McLaughlin pips Rosenqvist to secure Gateway IndyCar pole

Scott McLaughlin once again proved his prowess on the oval tracks, securing the pole position for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 IndyCar race at Gateway.

With a blistering lap speed of 179.972 mph, McLaughlin’s performance has solidified his status as a formidable contender in the IndyCar Series.

Scott McLaughlin, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske, has demonstrated remarkable consistency and skill throughout the 2024 season. His pole position at the Gateway IndyCar weekend marks his fourth of the season and the ninth of his career.

This performance allowed him to edge out rival Felix Rosenqvist, who qualified second. McLaughlin’s ability to consistently deliver strong qualifying results has been a hallmark of his season, and this latest achievement solidifies his status as a title contender.

For the better part of the afternoon, Rosenqvist was the provisional leader, up until McLaughlin overcame him. However, his second place finish was watered down and the Swede will start nine positions lower in fifth row after taking too many engines this season

Meanwhile David Malukas qualified with the third-best time and almost tied his teammate’s time, but once grid penalties are applied, he will start the race in second place.

Team Penske and Meyer Shank Racing locked up the top rows with their performances, with Josef Newgarden and Will Power setting the fourth and fifth fastest laps, respectively. Meanwhile Kyle Kirkwood was sixth fastest ahead of championship leader Alex Palou who will unfortunately start from 16th due to a grid penalty.

Colton Herta looked really fast during his first lap of the race, but on his second lap, he lost control while navigating Turn 1 and his car suddenly swerved to the side, slamming into the barrier at an almost precisely perpendicular angle, breaking his rear wing and causing damage to the rear crash structure.

Meanwhile, Dale Coyne Racing suffered a double tragedy after Jack Harvey was unable to finish his run due to a hybrid problem on his out lap and will be starting at the back of the field alongside teammate Katherine Legge who missed out on qualifying after her car failed to pass the inspection.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Qualifying results – Gateway IndyCar