Indy 500 Qualifying Format, Qualifying Draw for Day 1

By May 17, 2014, 9:15 AM EDT
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Chances are you may have forgotten or not fully remembered the new qualifying format for the Indianapolis 500 that’s coming into play this year.

In a few sentences, here’s my best shot at explaining it: You qualify today for race pit positioning, points (33 for first down to 1 for 33rd), and a shot at Sunday’s Fast Nine shootout. Tomorrow’s qualifying then actually sets the starting order for the race, with two segments to cover 10-33, and again from 1-9.

In other words, every driver and car is gonna have to strap in and go fast for four laps, at least twice.

Luckily, INDYCAR has put together a “Qualifying 101” for today – here is how it reads:

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SATURDAY QUALIFYING

• All entries are guaranteed one attempt to qualify between 11 a.m. and 5:50 p.m.
• The fastest 33 cars will make up the provisional field for the 98th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race based on the fastest four-lap average time.
• Once the qualifying session ends, the top 30 cars are locked in to the field.
• However, all 33 cars must re-qualify on Sunday to determine final starting positions.
• The fastest nine cars advance to a shootout on Sunday to determine the Verizon P1 Award.

Qualifying Lines: 

• There will be two qualifying lines at the end of pit lane:
o Line 1: Cars that are unqualified or have withdrawn their previous qualifying times. Priority will be given to this lane.
o Line 2: Cars that have already qualified but want another attempt and have not withdrawn their previous qualifying times.
•  Multiple attempts are permitted without withdrawing a time by entering Line 2.
•  Teams can withdraw their time and enter Line 1, which will have priority over cars already in the field.
•  Teams that make multiple attempts can only improve their times if they have not withdrawn their time to enter Line 2, meaning, even if a driver records a slower four-lap average, that driver’s previous (faster) time will stand.

Qualifying Points, Saturday: 

1st – 33 points
2nd – 32 points
3rd – 31 points
4th – 30 points
5th – 29 points
6th – 28 points
7th – 27 points
8th – 26 points
9th – 25 points
10th – 24 points
11th – 23 points
12th – 22 points
13th – 21 points
14th – 20 points
15th – 19 points
16th – 18 points
17th – 17 points
18th – 16 points
19th – 15 points
20th – 14 points
21st  – 13 points
22nd – 12 points
23rd – 11 points
24th – 10 points
25th – 9 points
26th – 8 points
27th – 7 points
28th – 6 points
29th – 5 points
30th – 4 points
31st – 3 points
32nd – 2 points
33rd – 1 point

SUNDAY QUALIFYING

Group 1:

• All Saturday times are erased and positions 10-30 will re-qualify to determine starting position.
• Order will be the reverse of Saturday’s rankings.
• Lineup will be determined based on fastest four-lap averages.
• In the event that there are only 33 cars entered, this group will determine positions 10-33.

Group 2 (Only used in the event there are more than 33 cars):

• All Saturday times are erased and positions 31-33, and any entry that has yet to make one attempt to qualify, will re-qualify to determine the 11th row of the race.

Group 3:

• The top nine cars will run in reverse order based on Saturday’s times.
• All cars will make one attempt.
• At the end of the session, the cars are ranked 1-9 based on their four-lap average during the segment.

Qualifying Points, Sunday:

1st – 9 points
2nd – 8 points
3rd – 7 points
4th – 6 points
5th – 5 points
6th – 4 points
7th – 3 points
8th – 2 points
9th – 1 point

Note: The Indianapolis 500 will award double points for race results, but the qualifying points and any bonus points awarded for leading a lap (1 point) or most laps (2 points) will not be doubled.

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And now, with that in mind, here’s the qualifying draw for today’s run. Teams have until 7 p.m. tonight to declare to INDYCAR if anyone wants to add an extra, what would be 34th car. Qualifying runs from 11-5:50 today (check local listings).

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Num Car Driver Best Speed
1 8T Ryan Briscoe 219.745
2 91 Buddy Lazier 218.277
3 34 Carlos Munoz 227.938
4 21 JR Hildebrand 229.384
5 2 Juan Pablo Montoya 229.205
6 9 Scott Dixon 229.062
7 67T Josef Newgarden No Speed
8 20 Ed Carpenter 230.522
9 9T Scott Dixon 220.226
10 98 Jack Hawksworth 228.176
11 18 Carlos Huertas 224.242
12 8 Ryan Briscoe 226.072
12A 3 Helio Castroneves 229.843
14 27T James Hinchcliffe No Speed
15 19 Justin Wilson 225.058
16 63 Pippa Mann 223.984
17 68T Alex Tagliani No Speed
18 41 Martin Plowman 228.036
19 25 Marco Andretti 229.419
20 77T Simon Pagenaud No Speed
21 5T Jacques Villeneuve No Speed
22 26 Kurt Busch 224.739
23 11T Sebastien Bourdais No Speed
24 7 Mikhail Aleshin 227.822
25 83T Charlie Kimball 221.845
26 15 Graham Rahal 223.478
27 27 James Hinchcliffe 228.115
28 14T Takuma Sato No Speed
29 5 Jacques Villeneuve 227.682
30 22T Sage Karam No Speed
31 18T Carlos Huertas No Speed
32 12 Will Power 225.899
33 34T Carlos Munoz No Speed
34 28T Ryan Hunter-Reay No Speed
35 17 Sebastian Saavedra 226.137
36 33 James Davison 217.052
37 77 Simon Pagenaud 228.544
38 16T Oriol Servia No Speed
39 12T Will Power No Speed
40 83 Charlie Kimball 224.544
41 10 Tony Kanaan 224.836
42 98T Jack Hawksworth No Speed
43 67 Josef Newgarden 229.276
44 6 Townsend Bell 225.484
45 15T Graham Rahal No Speed
46 3T Helio Castroneves No Speed
47 2T Juan Pablo Montoya No Speed
48 63T Pippa Mann No Speed
49 68 Alex Tagliani 227.394
50 10T Tony Kanaan 220.755
51 22 Sage Karam 223.903
52 14 Takuma Sato 227.741
53 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay 228.603
54 7T Mikhail Aleshin No Speed
55 16 Oriol Servia 226.387
56 19T Justin Wilson No Speed
57 25T Marco Andretti No Speed
58 11 Sebastien Bourdais 226.351
59 20T Ed Carpenter No Speed
60 41T Martin Plowman No Speed

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).