Series Leader Lundqvist Rockets to Pole at WWTR
MADISON, Ill. (Friday, Aug. 19, 2022) – Linus Lundqvist’s car bobbled in the first turn of his two-lap qualifying run Friday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway, yet he still managed to win his sixth pole position of the 2022 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season.
It’s been that kind of a year for the Swedish driver.
SEE: Qualifying Results
Championship leader Lundqvist turned a two-lap average speed of 160.259 mph in the No. 26 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing car. Lundqvist leads second-place Hunter McElrea by 95 points with four races remaining this season.
This was the second straight and seventh overall top starting spot this season for Lundqvist, who was awarded the No. 1 grid position based on entrant points for the previous race earlier this month at Nashville after qualifying was rained out. He won five consecutive poles on track earlier this season.
“We were good in the test here a couple of days ago,” Lundqvist said. “We just improved little by little. We knew that qualifying was going to be super tight.
“I knew that I was going to have to push to the limit and maybe a little bit beyond because I remember qualifying here last year, I was under the limit. So, I thought I’m going to have to change that up. It was a close call in (Turn) 1, but we managed to string it together with a good second lap. Super happy.”
Lundqvist will aim to extend his series lead for victories with his sixth win of 2022 during the 75-lap race Saturday afternoon on the 1.25-mile oval. Peacock Premium, INDYCAR Live! and the INDYCAR Radio Network will provide live coverage at 4:15 p.m. ET.
Benjamin Pedersen ensured a front-row lockout by HMD Motorsports by qualifying second at 160.124 in the No. 24 Global Racing Group with HMD car. Pedersen led practice earlier Friday at 160.662 and also led both sessions of an Indy Lights test Aug. 12 at WWTR.
Andretti Autosport took the next four spots in the lineup. Matthew Brabham qualified third at 159.572 in the No. 83 Andretti Autosport car, with rookie Christian Rasmussen fourth at 159.475 in the No. 28 Road to Indy/Stellrecht entry.
McElrea will start fifth in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport car after qualifying at 159.267. Sting Ray Robb qualified sixth at 159.215 in the No. 2 Sekady car.
About Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Celebrating 35 years, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires develops drivers and teams to compete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Past champions include INDYCAR SERIES champions Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Paul Tracy and Cristiano da Matta. In 2021, 20 drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES were Indy Lights graduates, including rising stars and race winners Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward and Rinus VeeKay. The 2022 season consists of 14 races in the United States. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Indy Lights, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. For more information on Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, please visit www.indylights.com. For more information on INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, please visit www.indycar.com.
About Cooper Tire
Cooper Tire, a subsidiary of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT), specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of passenger car, light truck, medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. Cooper is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, with manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design operations located in more than one dozen countries around the world. For more information on Cooper, visit www.coopertire.com, www.facebook.com/coopertire or www.twitter.com/coopertire.
About Goodyear
Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 55 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.