Alex Palou, the leading driver for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar series, secured the pole position for Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Road Course, achieving a commanding 0.4-second lead over his nearest competitor. His closest challengers, Graham Rahal, Louis Foster, and Devlyn DeFrancesco from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, will start second, third, and fifth, respectively.
Palou completed the 14-turn, 2.439-mile course with a time of 1:09.3417, averaging 126.625 mph, showcasing strong performance despite an earlier lockup in Turn 1. Rookie Louis Foster narrowly missed joining his teammate Rahal at the front, while Scott McLaughlin of Penske qualified fourth despite losing practice time due to suspension changes.
Alexander Rossi, a former winner, is set to start in ninth place, with Kaifin Simpson alongside him in the sixth row. Several prominent drivers, including Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, struggled in the qualifying rounds, failing to make it past the first group. The added competition and performance issues within Group 2 led to unexpected outcomes, with strong contenders like Scott Dixon also lagging behind Palou.
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