Linus Lundqvist claimed his first IndyCar pole position during a treacherous Road America qualifying session that ended with a huge crash for Josef Newgarden.
The two-time Indy 500 winner took a steering wheel off course and spun his No. 2 Dallara Chevrolet, which careened backwards into the SAFER barrier in Turn 2 at about 140 mph. Newgarden was able to walk away from the crash and give a thumbs up to safety workers.
With a lap of 1 minute, 45.1519 seconds around the 14-turn, 4.018-mile course, Lundqvist narrowly qualified first over Colton Herta, who had been fastest in practice and qualifying on a rainy Saturday, while Dallara-Hondas took victory. top four spots.
QUALIFYING RESULTS: Click here for the qualifying speeds for the XPEL Road America Grand Prix | Round 1, Group 1 | Round 1, Group 2 | Round 2 l Round 3
It was an impressive showing for Lundqvist, who hasn’t finished better than 22nd in the last three races (including a wreck in the Indy 500) since his career-best third-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park.
In his nine previous career IndyCar starts, the Swede has never advanced beyond the first round of qualifying, but the 2022 Indy NXT champion became the first IndyCar rookie to win a pole since Romain Grosjean in May 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road circuit.
“What can I honestly say, thanks to the team that stuck with me,” Lundqvist told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider. “It’s been a tough few races, so to be able to come back like this is nice.
“There is no better way to rebuild trust than this. My very first pole in IndyCar. We were the only ones who started on wet surfaces (in the Fast Six), had to make a late switch and we did it in the end, and I’m super, super happy.”
After a drenching during the second qualifying lap, the track finally started to dry towards the end of the 10-minute final lap. Herta completed his lap just as the session ended, and Newgarden slammed the barrier.
According to IndyCar medical director Dr. Julia Vaizer, Newgarden was seen and released from IndyCar’s medical unit.
Marcus Armstrong qualified third, followed by Kyle Kirkwood, Will Power (who recorded no time in the Fast Six after spinning and causing a red flag) and Newgarden (who lost his fastest laps because he caused a red flag).
Here is the IndyCar starting lineup for Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix on a 14-turn, 4.014-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (qualifying position, driver, car number in brackets, engine, time and speed):
ROW 1
1. Linus Lundqvist (8), Honda, 1 minute, 45.1519 seconds (137.424 mph)
2. Colton Herta (26), Honda, 1:45.2913 (137.242)
ROW 2
3. Marcus Armstrong (11), Honda, 1:45.6592 (136.764)
4. Kyle Kirkwood (26), Honda, 1:46.4498 (135.748)
ROW 3
5. Willpower (12), Chevrolet, no time
6. Josef Newgarden (2), Chevrolet, No time
ROW 4
7. Alex Palou (10), Honda, 2:00.8290 (119.594)
8. Scott McLaughlin (3), Chevrolet, 2:00.8840 (119.539)
ROW 5
9. Alexander Rossi (7), Chevrolet, 2:00.9035 (119.520)
10. Scott Dixon (9), Honda, 2:01.2671 (119.162)
ROW 6
11. Pato O’Ward (5), Chevrolet, 2:01.5141 (118.920)
12. Kyffin Simpson (4), Honda, 2:01.6266 (118.810)
ROW 7
13. Christian Lundgaard (45), Honda, 2:02.3826 (118.076)
14. Romain Grosjean (77), Chevrolet, 2:01.7626 (118.677)
ROW 8
15. Marcus Ericsson (28), Honda, 2:02.6460 (117.822)
16. Christian Rasmussen (20), Chevrolet, 2:02.0944 (118.354)
ROW 9
17. Rinus VeeKay (21), Chevrolet, 2:02.7088 (117.762)
18. Theo Pourchaire (6), Chevrolet, 2:02.1745 (118.277)
ROW 10
19. Santino Ferrucci (14), Chevrolet, 2:03.8144 (116.710)
20. Jack Harvey (18), Honda, 2:02.9443 (117.536)
ROW 11
21. Nolan Siegel (78), Chevrolet, 2:05.0248 (115.580)
22. Felix Rosenqvist (60), Honda, 2:03.3098 (117.188)
ROW 12
23. Luca Ghiotto (51), Honda, 2:05.1341 (115.479)
24. Graham Rahal (15), Honda, 2:04.8213 (115.769)
ROW 13
25. Pietro Fittipaldi (30), Honda, 2: 05.6079 (115.044)
26. Sting Ray Robb (41), Chevrolet, 2:04.8553 (115.737)
ROW 14
27. Helio Castroneves (66), Honda, 2:09.6837 (111.428)
