The NTT IndyCar Series held a single-run qualifying session on Saturday afternoon around Nashville Superspeedway.
Drivers did their best to hang onto their trimmed-out machines in the heat of the afternoon through two consecutive fast laps.
After the field had all completed their runs, it was Kyle Kirkwood at the top of the timesheets.
READ MORE: IndyCar Nashville – Full Qualifying Results
His two laps were completed in 47.5885 seconds at an average speed of 196.852 MPH.
Kirkwood credited his team for providing the pole-winning setup, and confirmed that he held his foot flat to the floor over the bump between turns 3 and 4.
Josef Newgarden was second quick, and was only two tenths of a MPH slower in his hometown race.
His team-mate Scott McLaughlin was right on his heels, and qualified in third position.
A pair of Chip Ganassi Racing entries were next, with Alex Palou setting the fourth quick time and Scott Dixon rounding out the top five.
Ed Carpenter Racing was also quick, with Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen setting the sixth and seventh quick times respectively.
At the other end of the grid was the Dale Coyne Racing duo of Romain Grosjean and Dennis Hauger the slowest of those that took to the track.
Only 23 on track
Even though 25 drivers are entered into this weekend’s event, only 23 drivers took to the track on Saturday afternoon.
David Malukas did not take part in qualifying, as he was still being evaluated for injuries sustained during morning practice.
Instead, Conor Daly was identified by the team to climb behind the wheel of the #12 entry. The goal would have been to treat the short run as an install lap to get acclimated to the car and to make sure the backup chassis was in top shape.
That plan did not come to fruition, however, as the backup car was not quite ready in time to take part in qualifying.
Team Penske has not yet confirmed if Daly will be the driver for the remainder of the weekend, including Sunday’s race, as that depends on if Malukas is cleared to race.
For the time being, Malukas remains at hospital for evaluation, although he was transported in a road car and not an ambulance.
Graham Rahal also failed to set a time, although he lined up and was all ready to start his laps when his problems occurred.
As soon as he tried to pull away, a suspected fuel pressure issue stopped him in his tracks.
The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing crew pushed the #15 back down pit road, and Rahal will start near the rear of the field.
There is one final practice session Saturday evening, followed by the race on Sunday immediately following the conclusion of the World Cup final.
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