The NTT IndyCar Series hit the streets of St. Petersburg on Saturday afternoon, and Josef Newgarden narrowly took the top grid spot after a dramatic qualifying session.
The order was not set until the final seconds, when Newgarden’s lap time came through just 0.006 seconds faster than Felix Rosenqvist’s time that he had set moments before.
The reigning Indy 500 champion put in a time of 59.571 seconds, earning a pole in the first race of 2024 after not having any in the previous season.
READ MORE: IndyCar St. Pete – Full Qualifying Results
Rosenqvist’s effort was exceptional, and he very nearly gave his new Meyer Shank Racing team a pole for the first time in its history.
He is even the new holder of the St. Pete track record, with his 59.2706 lap time in the second round of qualifying the fastest any driver has gone around the seaside course.
There were a couple unexpected teams in the Firestone Fast Six, with Juncos Hollinger Racing joining MSR in the final round to set the top spots.
Romain Grosjean pushed his JHR Chevy into the top six in his first race with the team, and will start the race from the fifth position.
In between the two unexpected top qualifiers were a couple that are near the front nearly every weekend. Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta will fill the second row in third and fourth respectively.
Rounding out the top six was Marcus Ericsson, who is also with a new team and helped Andretti Global get two cars into the final round.
Just two hundredths of a second too slow to advance to the Fast Six was Rinus VeeKay, although a seventh place start will feel good for the Dutchman.
Starting in eighth and ninth will be Team Penske team-mates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. Marcus Armstrong rounded out the top ten in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Scott Dixon and Christian Lundgaard will share the sixth row when the green flags fly on Sunday afternoon.
Alex Palou just missed out on advancing from the first round, and his new DHL livery will start from the 13th position.
Tom Blomqvist was at the top of the charts with just a couple minutes remaining in the opening session, but he dropped as others set better times and he was given a penalty on top. He will start from the 17th spot.
In addition to Blomqvist, none of the race’s other four rookies were able to advance out of the first round, such is the difficulty of the St. Pete street course.
Drivers and teams will reset, and prepare for a race on Sunday when winds are expected to shift nearly 180 degrees, adding more challenges to an already challenging course.
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