Kiwi Scott McLaughlin will start on the front row along side Christian Lundgaard who won the NTT P1 Award for the Honda Indy Toronto on Saturday.
McLaughlin will start second, tying his season best, after a lap of 1:04.4790 in the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin spun early in the Firestone Fast Six and lost his best time to that point as a penalty for triggering a local yellow, but he turned his quickest lap in the final moments of the session – like nearly every driver – as the circuit began to dry following an intense shower earlier in qualifying.
Pato O’Ward qualified third at 1:04.5500 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Marcus Ericsson will join him in the second row after qualifying fourth at 1:04.9091 in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda.
Felix Rosenqvist will start fifth after a lap of 1:04.9423 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, as Arrow McLaren and Team Penske each put two drivers in the Firestone Fast Six. Reigning series champion and all-time INDYCAR SERIES pole record holder Will Power was the second Penske driver in the first three rows, qualifying a season-best sixth at 1:05.0703 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
The three-round qualifying session was almost as noteworthy for who missed the Firestone Fast Six as for those who made the final group.
Championship leader Alex Palou, who leads by 110 points over teammate Scott Dixon, encountered the first hiccup of his dominant season in the first round. He failed to advance as light rain started in the final 90 seconds of his group while he and other drivers were on slick tires and will start a season-low 15th in the No. 10 Journie Rewards Honda. Palou’s worst previous starting spot this season was seventh at St. Petersburg and Texas.
Reigning Toronto race winner Dixon also didn’t make the Firestone Fast Six, just missing advancing from the second group by .1128 of a second. He will start seventh in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Kyle Kirkwood, fastest in Friday practice and second in practice Saturday morning, will start eighth in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda. Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, third in the standings, will start 11th in the No. 2 Snap-on Tools Team Penske Chevrolet.
Qualifying results (qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses)
1/ (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:04.1567 (100.217)
2/ (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:04.4790 (99.716)
3/ (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:04.5500 (99.607)
4/ (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:04.9091 (99.055)
5/ (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:04.9423 (99.005)
6/ (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:05.0703 (98.810)
7/ (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:12.3123 (88.914)
8/ (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 01:12.3316 (88.891)
9/ (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 01:12.5611 (88.609)
10/ (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 01:13.5600 (87.406)
11/ (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:13.6353 (87.317)
12/ (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:15.0226 (85.702)
13/ (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 01:01.5325 (104.491)
14/ (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:14.8356 (85.916)
15/ (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:01.6340 (104.319)
16/ (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 01:14.8759 (85.870)
17/ (18) David Malukas, Honda, 01:02.0296 (103.654)
18/ (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:15.4540 (85.212)
19/ (30) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:02.2035 (103.364)
20/ (60) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 01:16.0415 (84.554)
21/ (20) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 01:02.2554 (103.278)
22/ (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 01:16.0598 (84.533)
23/ (51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 01:02.3978 (103.042)
24/ (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:16.2870 (84.282)
25/ (55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 01:02.6538 (102.621)
26/ (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 01:18.9856 (81.402)
27/ (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:29.3774 (71.938)
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