•Rookie Colton Herta will start fifth in closest field in '500' history

•Sebastien Bourdais qualifies seventh, Alexander Rossi ninth in 'Fast Nine' session

•All 18 Honda entries qualify for next weekend's Indianapolis 500

Colton Herta led the way for Honda again today in final qualifying for next weekend's Indianapolis 500. The 19-year-old will start from the middle of the second row, fifth, with a four-lap average speed of 229.086 mph, and was the fastest of six rookie qualifiers for this year's race.

Sebastien Bourdais and Alexander Rossi also advanced to today's 'Fast Nine' final qualifying after Saturday's first-round runs. Bourdais will start seventh after recording a four-lap average of 228.621 mph in the 'Fast Nine' session, while 2016 '500' winner Rossi will start ninth after averaging 229.247 mph during his attempt.

Following rain showers that brought an end to the morning practice session and a resulting delay to dry the circuit, final qualifying began at 4:30 p.m. with a 'Bump Day' session to complete the final row of the 33-car starting field, with six contenders battling for the final three positions.

Following a crash during his first-round qualifying run on Saturday, James Hinchcliffe was the only Honda driver among the last-row qualifiers and made the field with an average speed of 227.543 mph. All 18 Honda-powered drivers successfully qualified for this year's race, while two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso was a notable non-qualifier as his Sunday qualifying run of 227.353 mph fell just 0.019 mph short of making the field.

The 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 takes place on Sunday, May 26, with live television coverage on NBC starting at 11 a.m. EDT.

Quotes:

Colton Herta (Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda) Fastest rookie qualifier, will start fifth: 'Another great day for the #88 GESS Capstone Honda. I think that was our maximum, like yesterday first-round qualifying. We said we'd be happy with fifth place, because we didn't think we had enough for the four guys in front of us. Everyone is just so competitive and quick, but you can win from anywhere here. It didn't matter if we started fifth or 25th, I was going to be happy either way. The guys have been working so well together and we've made it in the show. So, I'm really excited to see what happens next!'

James Hinchcliffe (Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda) on his qualifying run: 'Indy, she likes a dramatic day, huh? It's crazy how it played out. I'm obviously thrilled for the team and all our partners, Honda, Arrow, everybody. We've got to get back to work tomorrow. We had a really strong primary car in race trim, so I'm bummed that I wrecked that one, but hopefully it all translates well to the new car. Again, I just can't thank everyone at Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Honda enough. It's great that all the Hondas got in; that's obviously a big plus for us as a group. So now it's just whatever happened, happened, and we have to put our eyes forward.'

Indianapolis 500 Final Qualifying

Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval), Indianapolis, IN

2018 Winner: Will Power (Team Penske) 166.935 mph average

Weather: Mild, windy, mid-day rain showers, 65 degrees F

Photo credit: Honda
posted on conceptcarz.com

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