Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Motorsport

Joey Barnes

IndyCar at WWT Raceway starting lineup: Alex Palou claims fourth straight pole

Alex Palou IndyCar Louis Foster Christian Lundgaard David Malukas Mick Schumacher Santino Ferrucci Scott McLaughlin Honda Chip Ganassi Racing

Alex Palou was the last driver to go out, but was also the best after scorching to pole for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR).

The reigning and four-time IndyCar Series Champion, driving the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, stormed to the top spot in qualifying with a two-lap average of 174.353mph around the 1.25-mile egg-shaped oval. He dethroned Team Penske’s David Malukas by a full mph (173.244mph) to take his fourth consecutive pole.

“It’s incredible,” said Palou, 29. “My car was on rails today. It was incredible. It’s a place that I struggle the most, so far. Hopefully, we can change that tomorrow. I knew this morning our car is super quick. The #10 Honda Honda had a lot of power, but I did not really expect to get the pole here today.. Yeah, just incredible. Super proud and can’t wait for tomorrow night.”

Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood qualified third, ahead of Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin finishing up the rest of the top five.

The rundown

With drivers going on in reverse championship order, rookie Mick Schumacher went out first and set the initial mark with a 170.290mph two-lap average in the #47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) Honda.

ECR’s Christian Rasmussen was the next to go out and ended up with a big lift on the exit of Turn 2 during his second lap before settling at 170.106mph avg. The likes of Sting Ray Robb (Juncos Hollinger Racing), rookie Caio Collet (AJ Foyt Racing), Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing), and Nolan Siegel (Arrow McLaren), Louis Foster (RLL) were the next handful of drivers to go out, with Foster the only one to dethrone Schumacher with a run at 170.569mph avg.

Andretti Global’s Will Power, IndyCar’s all-time pole leader, was the eighth driver to go out and ended up with a messy qualifying run at 169.670mph and slotted fifth of those to go out to that point.

Rookie Dennis Hauger (Dale Coyne Racing) and Santino Ferrucci were next out, with the latter able to knock Foster off the top spot with a two-lap avg. of 170.988mph.

Through 10, the running order was Ferrucci, Foster, Schumacher, Rasmussen, Collet, Power, Seigel, Grosjean, Hauger, and Robb. The next out was Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson, who delivered enough of a run to narrowly edge out Ferrucci with a two-lap avg. of 171.149mph.

Alexander Rossi (ECR) dished out a stout performance and solidly went to the top after going 171.923mph two-lap avg.

Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, the only driver to crash in opening practice, posted the second-fastest two-lap pace of the 13 drivers to go out at 171.200mph. The #28 Andretti Global Honda of Marcus Ericsson knocked VeeKay down and slotted himself second after hitting a 171.384mph two-lap avg.

Six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, the 15th driver to go out, vaulted to the top courtesy of a two-lap avg. of 172.478mph with his #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstong nearly left pit lane with a battery on the sidepod of his #66 Honda, but paused as a crew member grabbed it before he set off for a 172.483mph two-lap avg. to go top of the pylon.

Graham Rahal (RLL) propelled to a two-lap avg. of 171.479mph to slot fourth. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, a record five-time winner at WWTR, ended up third after a two-lap avg. of 172.415mph.

McLaughlin, Newgarden’s teammate, was the 19th driver to go out on track and vaulted to the top with a run at 172.869mph avg. in Penske’s 2002 throwback livery on his #3 Chevrolet.

Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Rosenqvist pushed his #60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda to a strong two-lap avg. of 172.953mph and knocked off McLaughlin to provisionally go to the top.

Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who was quickest in opening practice, struggled to put together a threatening performance, slotting sixth at 171.992mph two-lap avg. after bottoming out in Turns 3 and 4. The Mexican’s teammate, Christian Lundgaard, also had a lacking showing at 170.956mph two-lap avg.

Malukas, a former runner-up at WWTR, enjoyed a first lap of 173.729mph before a 172.761mph to pull off an average of 173.244mph to take over the top spot.

Andretti Global’s Kirkwood set sail with a two-lap avg. of 173.206mph, narrowly behind Malukas to slot second.

Palou, the current points leader, was the last driver to go out, went faster with a two-lap avg. of 174.353mph to take the top spot.

Cla	Driver	#	Time	Interval	Mph
1	A. PalouChip Ganassi Racing	10	51.6195		87.176
2	D. MalukasTeam Penske	12	+0.3305 51.9500	0.3305	86.622
3	K. KirkwoodAndretti Global	27	+0.3417 51.9612	0.0112	86.603
4	F. RosenqvistMeyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian	60	+0.4178 52.0373	0.0761	86.476
5	S. McLaughlinTeam Penske	3	+0.4430 52.0625	0.0252	86.435
6	M. ArmstrongMeyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian	66	+0.5597 52.1792	0.1167	86.241
7	S. DixonChip Ganassi Racing	9	+0.5612 52.1807	0.0015	86.239
8	J. NewgardenTeam Penske	2	+0.5801 52.1996	0.0189	86.208
9	P. O'WardArrow McLaren	5	+0.7085 52.3280	0.1284	85.996
10	A. RossiEd Carpenter Racing	20	+0.7295 52.3490	0.0210	85.962
11	G. RahalRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	15	+0.8652 52.4847	0.1357	85.739
12	M. EricssonAndretti Global	28	+0.8941 52.5136	0.0289	85.692
13	R. van KalmthoutJuncos Hollinger Racing	76	+0.9506 52.5701	0.0565	85.600
14	K. SimpsonChip Ganassi Racing	8	+0.9664 52.5859	0.0158	85.574
15	S. FerrucciA.J. Foyt Enterprises	14	+1.0157 52.6352	0.0493	85.494
16	C. LundgaardArrow McLaren	7	+1.0255 52.6450	0.0098	85.478
17	L. FosterRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	45	+1.1450 52.7645	0.1195	85.285
18	M. SchumacherRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	47	+1.2315 52.8510	0.0865	85.145
19	C. RasmussenEd Carpenter Racing	21	+1.2888 52.9083	0.0573	85.053
20	C. ColletA.J. Foyt Enterprises	4	+1.2894 52.9089	0.0006	85.052
21	W. PowerAndretti Global	26	+1.4247 53.0442	0.1353	84.835
22	N. SiegelArrow McLaren	6	+1.6139 53.2334	0.1892	84.533
23	R. GrosjeanDale Coyne Racing	18	+1.6297 53.2492	0.0158	84.508
24	D. HaugerDale Coyne Racing	19	+1.7199 53.3394	0.0902	84.365
25	R. Robb StingJuncos Hollinger Racing	77	+1.9319 53.5514	0.2120	84.031