Linus Lundqvist claimed his first IndyCar pole position during a treacherous Road America qualifying session that ended with a massive crash for Josef Newgarden.
The two-time Indy 500 winner got a wheel off course and spun his No. 2 Dallara Chevrolet, which hurtled backward at about 140 mph into the SAFER barrier in Turn 2. 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 road course, Lundqvist narrowly qualified first over Colton Herta, who had been fastest throughout a rain-soaked Saturday in practice and qualifying, as Dallara-Hondas took the top four spots.
TIRE COMPOUND CHOICES: Whether the field will be starting on alternate or primary
QUALIFYING RESULTS: Click here for XPEL Road America Grand Prix qualifying speeds | Round 1, Group 1 | Round 1, Group 2 | Round 2 l Round 3
It was an impressive showing for Lundqvist, who has finished no better than 22nd in the past three races (including a wreck in the Indy 500) since a career-best third at Barber Motorsports Park.
In his previous nine career IndyCar starts, the Swede never advanced from the first round of qualifying — but the the 2022 Indy NXT champion became the first IndyCar rookie to win a pole since Romain Grosjean in May 2021 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
“What can I say, honestly, thanks to the team for sticking with me,” Lundqvist told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider. “It’s been a rough couple of races, so to be able to bounce back like this, it’s nice.
“There’s no better way of rebuilding confidence than this. My first ever pole in IndyCar. We were the only ones starting on wets (in the Fast Six), had to make a late switch, and we made it work at the end, and I’m super, super happy.”
After a drenching during the second round of qualifying, the track finally began to dry near the end of the 10-minute final round. 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 the IndyCar medical unit.
Marcus Armstrong qualified third, followed by Kyle Kirkwood, Will Power (who recorded no time in the Fast Six after spinning to cause a red flag) and Newgarden (who lost his fastest laps for causing a red).
Here’s 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 parentheses, 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. Will Power (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)
