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Team Penske has been the best in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this season in oval qualifying, and Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden ensured that powerful trend continued Saturday as they each earned an NTT P1 Award for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader.
McLaughlin took the top spot for Race 1 later today and Newgarden qualified first for the second 250-lap race Sunday on the 1.015-mile Milwaukee Mile oval. McLaughlin earned his series-leading fifth pole this season in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet, four coming on ovals. Two-time series champion Newgarden captured his second pole of the season and 18th of his career in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, with seven coming on ovals.
The starting grid for the first race (5:40 p.m. ET today, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network) was set by the first of two laps in qualifying, with the lineup for the second race (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, USA Network, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network) set by the second-lap speeds.
“The car has been great every oval we’ve gone to this season,” McLaughlin said. “I shifted pretty hard into (Turns) 3 and 4 the last lap. We might have been able to double it up, but congrats to Josef on that. Great Team Penske cars.
“We’ll just keep working. You can never rest on your laurels here in INDYCAR. It’s so tough. I’m super excited to be at the front in both races.”
McLaughlin’s first lap was 162.341 mph, followed by Newgarden at 161.640. But Newgarden will start 11th in the race this evening due to a nine-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after the last race, last Sunday at Portland International Raceway.
David Malukas qualified third at 161.426 in the No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda of Meyer Shank Racing and will join McLaughlin on the front row of the starting grid. Alexander Rossi will move up to third on the grid after qualifying fourth at 160.531 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Newgarden’s second lap of 160.983 was good enough to barely hold off McLaughlin’s 160.912 to take the top starting spot for Sunday’s race in a Team Penske lockout of the front row.
“We went aggressive,” Newgarden said. “We’ve been on the other end of this where we weren’t aggressive enough in qualifying, and it really bit us. So, we probably overcooked it just slightly there. But the car was still good. This was a great run for the team, to lock out the front row.”
Marcus Armstrong qualified third at 160.203 in the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, but he will start 12th in the race Sunday after also being assessed a nine-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after the Portland race.
Two-time series champion Will Power will move up to third on the grid after qualifying fourth at 159.939 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.
Power qualified sixth for Race 1 to keep the pressure on championship leader Alex Palou, who is 54 points ahead of second-place Power in his bid to win a third title in four years. Palou qualified 13th and 10th, respectively for the two races in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as he seeks his first career oval victory.
Palou will clinch the title if he leads by 55 points or more Sunday after the second race of the doubleheader.
