Herta’s top time was 59.2698 seconds in his final flying lap in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, as he added that pole to the No. 1 spot at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. The first nine races of this season featured a different pole winner, and Herta was happy to spoil a chance for the INDYCAR SERIES to tie a record 10 different pole winners to start a season set in 1952. WATCH: Qualifiers Results | Qualifying moments “It was an intense session,” Herta said. “We hadn’t really found that time until the end. I was really happy with this round. It all sort of came together. The car was running perfectly. You don’t see it often, guys are quicker to go to the used reds (Firestone replacement tires) instead of the new ones. Something I have to think about tomorrow, but I’m happy with my Gainbridge Honda.” The 85-lap race is scheduled for Sunday. Live, exclusive coverage of the match begins at 3 p.m. (ET) on Peacock Premium – with limited commercial breaks – and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Both outlets will also cover the morning warm-up live at 10:55am Six-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion Scott Dixon will join Herta – who also led morning practice – on the front row after a best qualifying lap of 59.3592 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. It was the best non-oval qualifying performance this season for the Indianapolis 500 by pole winner Gainbridge Dixon, whose previous best road/street effort was fifth in the final race, the Honda Indy 200 on July 3 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. . Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, who leads the series this season with three wins, qualified third with a 59.5257 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. He will share the 2 row with Alexander Rossi, who qualified fourth with a 59.5544 in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda. David Malukas was the top qualifier rookie with a career-best starting position of fifth after a 59.6140 lap in the No. 18 HMD Honda. Scott McLaughlin completed the Firestone Fast Six at 59.9558 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. NTT P1 Award qualifying provided plenty of results for the Astor Challenge Cup contenders as series champion on the temporary 11-turn, 1,786-mile circuit around the streets of Exhibition Place in Canada’s largest city. Points leader and 2021 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson qualified ninth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Ericsson’s closest pursuer, 2014 series champion Will Power, held out for the third consecutive event with a disappointing qualifying result. He will start 16th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after his final hot lap in the first qualifying session was halted when Kyle Kirkwood crashed the No. Power has qualified 15th or lower in the last three road races on the schedule, but has finished first and third in two of them, at Belle Isle and Mid-Ohio, respectively. “I have to know you have to stay in the top six every time because that can happen,” Power said of missing his round in the Kirkwood incident. “I had a very fast car again. It ‘s crazy. That’s three races in a row we were like P2 in practice before qualifying and then between 15th and 19th. Disappointing mate. Disappointing. I got to turn 6 and went up four tenths. That would have passed us by.” Newgarden, third in points, is in good shape to potentially gain ground on Ericsson and Power with the third starting spot on Sunday. But the next two drivers in the standings, fourth Alex Palou and fifth Pato O’Ward, have a lot of work to do. Reigning series champion Palou slowed on track and stopped in his qualifying group in the first session and will start 22nd in the 25-car field in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. O’Ward clipped the wall in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet during his first group run, failed to qualify and will start 15th. There was a bright spot for the enthusiastic crowd of Canadian fans, returning in droves under sunny skies after the event was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Toronto-area native and series rookie Devlin DeFrancesco posted a career-best 12th in the No. 29 PowerTap Honda.
