Photo Credit: Chris Jones/IndyCar
A calamity filled qualifying session marred the day’s activities at Pocono Raceway, but being on the edge of control wouldn’t get in Takuma Sato’s way as the 2017 Indianapolis 500 winner took the top spot in qualifying.
Sato won his second pole of the season by posting the best two-lap average of 219.639 MPH. The Andretti Autosport driver will lead the field to the green flag for tomorrow’s ABC Supply Company 500 alongside Simon Pagenaud who will start second. Charlie Kimball will start third followed by Tony Kanaan and Will Power.
Verizon IndyCar Series points leader Josef Newgarden qualified a disappointing 14th after running poorly throughout the day’s opening practice sessions.
Crashes in qualifying for Helio Castroneves and Ryan Hunter-Reay resulted in two slotting in the 20th and 21st positions. Ed Carpenter, who crashed in practice and was unable to set a qualifying time, will start in 22nd. Castroneves and Carpenter have both been cleared to race, but the situation for Hunter-Reay is different.
Hunter-Reay climbed out of his No. 28 DHL Honda, but upon complaining of hip pain, the 2012 series champion was unable to put weight on his body while limping to the ambulance. After making a trip to the infield care center, Hunter-Reay was transported to nearby Lehigh Valley Hospital for further evaluation. His race status for tomorrow is currently unknown.
