Following two days of open test sessions, the IndyCar field took to the Thermal Club track to set the starting grids for Sunday’s two heat races.
Drivers were split into two groups by a random draw, and the result was a large disparity between the two qualifying runs.
The first group was filled with drivers that have 142 wins between them, while the drivers in the second group only have 31 wins to their name.
READ MORE: IndyCar $1 Million Challenge – Full Qualifying Results
Regardless, each driver had the same goal: set the fastest time in a single eight-minute session, utilizing Push to Pass and a new set of tires to start near the front.
Felix Rosenqvist blasted to the front in the first qualifying session, scooting ahead of the other 13 drivers that were pushing the limits on the cooling track and continuing his good run to start the season.
He lapped the course in 1 minute 38.5831 in his Meyer Shank Racing Honda, just a bit slower than the fastest times from the extensive test sessions over the past two days.
Scott McLaughlin and Rinus VeeKay finished second and third in the group, and will start up front for their opening heat race on Sunday.
For the second qualifying round, Alex Palou set the fastest time of 1 minute 38.5675. He took advantage of a lull in the wind to hold off the rest of the field, despite not using all this Push to Pass allocation.
His team-mate Marcus Armstrong set the second fastest time, and Graham Rahal and Linus Lundqvist earned positions on the second row of their heat race.
Marcus Ericsson spun after hitting a bump in the track on his fast lap attempt in group two, and his Andretti Global Honda hit the tire barriers harder than anyone has throughout the entire weekend.
His crew will have quite a bit of work to do overnight, then Ericsson will have a big job to climb from the back in the second heat race.
Now that the orders are set, drivers will prepare for a couple races directly against their competitors on Sunday.
Those that were in group one on Saturday will compete in the first heat race, with the second group competing in the second heat race. Anyone that finishes in the top six of either heat race, will advance to the final round.
That final round will be 20 laps long, and the driver that crosses the line first will walk away with a cool $500,000 added to his bank account.
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