“It’s really been tough today to stay on top of the track conditions – they’ve been changing a lot. It feels more like an oval out there where the wind changes just a little bit and you have to adjust your driving style to it. It’s a lot of fun adjusting to that. We kind of got burnt there a little bit. Group 2 had a red [flag] that allowed them to save a new set of red tires to use at the end in the Firestone Fast Six. We got out-qualified by two guys that were on new red tires – but hats off to Newgarden, he did it on used tires. I think we got about everything we could have out of the 28 DHL Honda. Big props to the team for giving me what I needed today, we kept making the car better and better and hopefully we can do that for the race. It’s going to be interesting, it’s going to be wet tomorrow. Hopefully we can get this thing in and have an exciting rain race.”
For the first time since the 2017 season finale, all four Andretti Autosport Hondas advanced from Round 1 of qualifying into the top 12. With momentum continuing to roll from the streets of Long Beach, the quartet of drivers will look to secure the team’s first podium finish on the 17-turn road course since 2014 when Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti occupied the top two podium steps.
- STARTING POSITION: 4th
- QUALIFYING TIME: 1:07.7807
- OF NOTE: Earned his best starting position of the 2018 season after fighting in the Firestone Fast Six at a disadvantage to those from Group 2 who were able to save a set of Firestone alternate tires thanks to a red flag ended their session early
Sunday’s race will go green at 3:40 p.m. ET with live broadcast on NBCSN at 3 p.m. and complete radio coverage via the IndyCar Radio Network on SiriusXM 214/209.
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