Herta raced around the 1.645-mile street circuit quickly, clocking a lap of 1 minute and 0.5475 seconds to grab the top spot. This was a great comeback after his crash at the Indianapolis 500 last week. It’s his 12th pole position in the IndyCar Series.
Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing also had a strong run but came up just short, 0.1520 seconds behind Herta. He secured the second spot next to Herta on the front row.
Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske took the third and fourth positions. Scott Dixon, a six-time IndyCar Series champion from Chip Ganassi Racing, came in fifth, while Kyle Kirkwood from Andretti Global finished sixth.
During the Fast Six qualifying round, McLaughlin set the initial fastest time, but Herta responded with an even quicker lap. A red flag was raised when Kirkwood’s car stalled on the track, leading to a one-lap shootout for pole position. Despite the chance for improvement, none of the drivers were able to beat Herta’s time.
Herta expressed his happiness for the team’s hard work and redemption after the disappointment at Indy. Palou also praised his team’s effort and expressed excitement about starting on the front row for the race.
The qualifying session ended with Herta on top, followed by Palou, Newgarden, McLaughlin, and Dixon. It’s expected to be a busy race, but both drivers are confident with their fast cars for the upcoming event.
