Just like Herta, the 24-year-old from New Zealand crashed early Saturday — his during an hour-long practice ahead of the nearly 7-hour qualifying window. But unlike the Andretti Autosport driver, Armstrong was unable to get a car hastily pieced together by Meyer Shank Racing among the top 30 on the speed chart to ensure his spot in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
So, he will return Sunday as one of four drivers in a shootout for the final three spots on the 33-car starting grid.
“We didn't have the car built up at all. They pretty much put it together as they were rolling me out,” said Armstrong, who made two qualifying attempts but had both waved off because they were not quick enough. "They were putting together the headrest, and I was questioning whether the seat was intact after the crash. We hadn't tested that.
“They got it done,” Armstrong added, “and the car was definitely in a decent window where we can work on it for tomorrow.”
Qualifying on Saturday decided the fast 12 that will have a chance Sunday at the first four rows — and ultimately the pole — for the race on May 25. Those that qualified in spots 13-30 locked in their positions, while Armstrong was joined by Marco Andretti, Rinus Veekay and Jacob Abel in the last-chance shootout to fill the final row for the race.
Herta wound up 29th with a four-lap average of 230.192 mph. But while he was proud of what he called a “heroic” effort by his team to build a car in about 4 1/2 hours, Herta lamented his lost shot at the Indianapolis 500 pole.
“It sucks. I think from our standpoint of where we want to be, and what we want to contend with, we're not happy just making the show,” he said. “So when we don't get a chance to do that, it's pretty disappointing.”
Herta and Armstrong both wrecked in Turn 1, where winds gusting up to 30 mph that are largely blocked by the grandstands down the front stretch suddenly switch to behind the car. It was a spot that flummoxed drivers throughout qualifying, and many drivers were forced to get off the accelerator to avoid a similar fate.
Herta's car hit the outside wall and then landed on its side, sliding into the short chute amid a flurry of sparks. Once it finally came to rest, the safety crew had to work together to flip it back on its tires. Herta was shaken enough that he needed help to get to a vehicle for the trip to the infield care center, but he was quickly evaluated and released.
“Luckily these days these crashes look a lot scarier than they feel — not to say that one felt good,” Herta said. “There were no real signs leading to it. We were super happy with the car this morning. Went out loose and couldn't even get Lap 1 in."
Armstrong also was able to climb from his wrecked car but was immediately helped onto a stretcher. He gave a thumbs up as he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the care center, but he wasn't released until about 90 minutes later.
Armstrong insisted that his confidence was unshaken, despite the hard hit. If anything, it was buoyed by the fact that his Meyer Shank Racing teammate Felix Rosenqvist was eighth-quickest in the session and will have a shot at the pole on Sunday.
“I’m good as gold, mate. I’m ready to crack one tomorrow,” Armstrong said.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Credit: AP
Credit: AP