Patooward’s Front Row Breakthrough at the Indianapolis 500

Patooward has never found himself starting in the front row of the Indianapolis 500—until this year.

The Arrow McLaren driver secured his position during the Firestone Fast 6, part of the qualifying rounds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While he couldn’t quite catch Robert Schwartzman or Takuma Sato ahead of him, O’ward managed to finish third in the Fast 6, placing him just outside the front row for the 109th Indianapolis 500.

It’s precisely where he aimed to be.

“This is fantastic because I’ve never been on the front row for the Indy 500. This is really what I wanted,” O’ward shared in a qualified media report from Arrow McLaren. “I told my family yesterday my goal was to start from outside the front row. Sure, I would’ve loved pole, but that’s a tall order.”

He also recognized Schwartzman and his team, Prema Racing. Schwartzman made history by being the first rookie to earn pole position since Theofabi did back in 1983, and he did this during his very first race on an oval track.

This marked Prema’s inaugural year in IndyCar.

“What Prema and Schwartzman have accomplished is just incredible,” O’ward added.

Nonetheless, he is optimistic about his own team, believing that he and the No. 5 crew will be “right there” in the mix come next Sunday.

“As for us, we’re in a strong position. We’ve had a solid car for a month now. We’ll keep pushing and see what unfolds,” O’ward noted.

Interestingly, he’s not the only Arrow McLaren driver in contention. Teammate Christian Lundgaard also made it to the Fast 12 but didn’t advance to the Firestone Fast 6.

In the past, Lundgaard’s best starting position was 28th, which he achieved last year.

“It was a pretty good day for us. We approached our runs in the top 12 without clear expectations on balance. But we felt more competitive than earlier today,” Lundgaard remarked, ultimately finishing 8th with the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“There’s still a lot to come.”

Arrow McLaren’s team principal, Tony Kanaan, commended all team members.

“It’s been a solid month so far. My goal is to get all the cars in the field. Reflecting on last year’s qualifying, we had three cars in the top 12, and today we got two, with one on the front row. But we also have Nolan, who didn’t finish qualifying last year, so this is a big deal for him as a rookie,” Kanaan explained.

“Christian is adjusting well to a team that’s doing a fantastic job for us. He hasn’t had a strong car at the speedway before, so his performance was quite impressive. Among our drivers, there’s no doubt that Pato is the most experienced and poised for the front row.”

Kanaan wrapped up by expressing his hopes for the race.

“I’m proud of the entire Arrow McLaren team. We’re establishing ourselves with a strong campaign this month, and it’s great to see so many Papaya fans here. The crowd was incredible today. Tomorrow, we’ll take a picture of the front row.”

“Then hopefully, we’ll win the race next week.”