NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson in the No.17 HendrickCars Arrow McLaren Chevrolet starred in qualifying for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
The 2021 NASCAR champion will start the Greatest Spectacle In Racing on Sunday from the middle of the second row in fifth place after setting a four lap average of 232.846MPH and speaking following the action he said:
This is just a great team, really. They prepared an awesome race car that’s stuck to the racetrack, and also has speed. Qualifying went a lot better than I ever could have hoped or anticipated. I’m just proud of everybody at Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports that’s been involved in this. Now, it’s time to switch the mindset over to the heavy stock car and try and go figure out North Wilkesboro.”
Alexander Rossi in the No.7 VELO Chevrolet starts the race from fourth place following a four-lap average of 233.090MPH and speaking following the track action he said:
Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy have done an amazing job this month. Team Chevy locking up the Firestone Fast Six is incredible, so hats off to them. It’s a little disappointing to accept the inevitable here, but the car’s been good all month. The No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet’s race trim is just as good, if not better, than our qualifying trim. We’ll get back to work tomorrow.”
Pato O’Ward in the No.5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet just missed out in a place in the Fast 6 and starts the race eighth with a four lap average of 232.584MPH and speaking following the action he said:
“We’re starting eighth for the big show, so we got what we wanted – a good starting position. We were a bit disappointed that we didn’t find the speed that the other cars have had all month, but it is what it is. We’re going to make sure the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet is the best as it possibly can be and race our way to the front.”
Arrow McLaren Team Principal Gavin Ward said:
On one hand, I feel like we put our cars all in a position to fight for the win for next weekend. That’s the most important thing. On the other hand, this isn’t where we want to be as a team. We want to be the team walking out on the front row, but it’s not an overnight process. Frankly, that’s not realistic. We’re up against some incredibly established teams with tons of resources and a huge amount of experience. We’ve got a laundry list that’s a mile long of things to improve to become even more competitive. When we get that sorted out, we’ll be right there. It was kind of a bittersweet day, but we can focus on the race from here because the big prize is still to come.”