Saturday afternoon was dedicated to a knockout qualifying session for IndyCar’s field of talented drivers.
They roared around the brand new Arlington street course to set the order for Sunday’s event.
The Firestone Fast Six was run with amended rules this weekend, allowing each driver to take the track completely on his own to set the pole-winning time.
READ MORE: IndyCar Arlington – Full Qualifying Results
A new format was in force, and drivers struggled to get their tires up to temp in time for their flying lap.
After all six drivers complete their one and only attempt at pole, it was Marcus Ericsson that came out on top with a lap of 1:34.3562.
The Swede had never before earned a pole in IndyCar, and had to go back to 2013 in any racing series to find the last time he started from the prime position.
Alex Palou was nearly half a second off the pace, but was still quick enough to earn a spot on the front row.
Pato O’Ward slotted into third place, giving himself a good opportunity for victory in the 70-lap event on Sunday.
Will Power completed a strong qualifying run and earned the fourth starting position as he hopes to overcome a couple poor results that have stained his new relationship with Andretti Global.
One notch lower on the timesheets was Felix Rosenqvist, with the Swede hanging out the rear end of his Meyer Shank Racing Honda as he pushed as hard as he could.
Marcus Armstrong was just a hair slower than his team-mate, earning the sixth starting position in the #66 entry.
In all, five of the top six drivers were powered by Honda engines. It was an unexpected anomaly, and one the American manufacturer Chevrolet will want to rectify on Sunday.
Missing the cut
Drivers pushed the limits all afternoon, with car after car sailing long into the runoff areas as the track’s tricky braking zones claimed more and more victims.
The spins were largely inconsequential, however, and there were very few stoppages during the session.
Christian Rasmussen earned a solid eighth place starting position, just ahead of his Ed Carpenter Racing team-mate who slotted into tenth.
David Malukas was the top qualifying Team Penske driver, earning the ninth grid position in the #12 entry.
Josef Newgarden was just behind and qualified 11th in a backup chassis on account of his primary car being damaged in morning practice.
Newgarden’s car resembled Frankenstein’s monster as it carried various bodywork pieces with competing liveries, a situation that will be rectified before Sunday’s race.
Mean streets
It was a tough day all around for those that had shown promise early in the weekend.
Kyle Kirkwood, who led the second practice session, was narrowly bumped out in the second round by his Andretti Global team-mate Marcus Ericsson.
Kirkwood only need four hundredths of a second, but could not find the last bit needed and will line up seventh.
Scott McLaughlin had a disappointing run, as his practice pace also failed to translate into a good grid position.
The Kiwi clipped the inside of Turn 8, which sent him into the concrete barriers and ensured he will start from the final row.
Another disappointed driver was Graham Rahal, who simply could not find the right setup for his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda.
He will also start from the back of the pack, though he was less confident that he would be able to make his way through the field.
Rahal’s RLL team-mates fared a bit better, with Louis Foster earning the 13th position and rookie Mick Schumacher qualifying 17th.
A quick Sunday morning practice session will give teams a final chance to find the right setups, with the main event taking place at noon central time.
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