INDYCAR: Ganassi and McLaren Dominate, RLL Struggles in Indy 500 Qualifying

The first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 delivered all of the drama. The starting positions 13-30 are now locked in for the race next weekend, while 12 drivers will battle for pole position tomorrow. The last row will also be determined tomorrow, as four drivers will be battling for the final three spots on the grid. It was a long, eventful day that will provide even more excitement on Sunday.

Although the first four rows have not been set, the dozen drivers that will decide the order have been identified. All four Arrow McLaren drivers and all four Chip Ganassi Racing drivers are in, with teammates Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi at the top of the speed chart today. A surprise performance by Santino Ferrucci and rookie Benjamin Pedersen have both AJ Foyt Racing cars in the show tomorrow as well. The other two drivers are Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing) and Will Power, as Team Penske was struggling to find speed once again.

Four drivers will duke it out for three spots on the last row tomorrow. In an interesting twist, three of the four cars belong to RLL Racing. Graham Rahal, Christian Lundgaard, and Jack Harvey will join rookie Sting Ray Robb (Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing) in the gut-wrenching battle that will send one full-time driver home. Katherine Legge, the lone RLL Racing driver that qualified, is making her return to IndyCar after a decade in a one-off entry.

Several drivers had some tense moments during their qualifying runs, with four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves scrubbing the wall. He wasn't the only one either. Three-time pole sitter Ed Carpenter also kissed the wall, as did two-time 500 winner Takuma Sato, and rookie Agustin Canapino. Andretti Autosport struggled to find speed all day, as none of their five drivers made it into the top 12 to battle for the pole tomorrow.

There were plenty of success stories that played out over the course of the afternoon. Legge making the race was bittersweet, given the struggles of the rest of the team. Rookie RC Enerson made the show after not making it with a different team a couple of years ago. Callumm Ilott also got in after the Juncos Hollinger team made a massive chassis change overnight. He joins Enerson and Legge in Row 10 for the race.

The action picks up tomorrow with a one-hour practice session at 11:30 for the top 12 drivers, followed by an hour of practice for the four drivers in the last chance qualifier. Qualifying for the pole begins at 2 PM and the final row will be determined at 4 PM, where one driver gets bumped from the field.