VeeKay Beats O'Ward To Alabama Pole
Calum Gill 19:37 30/04/2022
Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay claimed his second IndyCar career pole position at Barber to make it four different pole winners in as many races.
VeeKay had a tough second half of last season after a shoulder injury sustained when cycling, but a back-to-the-drawing-board approach with his engineer has yielded a strong start to 2022. He was fastest in second practice this weekend but still felt like an unlikely pole winner given the firepower reaching the Fast Six shootout. VeeKay dumped Pato O’Ward off the pole after the latter had looked comfortable in the Fast Six. It’s still a season best qualifying for the driver who is close to signing a contract extension with the Arrow McLaren SP team. O’Ward may have missed out on repeating his pole last year, but it was still a good day for the team as McLaren was the only squad to have two cars in the Fast Six.
Reigning champion Álex Palou had a late jump up to third at the race he won last year on his Chip Ganassi Racing debut, ahead of the top Penske Scott McLaughlin who will be looking to bounce back from a tricky Long Beach race where he spun. Alexander Rossi rewarded his Andretti team for changing/repairing his engine, gearbox, steering rack and floor in under three hours after a crash in final practice with fifth place to start Sunday’s race. Felix Rosenqvist continued his strong qualifying form giving Arrow McLaren SP team sixth in the Fast Six.
Penske’s Josef Newgarden was the first driver to miss out on the pole battle in seventh. However, the winner of the last two races will almost certainly be pleased with that after struggling in practice. Romain Grosjean was quick but occasionally messy in practice and qualifying and starts in eighth at the track where he made his IndyCar debut last year. Graham Rahal scored his best start of the season just behind in ninth sandwiched by two Andretti cars. Colton Herta rounded out the top 10 after a gamble to try to do a lap fewer than everybody else in the top 12 session to save tyres for the pole shootout. It has paid off in the past as recently as helping him to pole at Long Beach last time out, but worked against him this time.
Marcus Ericsson spun at Turn 8 at the end of the session to bring out a red flag which robbed Herta and star rookie Callum Ilott of a shot at improving. Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Ilott has been waiting for a road course after two street circuits and an oval to start the season, but the returning team has hit the track running in Barber and starts 11th ahead of Ericsson. His Ganassi team-mate Scott Dixon was the top driver not to make it through the first qualifying group, and will start 13th having missed out by 0.012 seconds in the first group. He looks to be lacking most in qualifying of the Ganassi pole threats this season.
Having not finished lower than fourth in the first three races this year, Will Power will start 19th amid a confusing lack of pace in qualifying. He spun in practice two hours before qualifying but didn’t think that impacted his car’s performance. Simon Pagenaud was the biggest surprise of the second group after a strong start to the season, as the Meyer Shank Racing driver struggled in qualifying and will start on the 12th row of the grid.
