Will Power dominated the two-lap qualifying session at the 0.875-mile oval, setting the fastest time of 17.7246s and reaching a top speed of 181.578mph. Power’s impressive performance on both laps secured him pole position for both races. This achievement marked the 69th and 70th series poles for the Australian driver. Power attributed his car’s exceptional speed to its balanced performance. The qualifying format required each driver to complete two single-car laps, with the first lap determining their position for the opening race and the second lap determining their position for Sunday’s grid.
The qualifying session was delayed by a heavy rain shower that soaked the track just as it was about to begin at 8:30 am local time. After nearly two hours of track drying efforts, the session resumed. Power recorded a speed of 181.426mph on his first lap and improved even further with a speed of 181.578mph on his second lap. Despite his impressive performance, Power believed there was room for improvement, stating that he had difficulties with gear shifting during the session.
McLaughlin and Newgarden Secure Prominent Positions
Scott McLaughlin, Power’s fellow Antipodean teammate, achieved solid lap times of 180.334mph and 179.635mph, securing second place for both races. McLaughlin praised Power’s driving skills, referring to him as a “genius.” Josef Newgarden, the fastest driver in yesterday’s practice session, struggled to match the pace of his teammates. He managed lap times of 180.081mph and 177.864mph, placing him third and seventh on the starting grids. Newgarden expressed his disappointment, acknowledging that he simply wasn’t quick enough.
Other Drivers Face Challenges and Anomalies
Scott Dixon, representing Chip Ganassi Racing, achieved the fourth-fastest time for race one but slipped to ninth for race two. Pato O’Ward from Arrow McLaren secured fifth place for race one and 11th place for race two, recording lap speeds of 178.390mph and 177.217mph respectively. Colton Herta from Andretti Autosport faced difficulties with understeer during his second lap, but his consistent performance in the 178mph range allowed him to start in sixth and fifth positions. Championship leader Alex Palou struggled on short ovals, qualifying seventh for race one but dropping to 12th on his second lap.
Romain Grosjean from Andretti experienced a significant drop-off in performance between his two laps, losing 0.2 seconds and nearly 2mph. Grosjean admitted to having a challenging moment at Turn 3 during his second lap. Despite starting eighth in one race, he would need to make a comeback from near the back on Sunday. David Malukas from Dale Coyne Racing encountered a nerve-wracking moment over the bumps at Turn 1 but managed to maintain control. His impressive second lap secured him third place on the grid for Sunday’s race and a ninth-place start for today’s race. Another notable anomaly was Ed Carpenter, who performed exceptionally well on his second lap, placing fourth on the grid after being only the 19th fastest in race one’s qualifying.
Graham Rahal emerged as the top driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan, securing sixth place for race two but starting 13th in today’s race. Jack Harvey received a nine-position grid penalty for his involvement in a first-corner pileup at Toronto last weekend, resulting in him starting both races from the rear.
The first race is scheduled to begin at 2:06 pm local time (3:06 am ET) today.
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