1st: RINUS VEEKAY* 233.655 mph 7th: ED CARPENTER* 232.397 mph 18th: CONOR DALY 230.999 mph *Advancing to Top Twelve, Starting Positions Set Tomorrow POLE DAY BROADCAST: Sunday – 4-6 p.m. ET (NBC) TRACK: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval LOCATION: Speedway, Indiana, USA TRACK LAYOUT: 2.5-mile oval

ED CARPENTER RACING

The first day of qualifications for the 106th Indianapolis 500 is now complete and two Ed Carpenter Racing drivers have a chance at the pole position. Rinus VeeKay set the fastest four-lap average of the day and team owner Ed Carpenter conquered tricky midday conditions to record the 7th-fastest speed. As both were amongst the fastest 12 drivers of today, they will advance to the second round of qualifying tomorrow and make another four-lap attempt. From there, the top six will advance to the Firestone Fast 6 and turn four more laps in competition for the NTT P1 Award. As only the top 12 drivers will run again tomorrow, Conor Daly’s starting position in the Indianapolis 500 is locked in at 18th.

CONOR DALY, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet, Qualified 18th: “We had been struggling with some understeer yesterday and we definitely fixed it for our qualifying run. It was quite loose. I kept it flat for two laps and tried to hang on for the rest, but I was just slipping and sliding. It was a shame that we didn’t get to run again. Obviously our teammates are really fast, which is great. I think we could’ve been up there, but just seemed to be missing some speed. We know we can race well, so we’ll just go race well.” (Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR)

BIRTHDAY: December 11, 1990 HOMETOWN: Noblesville, IN RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN INDY 500 STATS BEST START: 11th (2019) BEST FINISH: 10th (2016) NUMBER OF STARTS: 8 CAREER STATS SEASON: 9th STARTS: 85 POLES: 1 BEST FINISH: 2nd, Detroit 2016

OF NOTE: * Conor Daly’s four-lap average of 230.999 mph had him 20th overall, but two cars who re-qualified did not improve their times and fell behind him. Daly was in line himself to make another attempt when rain moved in for a second time, ending the day’s on-track activities. Daly’s speed stands and he will start the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the 18th position.  * Daly is in his third Month of May with ECR. Though he competed in both the GMR Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 the previous two years, 2022 is his first season as one of ECR’s full-time drivers. With Daly driving the No. 20, Ed Carpenter has shifted to the No. 33 this year. Last week in the 2022 GMR Grand Prix on The IMS Road Course, Daly had his most successful weekend with ECR to date. For the second year in a row, he advanced to the Firestone Fast 6. Afters starting 4th, Daly battled both wet and dry track conditions and earned his first Top 5 finish of the season with a 5th place. * BitNile Holdings, Inc. is the primary partner of the No. 20 Chevrolet as part of a multi-year deal. The diversified holding company specializes in disruptive technologies, including cryptocurrencies and innovations in the field of Decentralized Finance (“DeFi”). BitNile focuses on large-scale crypto mining with energy efficient, powerful operations located in North America and operate their own high-density data center. BitNile invests in technology platforms that provide crypto holders a vehicle to earn interest on their crypto assets.

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team Powered By BitNile Chevrolet: “Great day! I’m very happy with qualifying and to get into the history books as third fastest ever in qualifying! It’s pretty good to have two Dutch guys in the top three. The car felt great, I’m excited for the chance to do two more runs tomorrow and hopefully put an ECR Chevrolet on pole again. Great job by my team, car was awesome!” (Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR)

BIRTHDAY: September 11, 2000 HOMETOWN: Hoofddorp, Netherlands RESIDENCE: Fort Lauderdale, FL INDY 500 STATS BEST START: 3rd (2021) BEST FINISH: 8th (2021) NUMBER OF STARTS: 2 CAREER STATS SEASON: 3rd STARTS: 34 WINS: 1 POLES: 2

OF NOTE: * All but one competitor in the 33-car Indianapolis 500 field made a qualifying attempt today and Rinus VeeKay was the fastest of them all. The 21-year-old had the second spot in the qualifying line and posted a four-lap average of 233.655 mph. * Though VeeKay’s starting position is not yet set, he is now three-for-three in years of achieving a historical milestone during qualifications. By starting 4th in his first Indianapolis 500 in 2020, he recorded the best qualifying result by a teenager in Indy 500 history. In 2021, he became the youngest front row qualifier in “500” history when he started 3rd. As of today, he now holds the 3rd-fastest 4-lap average speed in the 106 years of the Indianapolis 500. * VeeKay has three Top 10 finishes in five races so far this season, including his first podium of the year three weeks ago at Barber Motorsports Park. After starting from the pole position, he took the checkered flag in third. * Ed Carpenter Racing became known as the Bitcoin Racing Team in 2021. Through the generosity of BitNile Holdings, Inc. (BitNile), the Bitcoin Racing Team will continue to grow in 2022. VeeKay is competing in the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team Powered by BitNile Chevrolet, which he helped design. Additionally, individual who scans the unique QR code on the side of VeeKay’s No. 21 and completes the registration process will receive free Bitcoin from Earnity, a community-based crypto platform of which BitNile is a significant investor.

ED CARPENTER, No. 33 Alzamend Neuro Chevrolet: “Today was just an extension of an already crazy Fast Friday with things changing rapidly. The qualifying draw seemed like it came into play a little bit more than some years, but I’m really happy to get the No. 33 Alzamend Neuro Chevy through to tomorrow. We’ve got two of our three represented in the Fast 12, which is great. We always want more, but we’ll take what we can get. Hopefully we can put two ECR cars on the front row!” (Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR)

BIRTHDAY: March 3, 1981 HOMETOWN: Indianapolis, IN RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN INDY 500 STATS BEST START: 1st (2013, 2014, 2018) BEST FINISH: 2nd (2018) NUMBER OF STARTS: 18 CAREER STATS SEASON: 20th STARTS: 192 WINS: 3 POLES: 4

OF NOTE: * Ed Carpenter has qualified for his 19th Indianapolis 500, solidifying him as one of the most experienced drivers in the field. His four-lap average of 232.397 mph placed him seventh overall, easily advancing him to tomorrow’s Top Twelve. * This morning, Carpenter set the fastest practice lap since 1996 with a lap of 234.410 mph. * Carpenter is the only individual in the 33-car field who handles both the responsibility of driving and owning his own team. The Indianapolis native solidified his status as a hometown favorite by winning the pole position in 2013 and 2014; in 2018, he became just the 10th driver to collect three or more Indy 500 poles in the century-plus history of the race. Some of his strongest finishes have come in recent years, including a runner-up finish after leading the most laps in 2018 and a 5th place in 2021.  * The No. 33 features the striking purple and aqua colors of Alzamend Neuro. Alzamend is focused on developing novel products for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders with a primary target of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzamend is committed to “Making Alzheimer’s Just a Memory. * Though Carpenter’s car is an expansion to ECR’s usual two-car program, the No. 33 pit consists of many familiar faces. Most crew members are an annual part of ECR’s Indy 500 program, some having been with the team since its first time with three cars in 2015. Carpenter’s crew is also be supplemented with several of ECR’s shop-based employees who are trackside each Month of May.