BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The forecast called for rain during qualifying, but never showed up. Alex Palou, however, rained on everyone’s parade by winning pole for Sunday’s race.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader turned the fastest lap in the Firestone Fast Six with a lap of 1:07.291.
“Yeah, it was great,” he said. “It was really close. We didn’t know if it was going to be wet or dry, so we were all I think panicking a little bit. You didn’t want to get caught at the worst moment. Yeah, car has been really good all weekend honestly. Especially at the Fast Six, I got the balance I wanted, the balance we’re looking for. Yeah, really happy with the lap, as well. Got a pole that we don’t really get many, many poles. Feels good to start up front.”
It’s his seventh career pole in 84 career INDYCAR starts.
Scott McLaughlin starts second with a time of 1:07.438.
Colton Herta, Will Power, Rinus VeeKay, and Nolan Siegel rounded out the Firestone Fast Six.
Qualifying report
Firestone Fast Six
Herta opened the final round with a banker lap of 1:08.265. VeeKay immediately usurped him with a lap of 1:08.195. McLaughlin overtook them both with a lap of 1:07.471. Then Herta retook the top spot with a lap of 1:07.457. McLaughlin took the top spot with a lap of 1:07.438. Palou turned the fastest lap at 1:07.291.
Round 2
Siegel started the round with a 1:09 lap on his banker lap. Herta overtook him with a 1:07.629 lap. Power usurped him with the fastest lap of 1:07.234.
Power, Alex Palou, Herta, McLaughlin, VeeKay and Siegel advanced to the Firestone Fast Six.
Round 1
Group 1
McLaughlin started the session by clocking in a lap of 1:12.708. Palou usurped him, but then McLaughlin took it back with a lap of 1:08.250. Then Palou reclaimed it with a lap of 1:08.119. Both drivers set those times on Firestone blacks. Pato O’Ward, on Firestone reds, eclipsed them both with a 1:07 lap. Then Marcus Armstrong took the top spot with a faster 1:07 lap. McLaughlin clocked in his fastest lap of 1:07.243. Then Palou overtook him with the fastest lap of 1:07.167.
Palou, McLaughlin, Armstrong, O’Ward, Siegel and Power advanced to Round 2. Power, with time expired, clocked into the next round with a lap of 1:07.771.
Early in the session, Christian Rasmussen spun out in Turn 15. With five minutes to go, Power went off track and spun out exiting Turn 6.
Group 2
Kyle Kirkwood opened Group 2’s session with a lap of 1:10.904. Herta usurped him with a lap of 1:08.187. Kyffin Simpson took over the top spot with a lap of 1:08.169. With everyone on Firestone reds in the final two minutes, Josef Newgarden topped the chart with a lap of 1:07.398. Herta overtook him with the fastest lap of 1:07.272.
Herta, Newgarden, Christian Lundgaard, Simpson, Rinus VeeKay, and Louis Foster advanced to Round 2.
Scott Dixon went off track in Turn 8 with less than a minute in the round.
