Just after noon on Saturday, the NTT IndyCar Series headed out onto The Milwaukee Mile to set the order for both upcoming races later in the weekend.
Overall, nearly all drivers struggled to find grip as they navigated the nine-degree banking. Some cars hard a hard time turning and pushed up the track, while others gave their drivers a heap of oversteer as they cruised through the turns.
The drivers that handled the tricky conditions best were Team Penske team-mates Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden.
READ MORE: IndyCar Milwaukee – Full Qualifying Results
McLaughlin set the fastest first lap on his first flying lap, which earned him pole for Saturday evening’s race around the 1.015-mile oval.
His lap was completed in 22.5082 seconds, averaging a speed of 162.341 MPH.
McLaughlin’s second lap was marginally slower, which allowed Josef Newgarden to slip into the top spot for Sunday’s race.
Newgarden’s second lap was completed in 22.6980 seconds, with an average speed of 160.983 MPH.
The two drivers set the second fastest times for the laps that they were not on pole, but Newgarden has a grid penalty for the first race meaning he will start tenth before lining up on pole on Sunday.
Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi set the third and fourth fastest time for the first race, and Marcus Armstrong and Will Power earned the second row for the second race.
Linus Lundqvist ran well on both of his laps, as did Pato O’Ward. Both drivers will start within the first three rows for both events as they look to end their seasons on a high note.
The championship points leader Alex Palou qualified 13th and 10th as it appeared that he was driving a bit more conservatively in order to not ruin his chances at a third title.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing looked absolutely awful during the session, with the team’s three drivers qualifying at the very back of the field for both races.
Graham Rahal, Christian Lundgaard, and Pietro Fittipaldi all have a lot of work to do if they are to salvage a decent weekend.
The first race of the double-header weekend takes place later in the evening on Saturday, with green flag waving around 5:00 PM central time. Sunday’s race gets underway a little earlier in the day at 2:00 PM.
