INDIANAPOLIS 500-MILE RACE
FAST FRIDAY REPORT
05.18.18

MARCO ANDRETTI, No. 98 U.S. CONCRETE / CURB HONDA

• Tops the month’s speed charts with a lap time of 231.802 mph – earning him Fast Friday honors and a $10,000 bonus prize
• Drew the 39th qualifying spot for the 98 primary car

“The 98 car is fast in a tow. I’m not sure how fast it is on its own. Right now, I think we’re right on the bubble of the Fast Nine and we’re going to have to absolutely nail it to get it in – but so is everyone, I suppose. Conditions tomorrow could vary, it always depends on weather and cloud cover and the cooler temps always help. We’re lining up later in the day, so we’ll see how it goes.”

STEFAN WILSON, No. 25 DRIVEN2SAVELIVES HONDA

• Finished Fast Friday ninth with a time of 229.273 mph
• Drew the 27th qualifying position or the No. 25 primary car

“Yesterday was a bit of a tough day, so it was great to come back today. We struggled a bit initially, but I think we really hit on something. I’m extremely thankful to the team for really pushing us forward and it’s really nice to have quick teammates that have been able to give me good setups to work off. Now we just have to focus on tomorrow and put our best foot forward and work to put it in the show.”

ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS HONDA

• Finished Fast Friday 10th with a speed 229.235 mph, holds a no-tow speed of 228.194 mph
• Drew a qualifying spot of 36th for the 27 primary car

“Today was another improvement overall, I think. P2 on the no-tow, and second quickest Honda is kind of where we’ve been, but I think the car is definitely a step better. All we’re focusing on is qualifying and, I think, if we execute tomorrow we can be in the Fast Nine and that’s the goal right now. Hopefully there’s no curveballs that prevent that from happening. Hopefully the weather stays consistent so what we learned today is as useful tomorrow.”

CARLOS MUNOZ, No. 29 RUOFF HOME MORTGAGE HONDA

• Finished 22nd on the Fast Friday charts with a speed of 228.028 mph
• Drew a qualifying spot of 49th for the 29 primary car

“I think I’m really happy with the balance of the car right now. We just need to find a bit more speed compared to some of our teammates. But, this is Indy, I think… sometimes you just don’t understand why things happen. One day to another everything can change. The goal tomorrow is going to be as far to the front as possible. It is going to be hard to get into the Fast Nine, but we will see what we can do.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, No. 28 DHL HONDA

• Sits 15th on the no-tow list with a speed of 227.563 mph
• Drew a qualifying spot of fourth for the 28 primary car

“All the speed in the car is not really where we were hoping to be – but we made some gains early in the day. We’re just trying to eek out as much as we can. We’ll see, tomorrow will be a different day and a different wind direction. We’ll put our best foot forward and hopefully qualify somewhere mid-pack. I think that’s the best we can hope for at the moment. On a positive note, we qualified 19th here in 2014, so as long as we have a good race car – that’s what matters.”

ZACH VEACH, No. 26 RELAY / GROUP 1001 HONDA

• Ranked 17th on the no-tow charts with a speed of 227.314 mph
• Drew a qualifying position of 44th for the 26 primary car

“Our practice week has come to a close with Fast Friday. I think we’re in a pretty good spot to see what speed we can show tomorrow. Our goal has been the same all week – just put a package together that can get us into the top nine. We’re looking inside there by a small bit right now. I think with the right changes overnight, it’s a possibility. We’ll see how the day unfolds and what the conditions are like tomorrow.”