INDYCAR Qualifying Report - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

July 1, 2023

TRACK: MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE
RACE:  INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO        
DATE:  JULY 1, 2023

JOSEF NEWGARDEN
No. 2 PPG DALLARA/CHEVROLET
SECOND PRACTICE - 18TH
QUALIFYING - 15TH

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN
No. 3 GOOD RANCHERS DALLARA/CHEVROLET
SECOND PRACTICE - 6TH
QUALIFYING - 8TH
   

WILL POWER
No. 12 VERIZON 5G DALLARA/CHEVROLET
SECOND PRACTICE - 1ST 
QUALIFYING - 7TH
 

Saturday morning featured a one-hour practice session for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as teams prepared for the afternoon qualifying session to set the field for Sunday's Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Reigning series champion Will Power was the fastest driver over the course of the session, pacing his No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet .250 seconds ahead of current series points leader, Alex Palou. Scott McLaughlin also finished with a top-10 time in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Chevrolet with Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet team slotting in the 18th position. 

A brief rain shower dampened the paddock before the qualifying session, with the forecast calling for a chance of showers during qualifying. Yet, it was all sunshine for the time trials that saw Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet and Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Chevrolet make it to the second round. The duo from Down Under will start seventh and eighth, respectively, tomorrow afternoon. Josef Newgarden endured one of his worst qualifying sessions of the season and will start 15th in the PPG Chevy. The only time he started outside the top 15 this season was at the Indianapolis 500, a race he went on to win. 

WHAT THEY SAID - "That was a good qualifying session. I'm a little disappointed not to get the Verizon 5G Chevy into the Firestone Fast Six. It's just so, so competitive out there. We're looking for hundredths of a second to make up a couple of positions. It was a great day, though. We can do something from seventh, for sure. We've come from further back than that here last year, and even this year." - Will Power 

WHAT'S NEXT - Coverage of the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio begins tomorrow at 1:30 pm ET on the USA Network, Peacock, Sirius XM Channel 209 and INDYCAR Radio.