The NTT IndyCar Series held a thrilling knockout qualifying session on the streets of Washington D.C. on Saturday evening.
Drivers pushed as hard as they dare on the short but unforgiving layout to set the fastest times possible.
The final Firestone Fast Six round was completed one car at a time, which meant there was only one chance to secure the top spot on the grid.
READ MORE: IndyCar Washington D.C. – Full Qualifying Results
Alex Palou pushed the limits right to the very edge, dancing around the course with only inches to spare yet appearing to be in complete control.
Nobody could match Palou’s precision, and the reigning champion earned his seventh pole of the year, and did so by over half a second on the short course.
Kyle Kirkwood locked up once during his sole qualifying attempt, which hurt his lap and ensured he started from second place.
Scott McLaughlin looked solid throughout this lap, but it was not quick enough to battle for the front row. He earned the third starting position.
Christian Rasmussen punched above his weight simply by advancing to the final round on the tricky street course when his specialty has been ovals in the past.
Rasmussen beat his best ever qualifying effort by sticking the #21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy into the fourth starting position.
Starting one position lower will be Marcus Armstrong in the #66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, after he locked up in the braking zone for Turn 1 and ruined his lap just as it began.
David Malukas also locked up his tires while they were still cold at the start of his lap, and ended up touching the wall and breaking his rear toe link as well.
The young driver abandoned his final run after he felt the damage, which forced him into the sixth starting position.
Missing the cut
More than a few drivers looked fast, but ultimately failed to advance into the final round of qualifying.
Pato O’Ward was the first to miss the cut and earned the seventh starting position. He was the highest placed Arrow McLaren driver, however, lapping a small bit faster than his team-mates on the second round.
Christian Lundgaard was quick enough to earn the ninth starting place, while Nolan Siegel was 12th quick.
Dennis Hauger slotted in between the first two papaya cars and was a narrow 0.02 seconds quicker than Lundgaard. He earned the eighth starting place with his effort and secured the highest grid position among this year’s rookies.
Earning the 10th starting position was Felix Rosenqvist, with Caio Collet slotting in just behind in 11th.
Reaching for the walls
Rinus VeeKay was the first driver to hit the wall during the opening qualifying round, slapping the concrete barriers with his right rear just before the pit road entrance.
He ducked into the pits without causing a red flag, but was not able to get back on track and drifted down the order as others set fast times. VeeKay will start on the 10th row.
Last week’s race winner Marcus Ericsson also clipped the barriers with a rear wheel, as did Will Power, and broken toe links stopped their attempts early.
Both drivers were also eliminated in the first round due to their errors, and will have a lot of work to do on Sunday.
Kyffin Simpson looked set to advance as time wound down on the first round of qualifying, but he was a bit too ambitious in Turn 6 and clipped the tire barrier with this right front.
The impact ripped the wheel off his car and brought out a late red flag.
The stoppage effectively ended the session early, and earned the 21-year-old a penalty that dropped him out of the advancing positions.
Simpson’s error also impacted his team-mate Scott Dixon, who was on a fast lap behind and seemed to have pace to advance. He could not completed his lap, however, and The Ice Man will have to start from the middle of the field.
Drivers will return to the track on Sunday for a long battle in the shadow of multiple famous and historic buildings, with the green flag waving just past 1:00 PM eastern time.
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