Josef Newgarden in the No.2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet says that it was not the day the team were looking for as the Indianapolis 500 champion will start Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar course from 15th.
“Not the day we were looking for with the PPG Chevy, and we’ll have to do a deep dive to see what we missed. It’s not ideal, for sure, but look at what Will (Power) was able to do from the back last year. No one thought he could drive to a podium, but that’s what happened. We’ll need to be super aggressive from the drop of the green. That’s what we’ll work on between now and then.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske starts from eighth place and speaking followingtheactionhe said:
“Overall, okay day for the Good Ranchers Chevy. A P8 starting spot for us tomorrow on race day. We’ve got a great race car. Looking forward to the race; it could be wet or dry. Could be a mix of changeable conditions and I enjoy that. There is no doubt we can win from eighth, so we’ll do our best to do that.”
Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske starts the race from seventh place having just missed out on a place in the Fast 6.
“Car felt really good. It’s obviously ultra, ultra tight. Everyone in front of us are Hondas, so maybe just [this condition] is suiting their engine being very humid. I could’ve done a bit better with the tire prep on the first lap. I didn’t anticipate having to back up in [turns] 4, 5, and 6. But man, not me. I was quicker in the first round; maybe the track slowed up. That’s everything I had.”
“What am I off? Like three-tenths. I’m off not even three-tenths and I’m seventh. Just INDYCAR. It’s so bloody tough. It’s no joke. It’s great, really. Still haven’t cracked that top-six this year, if you can believe it.
Are you close enough you can find something tomorrow and contend for a win?
“I think our race car, our race, will be good. I think we had the ultimate pace as well. We had a theoretical as P3, but I just didn’t get a good enough prep lap on the tire there. Maybe we would have got through, but yeah. It’s been an interesting qualifying year for me.