Lundqvist qualifies on pole at Road America, Newgarden crashes

Newgarden was able to walk away but his #2 Team Penske Chevrolet was left battered after spinning into the barrier at high speed at ‘The Kink’.

Drivers had only switched to slicks at the start of the Fast Six after two wet Qualifying segments but the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner touched a wet kerb with his left-front tyre as he swept into Turn 11 and swapped ends (See below for replay).

Lundqvist put the #8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on pole and will share the front row with Andretti Global’s Colton Herta (#26 Honda).

Row 2 is also CGR Honda and Andretti Honda Marcus Armstrong third and Kyle Kirkwood fourth.

Row 3 will be a Team Penske lockout although neither Will Power nor Newgarden officially have a time against their name after the former brought about an early red flag in the Fast Six.

CGR’s Alex Palou missed out on the Fast Six and will share Row 4 with Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, with series leader Scott Dixon only 10th in the #9 CGR Honda.

Following two wet rounds of qualifying, everyone but Lundqvist rolled out on alternate compound slicks for the start of the Fast Six.

Staying in the ‘train tracks’ was imperative, as Power found out when he turned in slightly early for Canada Corner.

The #12 Chevrolet spun and the Queenslander was unable to keep the engine running, triggering a red flag and locking him out of the rest of the session.

The only two times on the board were a 1:57.2604s for Herta and a two-minute effort for Newgarden before the green flag flew again.

When the five remaining drivers rolled back out, Kirkwood set a 1:50.3363s then Armstrong a 1:47.9501s.

Lundqvist went second on a 1:49.0424s before Herta moved into provisional pole with a minute to go on a 1:47.6837s.

Kirkwood clocked a 1:46.4498s and Armstrong a 1:45.6592s, with Lundqvist to the very top on a 1:45.1519s just as the chequered flag came out.

Herta then completed a 1:45.2913s and, despite thinking he would lose the time, it turned out he had made the line just before the red flag was called due to Newgarden’s crash.

A MASSIVE impact for @josefnewgarden at the end of qualifying.

The No. 2 driver has been seen and released.#INDYCAR // #XPELGP pic.twitter.com/xSdaiOK2lQ

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 8, 2024

Earlier, in Round 2, the rain had virtually stopped for the start of the segment but the track was still too damp for slicks.

Nevertheless, with the wets degrading, it ended up looking like a dry qualifying session as drivers banked a time then pitted for another set of tyres.

Armstrong was quickest on a 2:00.3687s, with Herta and Power among those outside the top six as the final runs began with three minutes to go.

Herta went top on a 1:59.2088s with a minute to go, before Power went second on a 1:59.8475s and then Kirkwood got back in with a 1:59.5373s.

Lundqvist moved into fourth position with a 1:59.9421s which bumped his champion team-mate Palou, who had already been off the road at Turn 6.

The Spaniard was struggling on a second push lap and bailed out well before he reached the alternate start/finish line, leaving the #10 Honda in seventh position, 0.2906s beyond the cut.

McLaughlin (#3 Chevrolet) ended up eighth at another 0.0550s adrift, from Alexander Rossi (#7 McLaren Chevrolet), Dixon, Pato O’Ward (#5 McLaren Chevrolet), and rookie Kyffin Simpson (#4 CGR Honda).

Back in Round 1, Rossi set the pace in Group 1 with a 2:00.9811s, from O’Ward and Armstrong.

Newgarden sat only seventh when the chequered flag came out as he was still bringing a second set of wet tyres up to temperature but he was able to clock a 2:01.8329s to move into fourth at the time.

That effort had knocked O’Ward out before he got back in with a 2:01.2712s, which pushed Power back to fifth.

Christian Lundgaard (#45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) then took sixth with a 2:02.3826s but he was knocked out with the very last lap of the session, a 2:01.9470s by Simpson which saw him snatch the final advance position.

In Group 2, Practice 2 fast man Herta finished quickest on a 2:00.3275s.

Palou had been holding top spot on a 2:01.3049s when Helio Castroneves (#66 Meyer Shank Racing Chevrolet) ran long and stalled at Turn 5, triggering a red flag.

McLaughlin sat seventh at the time on a 2:03.1734s having been off the road at Turn 6, sliding off the exit kerb at Turn 14, then sliding all over the exit kerb and through the grass at Turn 14 again.

The session restarted with time enough for everyone to log one flying lap, and Herta was first in the queue as he set his 2:00.3275s.

Dixon went third on a 2:01.3999s before Palou consolidated second on a 2:00.5789s.

McLaughlin got in with a 2:01.0198s which bumped Kirkwood out, only for the latter to get straight back in with a 2:01.0846s which put Theo Pourchaire (#6 McLaren Chevrolet) out.

Dixon and team-mate Lundqvist survived but Felix Rosenqvist, who also looked like advancing, emulated his MSR team-mate Castroneves with an off at Turn 5 on his final lap.

After all of that, Lundgaard will start 13th, from Romain Grosjean (#77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet) and Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda), with Pourchaire 18th, Rosenqvist 22nd, and Castroneves 27th.

After a Sunday morning Warm Up, Race start is due at 15:35 ET/Monday at 05:35 AEST.

Results: Qualifying