IndyCar Road America qualifying: Josef Newgarden on pole position again

Josef Newgarden kept Team Penske undefeated in NTT IndyCar Series qualifying this season, posting the fastest lap late in Saturday’s Road America qualifying session. Newgarden will start first today at 5 p.m. ET (NBCSN) at the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, road course, which also will play host to an IndyCar race at noon Sunday.

It’s the second pole position of the season for the defending series champion, who also qualified first for the June 6 season opener at Texas Motor Speedway. Teammate Will Power won the pole last week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Road America also marked the 10th career pole for Newgarden, who improved after posting the third-fastest speed in practice with a 1-minute, 45.5191-second lap around the 4.014-mile layout.

QUALIFYING RESULTS: Click here to see the lap speeds at Road America

STARTING LINEUP: Where everyone will start Saturday at Road America

RACE INFORMATION: What you need to know for today’s REV Group Grand Prix

“It’s been a fast day and guys have had to be on it in terms of decision-making,” Newgarden told NBCSN’s James Hinchcliffe. “It worked out really well. Now we’ve got to worry about the race car.”

Jack Harvey, who was second fastest in practice, will start second after pacing the first group in IndyCar Road America qualifying with a time of 1:45.7290.

Time expiring? No problem for @Jack_Harvey42. He finishes Group 1 on top.#INDYCAR // #REVGROUPGP pic.twitter.com/AiQqYBX8QP

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 11, 2020

“At the end of the day, it’s just more of momentum-building for everyone at Meyer Shank Racing,” Harvey, whose No. 60 Dallara-Honda also started at Indianapolis last week, told NBCSN’s Dave Burns. “It makes all the hard effort and hard work that we put in just so worth it.”

GROUP 1: Click here for results

GROUP 2: Click here for results

Ryan Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal will make up the second row, followed by Will Power, Santino Ferrucci, Colton Herta and Felix Rosenqvist.

Scott Dixon will start ninth seeking his third consecutive NTT IndyCar Series victory.

Defending race winner Alexander Rossi qualified a disappointing 11th after Burns reported the No. 27 Dallara-Honda team again battled mechanical problems, continuing a recent string of misfortune for the Andretti Autosport driver.

Simon Pagenaud (17th) also will be coming from deep in the field of the IndyCar REV Group Grand Prix Race #1, which will begin at 5 p.m. on NBCSN.

PRACTICE RESULTS: Will Power leads weekend’s lone session

RATED ROOKIE: Rinus VeeKay rebounding well from a tough debut

Three riders remain locked in a tight battle with 17 points separating the leader Cooper Webb from third-place Chase Sexton and these are only a few Supercross numbers to consider entering Seattle.

Seattle Supercross numbers — *Chase Sexton made a statement in Detroit with his second win of 2023. – Feld Motor Sports*

For the fifth time in 10 rounds. Sexton, Webb, and Eli Tomac shared the podium in Detroit. Between them, the trio has taken 23 podiums, leaving only seven for the remainder of the field. Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen and Justin Barcia have two each with Aaron Plessinger scoring the other.

Webb and Tomac won the last four championships with two apiece in alternating years, but they were not one another’s primary rival for most of those seasons. On the average, however, the past four years show an incredible similarity with average points earned of 21.0 for Webb and 21.3 for Tomac. With five wins so far this season, Tomac (23 wins) leads Webb (19) in victories but Webb (43) edges Tomac (41) in podium finishes during this span.

Tomac has won two of the last three Seattle races and those two wins in this stadium are topped only by James Stewart. Fittingly, if Tomac gets a third win this week, he will tie Stewart for second on the all-time wins’ list. Tomac tied Ricky Carmichael for third with 48 wins at Oakland and took sole possession of that spot with his Daytona win.

Sexton still has a lot to say and after winning last week in Detroit, he is speaking up. The Supercross numbers are against him entering Seattle, however, because a points’ deficit this large after Round 10 has been erased only once. In 1983 David Bailey was 47 points behind Bob Hannah, and like Sexton he was also in third place. Bailey took the points’ lead with one race remaining.

The seven points Sexton was penalized last week for jumping in a red cross flag section in Detroit could prove extremely costly.

In fact, it has been a series of mistakes that has cost Sexton the most. In the last two weeks, he lost 10 points with a 10th-place finish to go with his penalty. Erase those, and all three riders hold their fate in their hands.

Plessinger’s heartbreak in Detroit is still fresh, but the upside of his run is that was his best of the season and could turn his fortunes around. Prior to that race, he led only seven laps in three mains. He was up front for 20 laps in Detroit with five of those being the fastest on the track.

Last week’s win by Hunter Lawrence tied him with his brother Jett Lawrence for 17th on the all-time wins’ list. With the focus shifting to 250 West for the next two rounds, Jett has a great opportunity to pull back ahead. The real test will be at the first East / West Showdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey on April 22.

Last Five Seattle Winners

450s
2022: Eli Tomac
2019: Marvin Musquin
2018: Eli Tomac
2017: Marvin Musquin
2014: Ryan Villopoto

250s
2022: Hunter Lawrence
2019: Dylan Ferrandis
2018: Aaron Plessinger
2017: Aaron Plessinger
2014: Cole Seely

By the Numbers

Detroit
Indianapolis
Daytona
Arlington
Oakland
Tampa
Houston
Anaheim 2
San Diego

More SuperMotocross coverage

How to Watch Seattle Supercross
Dylan Ferrandis may return before SX finale
SMX develops “Leader Lights”
Power Rankings after Detroit
Hunter Lawrence defends Haiden Deegan
Results and points after Detroit
Chase Sexton wins in Detroit, penalized seven points