The NTT IndyCar Series is visiting Nashville Superspeedway this weekend, and Saturday afternoon was set aside for two-lap qualifying runs by each driver in sequence.
The track was fast, and the top four qualifiers all set times quicker than last year’s pole.
After all 27 drivers completed their runs, it was Pato O’Ward that earned pole on the 1.33-mile circuit.
READ MORE: IndyCar Nashville – Full Qualifying Results
O’Ward completed his set of laps in 47.2607 seconds, and averaged 202.621 MPH. He was the only driver to average above 202 MPH, and put a sizeable gap between himself and the others in the field.
For the second weekend in a row, David Malukas qualified for provisional pole during his run and had to watch as others completed their runs.
The young driver was nervous to see if he could claim his first IndyCar pole, but ultimately had the opportunity taken away as the penultimate driver O’Ward took his run. Malukas will line up on the outside of the front row.
Christian Lundgaard was third quickest in his #7 entry, giving Arrow McLaren two drivers in the first three positions.
The first Honda powered driver from qualifying was Alex Palou, who is never too far away from the head of the field. His Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Scott Dixon was fifth quick.
Two teams were considerably off the pace, as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Dale Coyne Racing drivers filled five of the final six positions on the timesheets.
Jacob Abel in the #51 was particularly off the pace, not even cracking 196 MPH during his two laps.
The set of bumps in Turn 3 were the biggest factor that drivers had to navigate, although they were largely able to keep the throttle flat for most of the time.
Drivers have one more practice session Saturday afternoon, followed by a 225-lap race on Sunday at 1:30 PM central time.
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