Josef Newgarden eliminated from Indy 500 pole contention after failing to make Fast 12

Josef Newgarden’s bid to qualify near the front for the 110th Indianapolis 500 ended on May 17 when the Team Penske driver failed to make the Fast 12 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The two-time defending race winner was 23rd in combined qualifying at 230.165 mph over four laps, leaving him out of the sessions that decided pole and the first four rows. Felix Rosenqvist set the pace among the drivers who advanced from the opening round, and Alex Palou later converted that weekend into pole position for the May 24 race. The result left one of the event’s biggest recent winners starting from Row 8 instead of fighting for the front. ### How far off the pace was Newgarden? IndyCar’s combined qualifying results showed Newgarden averaged 230.165 mph, which placed him 23rd in the field. The cutoff for the top 12 was Takuma Sato at 230.995 mph, leaving Newgarden more than eight-tenths of a mile per hour short of advancing. NBC Sports’ published starting lineup listed Newgarden 23rd on the grid, alongside Ryan Hunter-Reay in 22nd and Romain Grosjean in 24th. That put Newgarden in the middle of Row 8 for a race he has won the last two years. ### Who did make the Fast 12 instead? Felix Rosenqvist led the advancing group from the first qualifying round, according to Motorsport.com’s report on the session. (indycar.com) The same report said several notable drivers, including Newgarden, were left to start deeper in the field after missing the cutoff. (nbcsports.com) IndyCar’s results page showed the 12 drivers who advanced were Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci, Pato O’Ward, Kyffin Simpson, Conor Daly, Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, Rinus VeeKay and Takuma Sato. Those times were later used to set the first four rows after the Top 12 and Fast Six rounds. (motorsport.com) ### Where did the front of the grid finally settle? Alex Palou won the pole at 232.248 mph, according to NBC Sports’ lineup and IndyCar’s official results. Alexander Rossi qualified second at 231.990 mph, and David Malukas took the third spot at 231.877 mph to complete the front row. NBC Sports listed Rosenqvist fourth, Santino Ferrucci fifth and Pato O’Ward sixth on the final grid. (indycar.com) That made Rosenqvist the fastest driver from the initial advancing group, but not the eventual pole winner once the later qualifying rounds were complete. ### Was Newgarden the only big name buried in the order? (nbcsports.com) Helio Castroneves qualified 14th, Will Power 19th and Marcus Ericsson 17th, according to IndyCar’s results and NBC Sports’ lineup. The opening round sorted positions 13 through 33 before the later sessions settled the front of the field, which meant several former winners and established contenders ended up outside the first four rows. (nbcsports.com) NBC Sports also reported that Caio Collet, who had initially qualified 10th, and Jack Harvey, who had qualified 29th, were sent to the rear after IndyCar disallowed their times for unapproved modifications. Rossi and O’Ward, meanwhile, were set to keep their starting spots despite moving to backup cars after practice crashes. (indycar.com) ### What happens next before the race? The 110th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NBC Sports and USA Today’s race-week coverage listed Palou on pole for the 33-car field, with Newgarden set to start 23rd as he tries to win the race for a third straight year. (nbcsports.com)