IndyCar held a traditional knockout qualifying session Saturday afternoon, with drivers tackling the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park in central Alabama.
Alex Palou earned his first pole of 2026, setting an impressive time around the 2.38-mile course in a repeat of last year’s effort.
David Malukas was second quick to earn a spot on the front row, followed Graham Rahal in third.
READ MORE: IndyCar Barber – Full Qualifying Report
Will Power crashed out of qualifying with a hard impact just a few minutes into the first round. He appeared to suffer brake failure, and will start at the back.
Scott McLaughlin, who crashed in practice and had to run in a backup car, put in a valiant effort but ended up missing the cut in the first round. He will start 14th.
With an eventful qualifying in the books, teams and drivers will look ahead to Sunday’s race 90-lap main event.
| # | Driver | Time | Gap | Avg. Speed (MPH) | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | 01:06.2341 | – | 125.011 | Fast Six |
| 2 | David Malukas | 01:06.3478 | 0.1137 | 124.797 | Fast Six |
| 3 | Graham Rahal | 01:06.5181 | 0.2840 | 124.477 | Fast Six |
| 4 | Marcus Armstrong | 01:06.5312 | 0.2971 | 124.453 | Fast Six |
| 5 | Kyle Kirkwood | 01:06.8326 | 0.5985 | 123.892 | Fast Six |
| 6 | Romain Grosjean | 01:06.8363 | 0.6022 | 123.885 | Fast Six |
| 7 | Santino Ferrucci | 01:06.3769 | 0.3380 | 124.742 | Top 12 |
| 8 | Marcus Ericsson | 01:06.3900 | 0.3511 | 124.718 | Top 12 |
| 9 | Josef Newgarden | 01:06.4256 | 0.3867 | 124.651 | Top 12 |
| 10 | Christian Lundgaard | 01:06.5102 | 0.4713 | 124.492 | Top 12 |
| 11 | Alexander Rossi | 01:06.6873 | 0.6484 | 124.162 | Top 12 |
| 12 | Pato O’Ward | 01:06.8186 | 0.7797 | 123.918 | Top 12 |
| 13 | Scott Dixon | 01:06.5267 | 0.4235 | 124.461 | First Round |
| 14 | Scott McLaughlin | 01:06.7313 | 0.5183 | 124.080 | First Round |
| 15 | Nolan Siegel | 01:06.5881 | 0.4849 | 124.347 | First Round |
| 16 | Rinus VeeKay | 01:06.7411 | 0.5281 | 124.061 | First Round |
| 17 | Christian Rasmussen | 01:06.7124 | 0.6092 | 124.115 | First Round |
| 18 | Felix Rosenqvist | 01:06.8104 | 0.5974 | 123.933 | First Round |
| 19 | Kyffin Simpson | 01:06.7938 | 0.6906 | 123.964 | First Round |
| 20 | Mick Schumacher | 01:06.8140 | 0.6010 | 123.926 | First Round |
| 21 | Caio Collet | 01:06.8444 | 0.7412 | 123.870 | First Round |
| 22 | Louis Foster | 01:06.9445 | 0.7315 | 123.685 | First Round |
| 23 | Will Power | 01:09.9808 | 3.8776 | 118.318 | First Round |
| 24 | Dennis Hauger | 01:07.3414 | 1.1284 | 122.956 | First Round |
| 25 | Sting Ray Robb | 01:07.6109 | 1.3979 | 122.465 | First Round |
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