Who can stop Alex Palou in the NTT IndyCar Series?
Palou won his eighth career pole position in IndyCar with a blistering lap of 126.625 mph for Sunday’s (May 11) Sonsio Grand Prix from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He cleared the field with brand-new alternate red Firestone tires that pushed him over four tenths clear of the field.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers showcased their speed by placing all three cars in the top five. Graham Rahal will start alongside the IndyCar points leader Palou after posting a 125.881 mph lap. Louis Foster put up his best qualifying result in his fifth race of his rookie season, qualifying third. Toronto, Canada’s Devlin DeFrancesco tied his career-best start, qualifying fifth.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden were the lone representatives in the Firestone Fast 6 for Chevrolet. McLaughlin tried pushing for one more time late, but backed off after hearing what Palou accomplished. McLaughlin will start fourth while Newgarden will line up sixth.
Firestone Fast 6
Scott McLaughlin stalled on pit road with about three minutes left but was able to go. Set to make his eighth start at the Indy road course, McLaughlin is seeking his first podium finish there.
| Position | Driver | Number | Team | Time Difference |
| 1 | Alex Palou | 10 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 1:09.3417 |
| 2 | Graham Rahal | 15 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | +0.4099 |
| 3 | Louis Foster | 45 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | +0.5384 |
| 4 | Scott McLaughlin | 3 | Team Penske | +0.5493 |
| 5 | Devlin DeFrancesco | 30 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | +0.6015 |
| 6 | Josef Newgarden | 2 | Team Penske | +0.6412 |
Round 2
Felix Rosenqvist took an excursion through the grass, going too deep into turn 7. He finished last of the 12 in round two.
Pato O’Ward was the first to put down his push lap, but he was bested by all three RLL drivers, all three Team Penske Chevrolets, and the inevitable Palou.
Kyffin Simpson ties his career-best start with back-to-back top-10 starts. He will roll off 10th tomorrow.
| Position | Driver | Number | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 7 | Will Power | 12 | Team Penske | +0.0199 |
| 8 | Pato O’Ward | 5 | Arrow McLaren | +0.0309 |
| 9 | Alexander Rossi | 20 | Ed Carpenter Racing | +0.091 |
| 10 | Kyffin Simpson | 8 | Chip Ganassi Racing | +0.1649 |
| 11 | Santino Ferrucci | 14 | AJ Foyt Enterprises | +0.1962 |
| 12 | Felix Rosenqvist | 66 | Meyer Shank Racing | +1.433 |
Round 1 Group 1
Group one’s session went on with no incident. One surprise exit includes 2022 Indy GP winner Colton Herta, who was the first driver to be eliminated from Group 1.
Both Meyers Shank Racing drivers were in the session, and the No. 66 Honda of Marcus Armstrong was among the eliminations. He will roll off 15th.
Kyle Kirkwood wasn’t able to advance after choosing not to run alternate red tires during practice.
Foster advanced to his third round for the second time this season, and Ferrucci almost lost control on the final lap but was able to advance comfortably to the second round.
| Position | Driver | Number | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 14 | Christian Lundgaard | 7 | Arrow McLaren | +0.0332 |
| 16 | Scott Dixon | 9 | Chip Ganassi Racing | +0.0541 |
| 18 | Nolan Siegel | 6 | Arrow McLaren | +0.0561 |
| 20 | Marcus Ericsson | 28 | Andretti Global | +0.069 |
| 22 | Conor Daly | 76 | Juncos Hollinger Racing | +0.3678 |
| 24 | Rinus VeeKay | 18 | Dale Coyne Racing | +0.4591 |
| 26 | David Malukas | 4 | AJ Foyt Enterprises | +0.5422 |
| 27 | Robert Shwartzman | 83 | Prema Racing | +1.0555 |
Round 1 Group 2
Newgarden almost lost it at the start of the session but was able to advance as the sixth and final driver in the session to round two.
There were many surprise exits, including the two McLarens of Christian Lundgaard and Nolen Siegel, Scott Dixon for CGR, and Marcus Ericsson for Andretti. All three Andretti Global Hondas didn’t advance past the first round.
| Position | Driver | Number | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 13 | Colton Herta | 26 | Andretti Global | +0.181 |
| 15 | Marcus Armstrong | 66 | Meyer Shank Racing | +0.1882 |
| 17 | Sting Ray Robb | 77 | Juncos Hollinger Racing | +0.1918 |
| 19 | Christian Rasmussen | 21 | Ed Carpenter Racing | +0.2122 |
| 21 | Kyle Kirkwood | 27 | Andretti Global | +0.2133 |
| 23 | Callum Ilott | 90 | Prema Racing | +0.2363 |
| 25 | Jacob Abel | 51 | Dale Coyne Racing | +0.7496 |
IndyCar Indianapolis Grand Prix Lineup
The Sonsio Grand Prix from IMS will be broadcast on FOX at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretchas a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing