INDY 500 QUALIFYING RUN, THE FASTEST EVER AS 2022 FIELD CLOSE IN ON RECORD.
Indy 500 qualifying is underway for the 2022 running of the great race, but what is the fastest ever qualifying run recorded at IMS as the field close in on it?
One by one, they’ll file out and attempt to master the four turns and 2.5 miles of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Qualifying for the 106th running of the Indy 500 is taking place this weekend ahead of the great race on May 29th.
The qualifying speeds across the four-lap runs in practice have been touching towards some of the fastest ever seen at the Speedway.
But what is the outright fastest qualifying run ever recorded in Indy 500 qualifying?
Which legend of the race currently holds the honour?
FASTEST INDY 500 QUALIFYING RUN
Over the course of 10 miles, drivers can make it or break it. IMS is unforgiving and even a slight mistake can lead to a massive accident.
You don’t have small accidents at Indy.
The outright fastest qualifying run at the Indy 500 came in qualifying for the 1996 race.
Dutch racer Arie Luyendyk – already a 500 winner in 1990 – set a blistering four-lap average of 236.986mph in his Reynard machine – although remarkably it did not hand him pole position.
After his prime car was damaged in another driver’s accident, Luyendyk was forced to go to a back-up machine.
He subsequently lost his second place on the grid as this new car was underweight and was forced to go into the second day of qualifying.
It was here Luyendyk set the outright fastest qualifying run in Indy 500 history – and while he was at it, posted a 237.498mph lap, the fastest qualifying lap IMS has ever seen.
For good measure, in practice, Luyendyk had posted a 239.260mph lap – the outright fastest single lap ever seen at IMS.
It was just 0.106s slower than the magical 40s lap – which to date no-one has manage to better.
It was good enough for 20th as he could not qualify on pole after being booted out on Day 1 for the underweight car.
CLASS OF 2022 CLOSE IN
In practice for qualifying ahead of the actual session itself, Ed Carpenter Racing’s Conor Daly clocked in at 243mph approaching Turn 3, albeit with a tailwind.
The 2022 field has also eclipsed the official fastest ever qualifying run at the Indy 500.
Tony Stewart posted a 233.100mph average the same year as Luyendyk posted the outright.
Scott Brayton had qualified with a 233.718mph time, but he was killed on May 17th, and never took up his pole position.
However, Rinus VeeKay, after his first run and 15 of the 33 runners in the 2022 field has eclipsed that from Stewart.
VeeKay has clocked a 233.655mph average in his Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet powered machine.
