
The defending race winner, McLaughlin captured pole with a sensational run of 1m05.9490s around the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course, just 0.0970s ahead of team-mate Power. It was the 300th IndyCar pole for Team Penske.
The front row lockout delivered a positive result for the team amid a tumultuous week that featured IndyCar officials handing out severe penalties. Josef Newgarden, the third member of Team Penske, was stripped of his victory in St. Petersburg, along with McLaughlin’s third, after the pair made illegal use of the overtake system in last month’s season-opener.