The New Zealander rocketed to the top spot with a two-lap average of 179.972 mph around the 1.25-mile oval based just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. The pole marks his fourth of the season and ninth of his career.
“I'm so stoked. We rolled out of the truck, the DEX Imaging Chevrolet has been great," said McLauhglin.
"I’m really proud of (it), we had a procedure and went through it and then got it done. It just makes me proud of everyone. At the end of the day, tomorrow is payday, and we’ll make sure that we were on top of things.”
McLaughlin’s pace eclipsed the Meyer Shank Racing duo of Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas, who were second and third when the session came to an end. Rosenqvist, who was a narrow 0.0489s off the pole mark, won’t start second after receiving a nine-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change ahead of the weekend.
Josef Newgarden, a four-time winner at Gateway, ended up fourth, ahead of Team Penske team-mate Will Power in fifth.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood was sixth while championship leader Alex Palou, who also received a nine-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change, was seventh in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing entry.
Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Romain Grosjean was eighth, followed by Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson as six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon rounded out the top 10. The New Zealander will also lose nine spots for the race for an unapproved engine change.
Herta "just broke loose" in qualifying shunt
The biggest incident of qualifying came when Colton Herta, pushing to challenge for pole after a first lap of 179.909 mph, lost the backend of his No. 26 Andretti Global Honda and slid into the Turn 2 wall on the second lap. He was able to continue, but at a reduced pace with the rear wing noticeably bent.
“Just broke loose,” Herta said. “It’s unfortunate. I think that first lap was decent. I don’t think it would have got us the pole, but I do think it could have got us in the top five there. And then second lap, I don’t know if we just wore the tyres too much or what happened, and it just let go pretty early and that’s all she wrote, unfortunately. [It] sucks.”
Herta will start 25th, ahead of Dale Coyne Racing’s Jack Harvey and Katherine Legge. Harvey had a suspected hybrid issue impact his run, while Legge wasn’t able to qualify after her No. 51 Honda failed technical inspection.
| CLA | DRIVER | # | LAPS | TIME | INTERVAL | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. McLaughlinTEAM PENSKE | 3 | 2 |
50.0079 |
179.972 | |
| 2 | F. RosenqvistMEYER SHANK RACING | 60 | 2 |
+0.0489 50.0568 |
0.0489 | 179.796 |
| 3 | D. MalukasMEYER SHANK RACING | 66 | 2 |
+0.1306 50.1385 |
0.0817 | 179.503 |
| 4 | J. NewgardenTEAM PENSKE | 2 | 2 |
+0.1526 50.1605 |
0.0220 | 179.424 |
| 5 | W. PowerTEAM PENSKE | 12 | 2 |
+0.1980 50.2059 |
0.0454 | 179.262 |
| 6 | K. KirkwoodANDRETTI GLOBAL | 27 | 2 |
+0.4357 50.4436 |
0.2377 | 178.417 |
| 7 | A. PalouCHIP GANASSI RACING | 10 | 2 |
+0.4509 50.4588 |
0.0152 | 178.363 |
| 8 | R. GrosjeanJUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING | 77 | 2 |
+0.4630 50.4709 |
0.0121 | 178.321 |
| 9 | M. EricssonANDRETTI GLOBAL | 28 | 2 |
+0.5215 50.5294 |
0.0585 | 178.114 |
| 10 | S. DixonCHIP GANASSI RACING | 9 | 2 |
+0.5809 50.5888 |
0.0594 | 177.905 |
| 11 | P. O'WardARROW MCLAREN | 5 | 2 |
+0.7936 50.8015 |
0.2127 | 177.160 |
| 12 | C. DalyJUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING | 78 | 2 |
+0.8035 50.8114 |
0.0099 | 177.126 |
| 13 | M. ArmstrongCHIP GANASSI RACING | 11 | 2 |
+0.9270 50.9349 |
0.1235 | 176.696 |
| 14 | R. van KalmthoutED CARPENTER RACING | 21 | 2 |
+0.9370 50.9449 |
0.0100 | 176.661 |
| 15 | A. RossiARROW MCLAREN | 7 | 2 |
+1.1678 51.1757 |
0.2308 | 175.865 |
| 16 | G. RahalRAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING | 15 | 2 |
+1.1918 51.1997 |
0.0240 | 175.782 |
| 17 | P. FittipaldiRAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING | 30 | 2 |
+1.2286 51.2365 |
0.0368 | 175.656 |
| 18 | S. FerrucciA.J. FOYT ENTERPRISES | 14 | 2 |
+1.2700 51.2779 |
0.0414 | 175.514 |
| 19 | L. LundqvistCHIP GANASSI RACING | 8 | 2 |
+1.2712 51.2791 |
0.0012 | 175.510 |
| 20 |
N. SiegelARROW MCLAREN
|
6 | 2 |
+1.4635 51.4714 |
0.1923 | 174.854 |
| 21 | E. CarpenterED CARPENTER RACING | 20 | 2 |
+1.4937 51.5016 |
0.0302 | 174.752 |
| 22 | K. SimpsonCHIP GANASSI RACING | 4 | 2 |
+1.7459 51.7538 |
0.2522 | 173.900 |
| 23 | C. LundgaardRAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING | 45 | 2 |
+1.7991 51.8070 |
0.0532 | 173.722 |
| 24 |
R. RobbA.J. FOYT ENTERPRISES
|
41 | 2 |
+2.0810 52.0889 |
0.2819 | 172.782 |
| 25 | C. HertaANDRETTI GLOBAL WITH CURB-AGAJANIAN | 26 | 2 |
+15.7430 1'05.7509 |
13.6620 | 136.880 |
| 26 | J. HarveyDALE COYNE RACING | 18 | 0 |
|
||
| 27 | K. LeggeDALE COYNE RACING | 51 | 0 |
|
