The feel-good story at Barber Motorsports Park was told Saturday by rookie Romain Grosjean, who humbled some of the best of the NTT IndyCar Series on the way to qualifying for seventh.
Directly behind the 34-year-old Frenchman were Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, a two-time champion in the series, and Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport, who also happened to be drivers who finished second and third in the 2020 standings.
Grosjean was two places behind the championship winner’s defending champion and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon in fifth and Marcus Ericsson of CGR in sixth. It was an intoxicating performance for the ex-Formula 1 driver who led the modest Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing organization to a surprising result; teammate Ed Jones was 13th in the No. 18 DCR with Vasser Sullivan Honda.
“What a day, seventh in qualifying, that’s clearly beyond expectations”, beamed Grosjean. ‘But so close to the [Firestone] Fast Six, of course, I was really hoping we would get in, but it’s still really great. “
The sense of accomplishment for a driver whose life was threatened by an unforgettable crash and fire at the end of last year was palpable. And while seventh qualifying doesn’t guarantee a great 90-lap race on Sunday, Grosjean was delighted to unleash raw speed after spending his last years in F1 with a disappointing machine.
“The Dale Coyne Racing with RWR team really helped me understand qualifying tires,” he said. “We’ve done a really good job with the set up and I think we know where to look to go faster, which is very positive. We’re going to enjoy this today, but let’s focus on tomorrow. We have 90 race laps to do, I have to learn how the tires deteriorate, save fuel, refuel, pit stops and how an IndyCar race goes. So there is still a lot to learn tomorrow, but I am very happy with today. “