Newgarden takes St Petersburg IndyCar pole, Power eighth

Newgarden snatched top spot with a 0:59.5714s just before the chequered flag fell on the Fast Six at the Streets of St Petersburg, with the #2 Chevrolet to share the front row with the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda of Felix Rosenqvist.

Pato O’Ward (#5 McLaren Chevrolet) qualified third, from Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda), Romain Grosjean (#77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet), and Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda).

Alex Palou will start from all the way back in 13th position in the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda after failing to clear the first hurdle.

O’Ward and Herta started the Fast Six on ‘black’ tyres while, on ‘greens’, Grosjean kicked things off with a 1:00.5059s.

Newgarden on a 1:00.1825s and then Rosenqvist on a 0:59.9930s went quicker next time through, before O’Ward switched to greens and clocked a 0:59.7417s.

Newgarden pitted and then came back out to set a 0:59.8882s and reclaim second spot before Herta, who was still pounding around on the same set of blacks, laid down a 0:59.8189s.

O’Ward pushed the benchmark to a 0:59.6540s but it would not be enough when Newgarden bettered him by 0.0826s in the seconds prior to the chequered flag.

Rosenqvist then relegated the Mexican to Row 2 when he set a 0:59.5772s.

Earlier, in Round 2, McLaughlin was fastest at the end of the first runs on a 0:59.9593s, from Newgarden on a 0:59.9767s, with O’Ward sitting sixth on a 1:00.2088s.

As usual, though, everyone switched from blacks to greens at the midway point, and O’Ward clocked a 0:59.5711s before Grosjean set a 0:59.5074s and then Herta a 0:59.3157s.

Newgarden’s 0:59.3214s put Car #2 into second and bumped Power, who was holding as 0:59.5594s in the #12 Penske Chevrolet.

With the chequered flag out, Rosenqvist shot from 12th to first on a 0:59.2706s, which knocked Rinus VeeKay out of the top six.

The Dutchman will start seventh in the #21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet with Power alongside after the Queenslander could not improve on his final lap.

McLaughlin could, but only to ninth with his 0:59.5741s in the #3 Penske Chevrolet, making for an all-Kiwi fifth row with Marcus Armstrong (#11 CGR Honda) alongside.

The other New Zealander in the field, Scott Dixon, starts 11th in the #9 CGR Honda, while Christian Lundgaard (#45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) qualifying 12th.

In Round 1 of Qualifying, Ericsson set the pace in Group 1 on a 0:59.3703s.

McLaughlin snuck through sixth and his 59.6202s served to knock Palou out of the top six, with the 2023 champion set to start from 13th after managing only a 0:59.7897s.

In Round 2, Herta punched out a 0:59.5596s on his black tyre run, sitting 0.5360s clear of the rest as they sat in the pits at the midway point of the segment.

No one went any faster, himself included, with Grosjean clocking a 0:59.5709s on greens.

Power sat eighth when the chequered flag came out but rescued himself with a 0:59.6888s which was good enough for fourth all-told.

In the end, Row 7 of the starting grid is Palou and Santino Ferrucci (#14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet), with McLaren team-mates Alexander Rossi (#7 Chevrolet) and Callum Ilott (#6 Chevrolet) to share Row 8.

Kyle Kirkwood, who smacked the wall at Turn 2 in Practice 2, could only manage 18th on the starting grid in the #27 Andretti Global Honda.

The Warmup is next on Sunday at 09:10 ET/Monday at 00:10 AEDT, followed by the 100-lap Race at 12:15 ET/03:15 AEDT.

Results: Qualifying