– Rookie driver will be fighting for pole position in Fast Nine Qualifying on Sunday –

Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh rookie Alex Palou continued to impress on Saturday during the first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 by placing seventh quickest and giving himself the opportunity for a shot at pole position in Sunday’s Fast Nine qualifying session.

Palou was the 23rd driver to take to the 2.5-mile oval and he immediately jumped to the top of the timing charts thanks to a first lap of 231.552 mph. However, with a small loss of speed over his next couple of laps he fell to fourth following his third lap and ended up placing sixth after his run. Ultimately, Palou’s four-lap average of 231.034mph was the seventh quickest on the day. Next weekend’s Indianapolis 500 start will only be Palou’s third oval race of his career.

Position: 7th

Lap 1: 231.552 mph

Lap 2: 231.211 mph

Lap 3: 230.808 mph

Lap 4: 230.546 mph

Average: 231.034 mph

Team Goh Motorsports; driver Alex Palou; Indy 500 Practice and Qualifying; Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana USA, August 13-16, 2020.

Alex Palou – #55 Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh

“That was awesome to complete a qualifying run here at Indy. The Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh crew gave me such a great car. It’s so enjoyable to drive, every lap. I think we had a really good first three days of practice. We already felt really comfortable yesterday. The speed was there. The car has a lot of speed, so I was really confident and comfortable with the car balance. We just did the job we’ve been doing all these days and we’re in the Fast Nine. I think that’s really amazing in my first year here for me, for the team, for everybody. It shows how all my crew worked to give me the best car possible. I think we’re able to fight. I don’t know about fighting for the pole because there are a lot of really fast cars out there, but we will study tonight and see if we can go for it. Just starting in the top 9 is going to be awesome for my first Indy 500. I’m really looking forward to it. I think it will be a bit easier going into tomorrow because now I know how it works, what you feel when you’re waiting there with the engine off and you hear all the cars go by and you don’t really know what’s going on. I think it’s going to be a bit calmer. I know what to do now. It was the first four consecutive laps I did in qualifying mode. We’re ready for tomorrow. I’m super happy and this gives me a lot of motivation for the Fast Nine qualifying. I think it’s going to be a great day for the team.”

Team Goh Motorsports; driver Alex Palou; Indy 500 Practice and Qualifying; Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana USA, August 13-16, 2020.

Sunday’s Fast Nine qualifying session will be broadcast live on NBC from 1:00pm to 3:00pm ET.

The 104^th running of the Indianapolis will go green on Sunday, August 23 at 2:30pm ET and will be broadcast live on NBC from 1:00pm ET.