Doyel: Rahal bumped by teammate, ‘We’re in for a hell of a race’
IndyStar sports columnist Gregg Doyel shares his first impressions of Graham Rahal getting bumped by his own teammate.
Clark Wade, Indianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS — The difference between first and second – and 33rd and 34th – in Indianapolis 500 qualifying has to be measured to three decimal places.
The emotions, however, span the entire spectrum.
Graham Rahal broke down after teammate Jack Harvey bumped him from the Indy 500 by .007 miles per hour in Last Chance Qualifying; and Harvey struggled to capture his emotions after making The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Alex Palou then earned the pole by .006 miles per hour over Rinus VeeKay, delivering the fastest run by a pole winner at 234.217 mph.
Here is how qualifying unfolded on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
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Graham Rahal bumped from Indy 500
The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team had a horrific week of practice and qualifying at the Indianapolis 500 … then it got a lot better for Jack Harvey and a whole lot worse for Graham Rahal.
Rahal was bumped from the Indianapolis 500 in Last Chance Qualifying on Sunday, his average speed of 229.159 mph nipped by teammate Harvey on his third, last-minute qualifying run by .007 mph.
“You can’t do anything,” Rahal said in an interview with NBC after hugging everyone on his team. “You’ve just got to be positive. We just came up short. This place, it doesn’t come easy. It doesn’t just happen. We weren’t good enough. I knew from the start we were in trouble.”
At that point Rahal, who was dealing with a broken heart, stepped away from the interview as he was overcome by his emotions and was quickly shown embracing his young daughter.
NBC announcer and former driver James Hinchcliffe, who was also bumped from the Indy 500, tweeted: “I’ve been there. I’ve done it. I know how @GrahamRahal feels. He handled that like a damn champion. Nothing but respect for you, bud.”
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“It’s bittersweet to knock a teammate out,” Harvey said. “I don’t know what to say. It’s no secret it’s been a struggle (for the team). The hope was all three of our cars could make it.
“I’m grateful to be in the race.”
The third RLR driver, Christian Lundgaard, averaged 229.649 mph as the first driver to go out during the Last Chance Qualifying with Dale Coyne Racing’s Sting Ray Robb, the only non-RLR car, posting a 229.549 average; good enough to lock up the 31st and 32nd positions in Sunday’s Indy 500.
Harvey went third and his first run of 228.477 mph quickly provided to not be nearly good enough as Rahal’s 229.159 took over the final spot. Harvey’s second run of 228.929 cut his deficit to more than half to .23 but he immediately went back out for his third try with less than a minute remaining to make the race.
Alex Palou wins Indianapolis 500 pole
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou’s Fast 6 qualifying run average of 234.217 mph set a record for a pole sitter … and was just barely enough.
Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay was just .006 mph behind him and Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist .103 back in third.
“We knew it was going to be tight,” Palou told NBC. “(Watching the last three runs) was tougher than doing four laps.”
Santino Ferrucci (233.661) will start fourth, the best starting position for A.J. Foyt Enterprises since 2001; Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward (233.158) fifth and Scott Dixon (233.151) sixth.
Team Penske eliminated from pole competition in Fast 12
Team Penske was eliminated from the pole in the Fast 12 when Will Power matched his 12th-place finish from Saturday, with an average speed of 232.635 mph. Arrow McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing dominated Saturday, putting four cars each in the Fast 12, but each lost two. Alexander Rossi (233.110) and Tony Kanaan (233.076) will start 7th and 9th, respectively for Arrow McLaren; with Takuma Sato (233.098) and Marcus Ericsson (232.889) starting 8th and 10th, respectively, for Ganassi. Benjamin Pedersen (232.671) will start 11th for the surprising A.J. Foyt Enterprises team.
