No oval experience, no problem: Rookie Robert Shwartzman captures Indy 500 pole

Bob Pockrass

Fox Motorsports Insider

Indianapolis-Indianapolis Motor Speedway has no pairs, and this incredible speed palace was host of an incredible day of fixing the pole on Sunday.

Robert Shwartzman became the first rookie since 1983 to win the post for an Indianapolis 500, a pilot that few would have hoped to win the largest oval race pole in the world, which he considers that he has never run in an oval in his life.

And unexpectedly, the Penske team had two of its pilots (twice winner of the defender career Josef Newgarden and Will Power) parked the last day of qualification for a rape of rules in which they had filled seams that connected with their attenuator.

The other Penske pilot, the courses of the Defensor Carrera Scott McLaughlin, could never qualify after a hard wreck in practice.

I would not matter who was fighting Shwartzman for the post. It seemed that IMS fans enjoyed seeing a driver without a history of Indycar driving for a prema racing team without Indycar’s history, winning the largest preliminary prize for the motor racing show.

INDY 500: Qualification Day 2 Outstanding

“I still can’t believe it,” said Shwartzman. “It’s just a dream.”

Shwartzman was never fast in practice before the qualification, spending more time in the background 10 than in the top 15. But he presented a solid race in the classification on Saturday, he held third place in the top 12 in the first round of Sundary Sunday. Toktage Toktage Toktage Toktage Toktage Toktage and Toktage Toktage and Toktage Toktage and Toktage Toktage Toktage and Toktage Toktage Tokpage and Toktage Toktage Toktage Tokpage and Toktage.

“I was thinking about my dreams fantasizing,” How will you feel to take pole position in Indy 500? What is the environment like? “” Said Shwartzman.

“Then I was,” yes, Robert returns to reality. You have a new car, new team, you are a rookie. How can you expect to be in this position? It is alone in your dreams. “

The thing about dreams? Occasionally they come true when Shwartzman will begin in a first row with two veterans two winners of Indy 500 Takuma Sato and Arrow McLaren Driver Pato O’ward.

“What incredible event with [a] The rookie driver in the Pole Position is completely impressive, “said Sato.” Huge concentrats for all involved for that team. “

How did the team? Shwartzman said they focused on taking things step by step and improving during the week.

A former Formula 1 reserve pilot for Ferrari and Sauber, Shwartzman had a reputation like a solid road corridor that was expected to fight against the ovals.

But he did something incredible in the first five races and entered the 500 in 24 in the classification of the series.

Kyffin Simpson catches the air in the duration of the scrutiny of the terrifying Indy 500 practice

“I cooled to the maximum what I could,” said Shwartzman. “I tried to stay as long as possible flat [out]And yes, here we are.

“We managed to survive. I managed to hold it. Honestly, it was everyone’s best feeling. The car was simply incredible.”

There were three drivers who wanted to have tried to win such feeling. The first row of the Penske team last year ended at Top 12 on Saturday and hoped they could repeat the feat.

But McLaughlin crashed hard in practice on Sunday morning and ended during the day. Then, the NewGarden and Power Cars had a problem before qualifying for Top-12 cars on Sunday afternoon.

The series officials saw Bondo’s problem in the seam in Power’s car, but they let him go to the network to qualify before they governed, said Indycar president Doug Boles. When the inspectors saw the same problem in Newgarden’s car, they failed Newgarden’s car and told the Penske team that Power’s car would probably fail the technology after the qualification.

The team opted for not that the energy qualifies the car and risk any potential calamity when the moment is allowed.

“In our eyes, it is not a performance advantage, but at the end of the day, if they do not like sewing, they do not like sewing to be filled,” said team president Indycar, Tim Cindric. “You must do what the inspection process is and according to that.

“We will live with that and start in the fourth row … everyone tries to make the cars as elegant as possible and if this makes a difference or not, the facts are that this did not happen the inspection.”

‘It’s honestly incredible’ – Robert Shwartzman talks about the emotions of winning the pole of Indianapolis 500

EITHER

“It’s a shame, really, because they don’t need those things,” O’Ward said. “They are a great team. They have great drivers. Why are they doing that? It doesn’t make sense.”

Penske pilots want to have a challenge for some of the best points, and their absence made the final rounds more unpredictable.

And the minor of the predictable ended happened as a driver born in Israel who lived mainly in Russia, but also spent time in Italy will now lead Green in the 109 ° Indianapolis 500.

“It’s my first oval experience,” said Shwartzman. “That was something incredible. Especially go 240 miles per hour, which is like 385 kilometers per hour.

“It’s just a new experience. I have never driven such a fast car. Now sit here in the pole position is, once again, just a wow.”

Bob Pockrass covers Nascar and Indycar for Fox Sports. Decades have passed engine sports, including more than 30 Daytona 500s, with periods in ESPN, Sporting News, Nascar Scene Magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow it on Twitter @Bobpock.

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