Rossi, Hunter-Reay Lead Honda Qualifying Runs at Pocono
• Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay make up second row of starting grid
• Robert Wickens again leads rookies with sixth-place qualifying run
• Honda drivers claim seven of top 10 qualifying spots
LONG POND, Penn. (August 18, 2018) – Already a winner of one 500-mile race – the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016 – Alexander Rossi led the Honda field in qualifying today for Sunday’s ABC Supply 500. Rossi will start on the inside of the second row, third, with his Andretti Autosport teammate and 2015 Pocono race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay alongside, in fourth.
In his first visit to the unique, three-turn Pocono oval, Robert Wickens will start sixth for Honda and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, with Zach Veach making his own impressive rookie run to qualify seventh. Sebastien Bourdais qualified eighth in his DCR Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda.
James Hinchcliffe will start ninth in the second SPM Honda, while Takuma Sato rounds out the top 10 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Sunday’s 200-lap race, the second and final 500-mile race of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season, starts at 2 p.m. EDT, with live coverage on the NBC Sports Network.
Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport Honda) Qualified third: “I’m definitely happy with the qualifying run. It was a disjointed first practice this morning for the NAPA Andretti team, so to be in the second row as top Honda and have [teammate] Ryan [Hunter-Reay] right next to us is a good day. This is a fun racetrack, and we have a long way to go tomorrow, so hopefully, we’ll get tonight’s [final] practice in and have something to celebrate tomorrow night.”
Robert Wickens (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda) Fastest rookie qualifier, will start 6th: “This morning [practice session] was a struggle. We had a really tough first practice. We just couldn’t find clear air and I didn’t really know what balance we had [in the car]. Hats off to everyone at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports; the Lucas Oil car was great and Hinch’s [teammate James Hinchcliffe’s] Arrow car was quick, as well. Big thanks to Hinch, because he told me Turn 3 was easy flat [out] which was something I never even came close to this morning, or at the test here last week. So I trusted him, committed to it on the first lap, and it worked.”