Rahal, Fittipaldi and Lundgaard Qualified 16th, 17th and 23rd for the Bommarito Auto Group 500

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Bommarito Auto Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

QUALIFYING NOTES / QUOTES – August 16, 2024

RAHAL, FITTIPALDI AND LUNDGAARD QUALIFIED 16TH, 17TH AND 23RD FOR THE BOMMARITO AUTO GROUP 500

POLE: Scott McLaughlin 2-lap avg. speed of 179.972 mph (L1: 25.0055, L2: 25.0024 mph)

16th: Graham Rahal 2-lap avg. speed of 175.782 mph (L1: 25.6024, L2: 25.5973 mph)

17th: Pietro Fittipaldi 2-lap avg. speed of 175.656 mph (L1: 25.6738, L2: 25.5627 mph)

23rd: Christian Lundgaard 2-lap avg. speed of 173.722 mph (L1: 25.9209, L2: 25.8861 mph)

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Code 3 Asociates Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The car was pretty good but we put a whole lot of rear wing into it. Just with the track temp, we thought watching others maybe it was something that would be beneficial but ultimately it maybe cost us a tenth or two out there. But, we did our best laps of the weekend out there (in qualifying) which is what you expect in qualifying but it wasn’t quite enough. We’ve got some speed to find. The balance was good but everybody is going to say that because after you get out of practice with all of the cars out there, you go out and now you’ve got clean air and it makes life a lot better.

“We’ve got high-line practice coming up and I know that is always a challenge. But as long as everybody sticks to it, we can make it better. It can get dicey out there. The biggest thing we struggle with at a race like this is when marbles really begin to pick up. It’s very, very easy to hit the fence if you get wide so everybody gets nervous and scared to utilize it (high line). But look, anything can happen at these races. We’ve seen it, we’ve lived it. Our guys are going to do a great job in the pits and I’ll try to do a great job out on track and bring home a good finish for the Code 3 Associates team. Let’s see what happens. Each and every weekend, particularly with this hybrid, it’s a learning experience. Let’s keep our chins up and stay positive and see what happens.”

FAST FACTS: The 2024 race will be Rahal’s ninth at the track. His highest start is seventh place in 2018 and highest finish is 10th – in 2018 and 2022. In 2023, he qualified 23rd in the morning session and started 21st after several competitors served grid penalties for unapproved engine changes. The team attempted different strategy plays and he ultimately finished 20th. Has SIX INDYCAR SERIES wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2) and FIVE poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street; 2023 – IMS road, Portland road) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015… Rahal is ranked 17th in series point standings with a total of 197.

PIETRO FITTIPALDI, 30 Mi-Jack Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We were a little bit out of the window in practice and made some changes before qualifying that gave us a good step forward. For sure, we could have maximized more if we started with this car (set up) in practice. We have two more sessions before the race and will keep dialing it in.”

FAST FACTS: It will be Pietro’s second time to race at this track. In 2018, he started 21st and finished 11th with Dale Coyne Racing. He enjoys racing on short ovals and is aiming to earn a top finish after coming close to matching his top career finish of ninth place this season… He is ranked 19th in series point standings with a total of 135.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, No. 45 Hy-Vee Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I would say the car actually felt pretty good but didn’t really seem to be fast enough. The balance was pretty consistent, but the speed just didn’t seem to be there which was a little frustrating. We have a high-line practice later and another practice after that so we hope to get more of an understanding of the car then.”

FAST FACTS: It will be his third race here. Last year, he qualified 20th and started 19th after grid penalties ahead of him. He cycled as high as fourth at one point during pit stops and ultimately finished 17th. In 2022, he started and finished 19th. His best oval finish to date is 10th place in Race 1 of the 2022 Hy-Vee INDYCAR Weekend doubleheader and he hopes to surpass that this weekend. He is ranked 11th place in the point standings with a total of 229.

NEXT UP: USA Network will begin live coverage of the 260-lap Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on Saturday from 6:00-9:00 p.m. ET and the field will take the Green Flag at 6:30 p.m. ET.