The fairy tale became reality for Robert Shwartzman and PREMA Racing, as the rookie driver in his first-ever oval race and the first-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES team shocked the field to win the NTT P1 Award for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
Shwartzman, from Tel Aviv, Israel, became the first rookie driver to win the pole since Teo Fabi in 1983. He is just the third rookie to win the pole on track and will be the sixth first-year starter to lead the field to green in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
SEE: Qualifying Results | Starting Lineup
The impossible dream came true when Shwartzman ripped off a four-lap average speed of 232.790 mph in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet during the Firestone Fast Six. PREMA, which joined the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this season after years of success in European racing, became the first team to claim the “500” pole in its first attempt since Mayer Motor Racing put Tom Sneva on the pole in 1984.
“I was like, ‘This is a dream; it can’t be true,” Shwartzman said. “I don’t know what even to say. The car felt amazing. I can’t thank PREMA and Chevy. Coming here for my first oval race, I would never even expect it to be in this position. It’s unbelievable.”
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato and Pato O’Ward will join Shwartzman on the front row for the race Sunday, May 25 (10 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Sato qualified second at 232.478 in the No. 75 AMADA Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. O’Ward will start third after his Firestone Fast Six run of 232.098 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
The remainder of the Firestone Fast Six participants will comprise the second row. 2008 “500” winner Scott Dixon will start fourth after his run of 232.052 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Felix Rosenqvist qualified fifth at 231.987 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. Three-time series champion and current points leader Alex Palou, who has won four of the first five races this season, qualified sixth at 231.378 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
This pole was as much incredible as it was improbable. The PREMA team, consisting of Shwartzman and teammate Callum Ilott, completed just 22 laps combined on the opening day of practice Tuesday, May 13 because they were behind on preparations for their first “500” and first oval race.
Shwartzman was 33rd fastest out of the 34 drivers on opening day, improving to only 28th Wednesday and falling to 32nd Thursday. But his car came alive on Fast Friday presented by Turtle Wax after engine boost levels and horsepower were increased, as he ended up 13th.
Then on the first day of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, Shwartzman drove into the Top 12 Qualifying session by ending up sixth. He improved to third at 232.008 in the Top 12 Qualifying session earlier today before his stunning run to the pole.
“I have to say big thanks to my engineers,” Shwartzman said. “They did an amazing job, step by step, by improving the car, trying new things. All of these steps that we did were just better, better, better. And then got to a point where the car was really good.”
Marco Andretti, Marcus Armstrong and Rinus VeeKay earned the final three spots in the field in Last Chance Qualifying. Andretti, grandson of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti, will start 31st in the No. 98 MAPEI/Curb Honda of Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian. Armstrong rebounded from a vicious crash Saturday to qualify 32nd at 229.091 in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian.
VeeKay was the last driver to earn a spot in the 33-car lineup, qualifying 33rd at 226.913 in the No. 18 askROI Honda of Dale Coyne Racing and hanging on to hope while his rookie teammate, Jacob Abel, fell short of making the field in the last run of the Last Chance Qualifying session. Abel’s last-ditch attempt reached 226.394 in the No. 75 Miller High Life Honda.
“Unfortunately, starting yesterday I’ve been kind of preparing for this a little bit,” Abel said. “Super, super weird situation. We were happy all week long. The No. 51 Miller High Life car was fast. It just seemed like something happened overnight Friday to Saturday, and we just immediately lost speed. And it’s just been getting slower and slower every run.”
There was unexpected drama at the start of the Top 12 Qualifying session when the cars of two remaining Team Penske drivers in the session, Josef Newgarden and Will Power, didn’t make their respective one attempt after a violation of INDYCAR Rule 14.7.8.16, an unapproved body fit on the rear attenuator of the car.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin already was relegated to start on the fourth row for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” after he crashed heavily in Turn 2 during pre-qualifying practice this morning in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin was unhurt, but the car suffered heavy damage, and the team elected to focus its efforts on getting a car prepared for McLaughlin for practice Monday afternoon.
The three Team Penske drivers will occupy Row 4 on the starting grid based on their four-lap average speeds from the first day of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday. McLaughlin will start 10th in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, two-time reigning “500” winner Newgarden 11th in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO Team Penske Chevrolet and Power 12th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
Up next is a practice session from 1-3 p.m. ET Monday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
