Coyne “too far up the grid” to use alternate strategy

The Dale Coyne Racing-Hondas of Conor Daly and Luca Filippi qualified seventh and eleventh respectively, outpacing three Ganassi cars and all four Andretti Autosport entries.

However, Coyne told Motorsport.com that the team’s prominence means he’ll be unwilling to take any of his famously bold strategies, that have in the recent past enabled Daly to lead at GP Indy and Detroit 1, and finish sixth and second respectively.

Asked if he thought he had a chance of winning, Coyne said: “Breaking into the top three or four will be tough. The problem is, we’re far enough forward now that we can’t roll the dice on strategy. We’ve got to run on their strategy – Penske’s and Ganassi’s.

“So whatever we do has got to be done on pace, like in qualifying."

Explaining the team's tactics within the session, Coyne said: "Conor used two sets of reds in the first session, but Luca used blacks, then reds, so he had another set of reds to use in Q2. His problem in Q2 was that he hit traffic – he had three cars in front of him, otherwise he could have been either side of Conor on the grid.

“But yeah, we’re happy. We’re competitive. It’s maybe the best qualifying session we’ve had here [in Toronto].”

“We struggled when we first came off the truck but we made good progress each session – and a lot more than some other teams. It’s strange.”

Asked if he had been impressed with Filippi’s showing, considering he hadn’t driven an IndyCar since the race at Barber at the end of April, Coyne said: “Yes, he’s been fast, and got up to speed quick.”

However, the team owner admitted that he did not yet know who would be in the #19 car at the next race at Mid-Ohio.

Filippi was only confirmed to replace Gabby Chaves for Toronto at the start of this week, and Coyne told Motorsport.com that there were a few candidates for the ride for the remainder of the season.