COYNE - Indy 500 Qualifying Notes

 
Strong Qualifying Performance Places Davison on 5th Row, Ferrucci on 8th for Start of 103rd Indianapolis 500

  Indianapolis, IN (May 18, 2019) – The Dale Coyne Racing team put in an excellent team effort during qualifying for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by qualifying all of their cars for the 500-mile event. James Davison put in a solid run aboard his #33 Dale Coyne Racing with Byrd and Belardi entry and placed 15th while rookie Santino Ferrucci qualified 23rd with his #19 Cly-Del Manufacturing Honda. The qualifying reports for each driver are below.


15th – James Davison - #33 Dale Coyne Racing with Byrd/Belardi
Lap 1: 229.247 mph
Lap 2: 228.102 mph
Lap 3: 227.885 mph
Lap 4: 227.865 mph
Four-lap average Speed: 228.273 mph

The number 33 Dale Coyne Racing with Byrd/Belardi piloted by James Davison had an impressive qualifying run, placing them solidly into the 33-car field. Davison was able to make the ten-mile qualifying run with an average speed of 228.2 mph, putting him 15th on the starting grid. The #33 team will be on track for more practice on Sunday afternoon beginning at 3:15pm, weather permitting.

Davison on his qualifying run:
 “I just have to put it all down to the Dale Coyne Racing with Byrd/Belardi team and Honda for the speed. All my crew guys put in a great team effort and it is great what we pulled off today. We exceeded our expectations. It’s tough when you’re a one-off Indy entry, you have the odds stacked against you. You don’t have the chemistry, you don’t have the full season momentum but that just felt really great and gratifying. It’s a full team effort here to make it into the race, and I’m just really proud of my guys.”


23rd – Santino Ferrucci - #19 Cly-Del Manufacturing
Lap 1: 228.293 mph
Lap 2: 228.083 mph
Lap 3: 227.403 mph
Lap 4: 227.147 mph
Four-lap average speed: 227.731mph
Rookie Santino Ferrucci was taking part in his first ever qualifying on an oval track on Saturday. After a week of learning on the 2.5-mile oval during each practice session, the 20-year-old driver faced his toughest challenge yet as he tried to guarantee himself a spot on the starting grid for this year’s Indy 500. Despite a tricky car to drive, Ferrucci put in a strong performance qualifying 23rd for his first Indianapolis 500, on his first and only attempt thanks to a four-lap average of 227.147mph.

Ferrucci on his qualifying run:
“It’s a tough four laps, the first lap was pretty good, the other ones we were just loose, the car was moving a lot more than I ever wanted it to in Turn 1 and 2. Those were the scariest laps I’ve done here all week. I was just kind of hanging on at that point. Obviously, I was a lot happier yesterday when we were actually quicker in the warmer weather, but I can’t complain. We have a really good race car, so unfortunately, we’re just going to have to do a lot of passing. I’m just happy that we qualified, I feel a lot more confident about the race.”