Saturday afternoon on the streets of Detroit was set aside for the NTT IndyCar Series, with a traditional knockout format in play.
They year’s change that allows drivers to run their final Fast Six rounds one at a time provided some intrigue as teams all wanted to go early and preserve heat in their used tires.
Scott McLaughlin went out first to maximize that strategy, but a mistake coming out of Turn 2 onto the longest straight of the track cost him valuable time.
READ MORE: IndyCar Detroit – Full Qualifying Results
Alex Palou was his normal clinical self, pushing the limits right to the edge without causing any damage to his car.
He bested McLaughlin’s time and recorded a time that withstood through to the end, giving him his fourth pole of the year.
The driver who set the best first couple corners was Will Power, but small mistakes later on ended up being enough to drop him down the grid just a bit.
The #26 Andretti Global Honda will start from second, but still with a good view at the start of Sunday’s race.
McLaughlin’s early time was good enough for third, marking the top Chevy on the grid.
Scott Dixon matched Palou’s times through the first half of his lap, but a power slide similar to McLaughlin meant he could only set the fourth best time.
Christian Lundgaard turned the fifth best time, putting his brand new Chevy engine to good use after his previous one expired during practice.
Kyle Kirkwood had a few moments of his own, locking his front tires hard just after taking the green flag. Those mistakes secured his sixth place grid position.
Despite all six drivers pushing to the limit for pole, all kept out of the wall and will not require any repairs overnight.
Into the wall
Unfortunately for some drivers and their crews, a few damaged cars were taken back to the paddock before the session was complete.
The first to find the wall was Mick Schumacher, with the rookie slamming his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda into the wall at Turn 7.
Similarly, David Malukas stuffed his Team Penske Chevy into the same wall in the next group.
Malukas touched the inside of Turn 7, which upset his car and sent it hard into the concrete barriers.
Both drivers smartly took their hands off the wheel when they saw the impact coming, saving them from a dangerously spinning steering wheel.
Malukas’ impact was so heavy that the team has already confirmed they will be bringing out the backup car for Sunday’s event.
Marcus Ericsson touched the same wall in the first round, but was able to limp his car back to his crew.
His time allowed him to advance to the Top 12, and the Andretti crew had to scramble to replace both suspension pieces of the right rear.
They did so successfully, allowing Ericsson to get back on track and eventually earn the ninth position.
Turn 7 was harrowing for all drivers, with nearly every one grabbing a handful of opposite lock as they attempted to wrangle their nearly out of control machines.
Pato O’Ward, with his famously fast hands, was one who danced around the circuit without finding the wall and will start from seventh.
The danger provided an abundance of entertainment to fans watching as there was always a chance for another driver to find the wall.
The field will regroup overnight and return for an exciting race tomorrow just after noon eastern time.
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