Dale Coyne Racing Long Beach Qualifying Report

Long Beach, CA (Saturday, April 9, 2022) – The pair of Dale Coyne Racing drivers Takuma Sato (#51 Nurtec ODT – Dale Coyne Racing with RWR) and David Malukas (#18 HMD – Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports) took part in qualifying for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday. Malukas who had a strong showing early in the session will be starting 19th, with his teammate Sato starting 23rd.

Malukas Registers Best Street Course Qualifying Result in Long Beach

#18: David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan Honda

Long Beach, CA (Saturday, April 9, 2022) – Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports rookie David Malukas will be starting his first Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 19th after taking part in Saturday’s qualifying session for what will be his first race around the historic Long Beach circuit.
 
Starting: 19th
Group 1 / Round 1: 10th
Best Lap: 1:06.7925

  • Malukas took to the track in Group 1 / Round 1 of qualifying and registered a fastest lap of 1:06.7925 on his sixth lap around the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit.
  • The rookie spent most of the session in the top six, sitting as high as third at one point, but he would find himself 10th in his group when all was said and done, only a couple tenths from moving to the next round.
  • His 19th place on the starting grid for tomorrow’s race is his best road/street course starting position this season. 
  • So far this year he has a best finish of 11th and a best starting position of 19th, both registered at Texas.

David Malukas  #18 HMD Honda – Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports
“The Long Beach track is just amazing. From the first sector to the last sector, it’s such a beauty. And I love the hairpin. Qualifying didn’t go as well as we wanted to. The practices weren’t representative of our speed because it was hard to get a clean lap in so we knew the speed was there and we were aiming for a top 10. When we went into qualifying, we did really well on the black tires in the first part of the session but when we switched to the reds we expected them to peak on a certain lap but they didn’t and I think we missed it by one lap and that cost us the two tenths that we really needed to put us in the top six and onto the next round. Overall, I’m still happy. I think our tire strategy going into the race is good. We’ll try to survive, save the tires and see what we can do.”

Takuma Sato Optimistic Heading into Race Day at Long Beach

#51: Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda

Long Beach, CA (Saturday, April 9, 2022) – Takuma Sato’s qualifying session around the streets of Long Beach didn’t go as planned aboard his #51 Nurtec ODT Honda, with the veteran driver placing 23rd on the starting grid for Sunday’s race.  
 
Starting: 23rd
Group 1 / Round 1: 12th
Best Lap: 1:07.1001

  • Sato went out in Group 1 / Round 1 of qualifying and registered his fastest time of 1:07.1001 on his sixth and final lap of the 10-minute session.
  • His fastest time placed him 12th in his group and 23rd on the starting grid for what will be his 12th start at the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit.
  • The two-time Indy 500 Champion’s best finish in Long Beach was also his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES win (2013).
  • In addition to his win, he has four other top 10 finishes at the famed street circuit, including his last two visits in 2019 (8th) and 2021 (9th).
  • This season, Sato has a best finish of 10th on the streets of St. Petersburg and a best start of third at Texas Motor Speedway.
Takuma Sato #51 Nurtec ODT Honda – Dale Coyne Racing with RWR
“We tried to find a good balance and speed all through the practice sessions but unfortunately we struggled a bit. Our tire pressure wasn’t ideal for qualifying but I’m confident that we will have a good warm up tomorrow and then make our way through the field to have a good race on Sunday. We did it in St. Petersburg and I know we can do it here.” 
Race Info:
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Race 3 of 17
Track length: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit
Race Distance:  85 laps
 
Schedule (all times local)
Sunday, April 10, 2022
Warmup: 9:00am – 9:30am (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Race broadcast: Noon – 3pm (NBC & INDYCAR Radio)
Green Flag: 12:45pm