The format for the double-headers saw each driver receive two single-car laps, with the first setting their position for the opening race on Saturday night and the second determining their spot for Sunday’s event. The qualification order went in reverse of entrant points.
Scott McLaughlin claimed pole for Saturday night’s opening race of the doubleheader weekend in IndyCar’s first return to The Milwaukee Mile since 2015, while Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden snatched the top starting spot for Sunday’s second act.
Newgarden was the first among the two to go out among his teammates and originally set the mark for both races after nailed a first lap of 161.640 mph and a second at 160.983 mph on the historic 1-mile oval. He remained there until McLaughlin’s No. 3 Chevrolet surged to a quicker 162.341 mph on lap 1, but fell off on the second lap to 160.912 mph to barely miss a sweep. It is the fifth pole of the season for McLaughlin.
“It’s great,” McLaughlin said. “You know, the car has been great at every oval we’ve gone to this season. To pick up another pole here is fantastic. I shipped it pretty hard into (Turns) 3 and 4 on the second lap, we might’ve been able to double it up.”
For Newgarden, who will serve a nine-position starting grid penalty for Race 1 after an unapproved engine change on the weekend, the pole for Race 2 is his second on the year.
“We went aggressive,” said the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion.
“We’ve been on the other end of this when we weren’t aggressive enough in qualifying and it really bit us, so probably overcooked it slightly there. But the car was still good. When you go back, you’re going to look at this and quarterback it from the couch after the fact, and I knew what we could do different. But this is a great run for the team to lock out the front row; both days are going to be really good for us.”
Meyer Shank Racing’s David Malukas qualified third for the first race, ahead of Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi and Chip Ganassi Racing rookie Linus Lundqvist. Will Power, the third member of the Team Penske trio who is currently second in the championship fight behind leader Alex Palou, ended up sixth. Palou was only able to push his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to 13th for the first race.
Marcus Armstrong put the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda third on the grid for Race 2, ahead of Power and Lundqvist. Palou managed to qualify 10th for the second race.
| Cla | Driver | # | Laps | Time | Interval | Mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. McLaughlinTeam Penske | 3 | 2 |
22.5082 |
162.341 | |
| 2 | J. NewgardenTeam Penske | 2 | 2 |
+0.0976 22.6058 |
0.0976 | 161.640 |
| 3 | D. MalukasMeyer Shank Racing | 66 | 2 |
+0.1276 22.6358 |
0.0300 | 161.426 |
| 4 | A. RossiArrow McLaren | 7 | 2 |
+0.2537 22.7619 |
0.1261 | 160.531 |
| 5 | L. LundqvistChip Ganassi Racing | 8 | 2 |
+0.2639 22.7721 |
0.0102 | 160.460 |
| 6 | W. PowerTeam Penske | 12 | 2 |
+0.3087 22.8169 |
0.0448 | 160.144 |
| 7 | M. ArmstrongChip Ganassi Racing | 11 | 2 |
+0.3234 22.8316 |
0.0147 | 160.041 |
| 8 | P. O'WardArrow McLaren | 5 | 2 |
+0.3638 22.8720 |
0.0404 | 159.759 |
| 9 | M. EricssonAndretti Global | 28 | 2 |
+0.4615 22.9697 |
0.0977 | 159.079 |
| 10 | F. RosenqvistMeyer Shank Racing | 60 | 2 |
+0.4735 22.9817 |
0.0120 | 158.996 |
| 11 | R. GrosjeanJuncos Hollinger Racing | 77 | 2 |
+0.4840 22.9922 |
0.0105 | 158.923 |
| 12 | C. HertaAndretti Global with Curb-Agajanian | 26 | 2 |
+0.5347 23.0429 |
0.0507 | 158.574 |
| 13 | A. PalouChip Ganassi Racing | 10 | 2 |
+0.5504 23.0586 |
0.0157 | 158.466 |
| 14 | R. van KalmthoutEd Carpenter Racing | 21 | 2 |
+0.6356 23.1438 |
0.0852 | 157.882 |
| 15 | J. HarveyDale Coyne Racing | 18 | 2 |
+0.6396 23.1478 |
0.0040 | 157.855 |
| 16 |
C. RasmussenEd Carpenter Racing
|
20 | 2 |
+0.7789 23.2871 |
0.1393 | 156.911 |
| 17 |
N. SiegelArrow McLaren
|
6 | 2 |
+0.8136 23.3218 |
0.0347 | 156.677 |
| 18 | C. DalyJuncos Hollinger Racing | 78 | 2 |
+0.8359 23.3441 |
0.0223 | 156.528 |
| 19 | K. KirkwoodAndretti Global | 27 | 2 |
+0.8583 23.3665 |
0.0224 | 156.378 |
| 20 | S. DixonChip Ganassi Racing | 9 | 2 |
+0.8828 23.3910 |
0.0245 | 156.214 |
| 21 | K. LeggeDale Coyne Racing | 51 | 2 |
+0.9386 23.4468 |
0.0558 | 155.842 |
| 22 | S. FerrucciA.J. Foyt Enterprises | 14 | 2 |
+0.9656 23.4738 |
0.0270 | 155.663 |
| 23 |
R. RobbA.J. Foyt Enterprises
|
41 | 2 |
+0.9657 23.4739 |
0.0001 | 155.662 |
| 24 | G. RahalRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 15 | 2 |
+1.0448 23.5530 |
0.0791 | 155.139 |
| 25 | K. SimpsonChip Ganassi Racing | 4 | 2 |
+1.0564 23.5646 |
0.0116 | 155.063 |
| 26 | C. LundgaardRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 45 | 2 |
+1.2669 23.7751 |
0.2105 | 153.690 |
| 27 | P. FittipaldiRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 30 | 2 |
+1.6669 24.1751 |
0.4000 | 151.147 |
