Callum and Agustín in positive mood after PPG 375 qualifying
Texas Motor Speedway, Texas April 1, 2023
Callum Ilott and Agustín Canapino will line up P17 and P19 respectively for tomorrow’s PPG 375, following an action-packed qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway this afternoon.
The opening practice session for the second round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES was run under bright skies on Saturday morning. Callum turned a best lap of 222.885 mph on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval to place P7 in the order.
Team-mate Agustín, a rookie that’s getting his first taste of oval racing in Texas, used the session to further his experience and placed P24 with a speed of 220.172 mph.
Grid positions for Sunday’s 250-lap race were decided by a two-lap average speed during Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, and both JHR drivers pushed as hard as they could to secure the strongest grid slot.
Callum clocked an average of 218.375 mph in his #77 Dallara-Chevrolet to secure P17, while Agustín ran at 218.367 mph and will line up two places further back.
The PPG 375 will go green at 11.00 CT (12.00 ET) tomorrow.
“P17 is better than last year and we've moved the car in a better direction”
Callum Ilott, driver of the #77 Dallara-Chevrolet, said:
“I think we had to find our way a little bit with the baseline of the car in first practice but we managed to figure it out. Then in quali, I didn’t expect too much to be honest. P17 is better than last year and we’ve moved the car in a better direction. My practice times show the pace in the car isn’t bad. I just need to stay calm in the race, hope things unfold ahead, and try to make my way forward.”
“If I had to describe my first qualifying on an oval, I'd use the words Really, really fast.”
Agustín Canapino, driver of the #78 Dallara-Chevrolet, said:
“If I had to describe my first qualifying on an oval, I’d use the words Really, really fast. It was an incredible experience for me! I’m pretty happy with the result because I could do the two laps flat with a lot of adrenaline. I’ve enjoyed the experience a lot.”
“There's still more to come and we're collecting data that will strengthen us again for next year.”
Team principal Ricardo Juncos said:
“I think finishing P17 and P19 is really good and it’s a huge improvement compared to last year. We have to remember we’re competing against good teams that have enjoyed more time and testing than we have. We’ve got to go step-by-step and not make any big mistakes. There’s still more to come and we’re collecting data that will strengthen us again for next year. All the great work the whole team’s been doing during the off season and in testing is really paying off and you can see that in what’s happened today.”