fast Six for the third time on the Streets of Detroit.
• As the third driver to take to the track in the Firestone Fast Six, Kirkwood unfortunately locked up on his qualifying run and ultimately qualified sixth.
• With five street course wins on his resume, Kirkwood will look to capture his second consecutive victory on the Streets of Detroit tomorrow.

“We’ve had a really fast car all weekend, so sixth isn’t necessarily where we wanted to end up. Obviously, we would have liked to have been a little further up the field, but I’m still really happy with the pace in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda. We’ve shown speed in every session, and I think we’ve got a car that will be strong over a race run. Tomorrow is what matters most, and I’m confident we’ll be in the fight.”

No. 28 Siemens Honda

• Sporting a brand-new Siemens livery on the Streets of Detroit, Marcus Ericsson was the first Andretti driver to take on this afternoon’s qualifying session after posting the seventh-fastest lap in this morning’s practice session.
• The Swede worked his way up to fourth on the timing charts in the opening round of qualifying. Despite brushing the wall twice on his final flying lap, the Swede held on to advance to Round 2 after taking the checkered in sixth.
• After repairs were done to the No. 28, Ericsson joined his teammates in Round 2 and climbed as high as ninth on the timing charts. Unfortunately, the Swede was unable to find additional speed and ultimately took the checkered in 10th.
• With one podium, seven laps led and only one finish outside the top 10 in Detroit, Ericsson will look to continue his strong record on the downtown circuit as he chases his second street course win tomorrow.

“It was a bit of a messy session for us. Obviously, I hit the wall at the end of the first session and there was quite significant damage, mainly to the right-rear corner, but also both fronts. The No. 28 Siemens crew did a tremendous job getting the car back out for the second session. It was really impressive to be able to repair that much damage and have the car ready 15 or 20 minutes later. I’m super thankful for all the guys and the effort they put in to get me back out there. In the second session, the car was still good, although it was a little bent from the damage. We weren’t far from advancing to the Fast Six. P10 isn’t where we want to be, but we know we have a good race car and can still have a strong race from there.”

“Great job by everybody at Andretti for unloading fast cars this weekend. Unfortunately, we came up just a little short in qualifying, but having all three cars in the top 10 and fighting for the pole today was great to see. Detroit is a great track to race on, and we’re really looking forward to tomorrow. I think all three cars have a great chance to win. We just have to execute all day and make sure one of our cars, if not all three are on the podium at the end.”