The Latest Breaking News from Team Penske

Reality hit the 43-year-old Aussie in exactly the 38.3753s it took team-mate Scott McLaughlin’s opening lap that equates to running 234.526mph around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 11th driver to go out on track as track temperatures hit a scorching 125F, McLaughlin’s No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet put together four inch-perfect laps – including an opening circuit of 233.870mph – for 233.492mph to lead the six drivers transferring into the Fast Six and the shootout for pole.

Qualifying commences at 11am ET on Saturday, 18 May. Each car is given a single, four-lap run to set an average speed – and goes in an order selected by random draw on Friday night (listed at the bottom of this story).

While out for a simulated qualifying run, Herta’s quickest lap of 234.974mph came courtesy of a tow off the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda of Graham Rahal with 90 minutes left on the session.

The 25-year-old Mexican latched on to an early morning tow and hurtled around with a flying lap of 228.861mph to claim the top spot on the leaderboard.

Two-time series champion Newgarden was disqualified from his season-opening St. Petersburg victory due to illegal use of the push-to-pass system during restarts, after all three of Penske’s entries mistakenly ran with software that allowed him to do so.

Brad Keselowski snapped a 110-race winless streak at Darlington, prevailing in a thrilling late-race duel between himself, Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick. The other two finished deep in the field after some side-to-side contact resulted in flat tires for both drivers.

Although the session was altered to start earlier at 10am ET (originally 12pm), the weather that also impacted Tuesday’s opening day hung around at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway overnight and delayed any running until 3:05pm ET.

Arrow McLaren's IndyCar victory showcases team's growth and determination amidst challenges and changes.