WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — After two practice sessions on Friday and a third on Saturday, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing drivers Buddy Rice and Milka Duno took to the track for qualifying in the IndyCar Series second running of its new road course qualifying procedure.
The new format features three rounds of qualifying. The first round has two randomly divided groups going out for 20 minutes each. The fastest six of each group advance to the second round. The remaining drivers are qualified into the race and lined up according to there fastest time.
Next, the second group of drivers run for another 15 minutes. Again, the fastest six advance to the final round — the Firestone Fast Six. Positions seven through 12 line up according to times ran in the second session.
The final session features a 10-minute shootout among the remaining six to decide positions one through six.
The format provides for lots of on-track action as well as drama as drivers are constantly fighting to “stay alive” in the shootouts.
Rice and Duno couldn’t advance out of the first group, unfortunately. Rice just narrowly missed being in the group that advanced as he placed seventh, whilst Duno, who turned her fastest lap of the weekend in qualifying, utilized the time on the track to continue acclimating herself to the IndyCar Series machine on the road course setting.
With qualifying over, the drivers will shift their attention into race mode. A 30-minute warm-up session will allow them one last chance to fine-tune their race setups.
#15 DREYER & REINBOLD RACING Honda Dallara Driver Buddy Rice
“I’m really disappointed we didn’t make it out of the first group of qualifying. I was on a flyer late when the yellow came out. Whether it would have been good enough or not, I’m not sure, but to be so close and not get the result is so frustrating. We’ve got a challenge ahead of us with having to start back in the field, but if we play our cards right, I think we can still salvage a pretty solid finish here. We’ll see how the race goes. ”
#23 CITGO/DREYER & REINBOLD RACING Honda Dallara Driver Milka Duno
“I am okay with today’s qualification and happy with the support of my team. Every time I return to this track, I will be faster and I had my best time at qualifications all weekend. Since this is my first time in such a powerful car on a road course, we are focused on making progress. ”
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