Paddock Buzz: Coyne Team Produces Stunning Qualifying Pace

Team owner Dale Coyne would have been satisfied placing one – or both – of his cars in the top 12 during NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifying on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Instead, both cars advanced to the Firestone Fast Six and were in contention for the NTT P1 Award for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (noon ET, FOX, FOX ONE, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network, Powered by OnlyBulls).

Rookie Dennis Hauger (photo, top, right) qualified third in the No. 19 Ault Blockchain Honda with a lap of 1 minute, .5743 of a second. Veteran teammate Romain Grosjean will start sixth in the No. 18 BMax Honda.

“Was hoping for two guys in the top 12, but two in the top six is fantastic,” said Coyne (photo, above).

Hauger admitted Friday’s practice was a struggle, but the team made changes before Saturday morning’s practice that paid dividends. The last rookie to reach the Firestone Fast Six in his series debut was Christian Lundgaard, who qualified fourth in 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

A new challenge for Hauger this weekend is using the alternate Firestone Firehawk tire. During his championship-winning 2025 season in INDY NXT by Firestone, there were no pit stops and no multiple tire compounds.

So, reaching the final round of qualifying in his first weekend managing both primary and alternate compounds was significant.

“We made a step for Practice 2 and got better,” Hauger said. “Once we got on the red tires, the car was working really well. Super happy about it.”

Grosjean made his fourth Firestone Fast Six appearance at St. Petersburg. He won the pole here in 2023 with Andretti Global.

“This morning, I was not very optimistic,” Grosjean said. “I think the warmer conditions helped us quite a bit. Practice this weekend was a bit strange because of the temperatures. We really struggled to get grip out of the tires. Then we went out in qualifying and there was a lot more grip. I think we worked in the right direction.

“There’s a lot of potential in that car, and if we can unlock a little bit more, I think we can do great things.”

This marks Grosjean’s second stint with Dale Coyne Racing. He competed part time with the team as a rookie in 2021, entering 13 of 16 races. He finished 15th in points and earned the NTT P1 Award at the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, along with three podium finishes. That remains the most podiums he has scored in a single season across two full-time campaigns with Andretti Global (2022-23) and Juncos Hollinger Racing (2024).

“They always have your back,” Grosjean said. “That’s something that’s very important for me to feel. Dale Coyne Racing is home. It’s a great place for me to be, and they know how to get the best out of myself.”

Cindric Returns ‘Home’

Tim Cindric returned to Team Penske this offseason as strategist for Scott McLaughlin.

Cindric was released last May as Team Penske’s INDYCAR team president, along with managing director Ron Ruzewski and general manager Kyle Moyer, following penalties incurred during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

In his return to the pit stand, McLaughlin earned the pole for Sunday’s 100-lap season opener in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet.

“We’re obviously all getting to learn each other a little bit on the radio,” Cindric said. “It’s a pleasure to work with that group. It’s a group I’ve known for a long time. I’ve just worked with some of them more than others. To see them get off on the right foot is nice.”

Cindric (photo, above) also noted that David Malukas qualified fifth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet without needing a fresh set of tires to advance to the final round.

“We’ve got one in each camp,” Cindric said. “I think we’ve got the field covered to try and have a good day.”

When reminded he no longer must sit in strategy meetings for multiple cars as he did in his previous role, Cindric smiled.

“Very simplified,” he said. “It’s different, without a doubt, but I’m enjoying it.”

McLaughlin has been open that Cindric played a key role in his move from Australian Supercars, where he won three championships, to INDYCAR in 2021.

Cindric joined Team Penske in 1999 and climbed the ranks, serving as president from January 2006 through January 2025. His 25-year tenure includes more than 400 victories and 31 championships across INDYCAR, NASCAR, IMSA, the World Endurance Championship and Australian Supercars, including 10 Indianapolis 500 victories.

“Scotty and I’ve been through a lot together,” Cindric said. “To be able to see it go full circle is nice. When he came over to INDYCAR, he said it would be cool if we worked together one day. Obviously, I didn’t expect it to work out this way.”

New Points Leader?

It has been 616 days since someone other than Alex Palou has led the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings.

That driver was Will Power, who held the lead after winning June 9, 2024, at Road America. One race later, on June 23, Palou reclaimed the top spot with a victory at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and has not relinquished it.

If Palou. who starts fourth in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, does not win Sunday, a new championship leader will emerge entering next Saturday’s Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network, Powered by OnlyBulls), the series’ first race at the track since 2018.

“I think everybody wants to see something different,” Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood said. “Of course, us drivers do because we’re competitors, but I think fans, the teams, everybody wants to see a little bit of a mix-up. So, we’re going to do our best to try and change that. Alex is the guy to beat here.”

Palou is the defending winner at St. Petersburg and finished second here in 2022. He owns a 3.75 average finish in his last four starts at the circuit and has just three finishes worse than eighth in his last 19 street-course races.

“The good thing about this sport, I would say all sports, is you get a new chance every year,” Palou said. “We all start from zero. Just because we were really good last year doesn’t mean anything in 2026. We know we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we also know we have all the tools to try and have another great year.”

Big Names Starting Mid-Pack

Felix Rosenqvist (photo, above) qualified second and third, respectively, in his previous two St. Petersburg starts in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. He will start 11th Sunday.

He is joined outside the top 10 by nine-time St. Petersburg pole winner Power (13th), four-time street course winner Kirkwood (15th), six-time series champion Scott Dixon (20th) and two-time St. Petersburg winner Newgarden (23rd).

“I’m not super happy,” Rosenqvist said. “I didn’t really have the speed and couldn’t put good laps together. I felt like I was on a knife’s edge the whole time. Frustrating, and 11th is below my minimum expectation.”

For Dixon, it marked the first time he failed to advance past the opening round of St. Petersburg qualifying since 2013. He started 20th that year and finished fifth.

Odds and Ends

• Overnight rain soaked the track ahead of INDY NXT by Firestone practice Saturday morning, prompting several drivers to wait for dry conditions.

• Ryan Hunter-Reay was on site assisting Arrow McLaren. 2012 series champion Hunter-Reay will compete in the team’s No. 31 Chevrolet in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 24, aiming for a second victory to join his 2014 triumph. A 15-time St. Petersburg starter with a best finish of second (2009, 2014), he said it felt unusual watching from the sidelines. He also plans to assist Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard next weekend at Phoenix.

• Juncos Hollinger Racing announced Conor Daly has returned as the team’s development driver. Daly will provide technical insight to engineers and drivers and serve as a brand ambassador for ARCO and am-pm.

• Daly also spotted for Chandler Smith in Saturday’s NASCAR Truck Series race and worked INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying as an analyst in the booth for FOX Sports.

• Mario Andretti turned 86 on Saturday, while Sebastien Bourdais turned 47. Both are four-time INDYCAR SERIES champions.

• The green flag for Sunday’s race is scheduled for 12:29 p.m. ET.