Lundqvist looks to build on momentum during month of May
The biggest month of racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is coming at the best possible time for Chip Ganassi Racing rookie Linus Lundqvist.
Lundqvist and the rest of INDYCAR is in Indianapolis for the rest of the month of May, this weekend for the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and then for qualifications and the running of the Indianapolis 500. And the driver of the No. 8 American Legion Honda that features Be the One branding is doing so coming off his best-ever performance in INDYCAR.
On April 28, Lundqvist drove the No. 8 car to a third-place finish in the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park. He led four laps and finished 16 positions higher than his spot on the starting grid.
“Getting your first INDYCAR podium, it’s a big deal,” Lundqvist said during a press conference this week. “It was great seeing the 8 crew getting together and getting a little bit of success. And my parents were there, so I was happy to see them when I was jumping out of the car.”
Lundqvist, who is eighth in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points race and first in the Rookie of the Year standings, has experience on the Indy course after competing in the INDY NXT series. “You kind of know what to expect,” he said. “It’s a very different situation this time around, but it just adds that little bit of comfort. It’s nice. And the added podium we had at Barber, confidence grew. It’s a nice feeling going into the month of May.”
Lundqvist also said it was nice to bring the Legion’s Be the One mission to a podium finish.
“The way that I view it, I’m extremely proud to be representing The American Legion,” he said. “Firstly, The American Legion livery, even though it’s fairly short history in INDYCAR, it’s had tremendous success. It’s won races and it’s won championships. So it’s very cool for racing driver Linus to bring that forward.
“But secondly, the mission. Everything The American Legion works for, and especially now with Be the One. It’s something bigger than racing. At the end of the day you’re saving lives. I think that’s one of the greatest honors that one can have. Being able to bring The American Legion back on the podium is amazing, and we’re not stopping there.”
Fellow CGR driver Alex Palou, the defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champ, returns to IMS after winning in dominant fashion on the same road course in 2023 during the GMR Grand Prix. A year ago, Palou won on the road course in Indy by 17 seconds, kicking off a stretch of four wins in five races that set up his second INDYCAR SERIES championship in three years.
Palou, whose No. 10 DHL Honda features American Legion branding, currently sits in third in the points race this season.
The 85-lap, 207-mile Sonsio Grand Prix incorporates Turns 1 and 2 and the front straight of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, while the remainder of the course is viewable from the track’s infield. The course features 14 turns over its 2.439 miles.
This weekend’s broadcast schedule:
Friday, May 10 – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1, 9:30-10:45 a.m.; NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2, 1:10-2:10 p.m.; NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifications, 4:20-5:50 p.m. (all Peacock).
Saturday, May 11 – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, 11:15-11:45 a.m. (Peacock); NTT NXT race, 1-2:15 p.m. (Peacock); NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, 3-6 p.m. (NBC and Peacock).
NTT INDYCAR SERIES notes:
· The Sonsio Grand Prix will be the 16th INDYCAR SERIES event conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Active race winners expected to compete are Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Will Power.
· Five NTT P1 Award winners have won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course from the pole: Will Power won the 2015, 2017 and 2018 Sonsio Grand Prix and the second Harvest GP race in 2020 from the pole. Simon Pagenaud also won the Sonsio Grand Prix from the pole in 2016.
· Four drivers have competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, and Graham Rahal. All are entered this weekend.
· Team Penske has eight wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-Race 2, 2020-Race 3, 2021-Race 2). Chip Ganassi has three wins - with Scott Dixon in 2020-Race 1 and 2023-Race 2 and Alex Palou in 2023-Race 1. Andretti Autosport, Ed Carpenter Racing and Arrow McLaren SP are the only other teams to win at the track. Andretti Autosport won the Sonsio Grand Prix with Colton Herta in May 2022 and Gallagher Grand Prix with Alexander Rossi in August, while Ed Carpenter Racing won in 2021-Race 1 with Rinus VeeKay and Arrow McLaren SP won the inaugural race in 2014 with Simon Pagenaud when it was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
· Four NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders – Tom Blomqvist, Linus Lundqvist, Christian Rasmussen and Kyffin Simpson - are entered and will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car on the IMS road course for the first time alongside veteran driver Pietro Fittipaldi.
· Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 325th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.