Marcus Ericsson Claims 1st IndyCar Pole in Arlington, Race Time Moved Up

Marcus Ericsson waited more than a decade to stand on a pole as a professional open-wheel driver, and on the streets of Arlington on Saturday (March 14), he finally got to exhale.

The Andretti Global driver put the No. 28 on top in the Firestone Fast Six with a 1:34.356 flyer, sealing his first pole since his GP2 days in 2013 and capping a day defined by rising track temperatures and razor-thin margins.

“This is a giant thing for me,” Ericsson told FOX Sports. “To finally get this pole means a ton. Shoutout the crew on the pit wall here. We improved the car throughout the entire qualifying session.”

Qualifying swung on changing conditions and split-second mistakes, starting with Josef Newgarden needing a backup car after tub damage from a low-speed Practice 2 crash and still muscling his way through Round 1. Group 2 then detonated when Scott McLaughlin clipped the inside wall at Turn 8 and speared the outside wall. That forced a late one-lap shootout that helped vault Santino Ferrucci into the transfer spots, while Arrow McLaren’s No. 6 of Nolan Siegel and No. 7 of Christian Lundgaard and Scott Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing No. 9 were among the surprises eliminated early.

Round 2 brought the hottest track temperatures of the weekend and Kyle Kirkwood’s shocking elimination after kissing the wall on corner exit. When it came down to the one-lap Fast Six, Ericsson kept his nerve and the benchmark time, converting a relentless all-session climb into the pole while the rest of the finalists settled into the grid behind him.

Firestone Fast Six

Ericsson set the early benchmark and never let it go, throwing his No. 28 all the way out to the exit walls on corner launch to post a pole-winning 1:34.356. Alex Palou’s No. 10 backed up its pace with a clean 1:34.818 that still wasn’t enough to knock Ericsson off the top.

Will Power’s repaired No. 26 had a solid lap but a big wiggle at Cowboy Corner on the way to 1:35.086. And Meyer Shank Racing’s two entries rounded out the session with Marcus Armstrong’s skittery-but-fast 1:35.161 in the No. 60 and Felix Rosenqvist struggling to put power down on corner exit for 1:35.601 in the No. 66.

Position	Driver	Number	Team	Time from Pole (seconds)
1.	Marcus Ericsson	28	Andretti Global	1:34:3562 m
2.	Alex Palou	10	Chip Ganassi Racing	+0.4618
3.	Pato O’Ward	5	Team McLaren	+0.4891
4.	Will Power	26	Andretti Global	+0.7294
5.	Felix Rosenqvist	60	Meyer-Shank Racing	+0.8045
6.	Marcus Armstrong	66	Meyer-Shank Racing	+1.2450

Round 2

Round 2 arrived with the hottest track temperature of the weekend and immediate chaos, starting with a penalty to Alexander Rossi’s No. 20 for causing a yellow. Palou then had a big lockup into the runoff on a push lap, while Kirkwood’s day unraveled after he kissed the wall on corner exit — a shocker elimination in a session that punished tiny mistakes.

“I’m very disappointed,” Kirkwood told FOX Sports. “That one’s on me. Our primary tire pace is incredible, which bodes well for the race tomorrow. I just made a massive mental error.”

When the dust settled, both MSR entries moved on, while both Team Penske entries and both Ed Carpenter Racing cars in the round failed to advance.

Position	Driver	Number	Team	Time from Advancing
7.	Kyle Kirkwood	27	Andretti Global	+0.0415
8..	Christian Rasmussen	21	Ed Carpenter Racing	+0.2987
9.	David Malukas	12	Team Penske	+0.4003
10.	Alexander Rossi	20	Ed Carpenter Racing	+0.4587
11.	Josef Newgarden	2	Team Penske	+0.5504
12	Santino Ferrucci	14	AJ Foyt Racing	+0.6445

Round 1, Group 1

The session started with an early curveball as Newgarden rolled out in a backup car after tub damage from what the Penske pilot called a “comically” low-speed Practice 2 crash. Palou looked quick but lost time in traffic early in his run on the alternates, while the track continued to evolve through the session. When it mattered, the No. 10 laid down the benchmark on reds with a 1:33.740, and Newgarden had to push hard on his final lap to make sure he transferred.

Position	Driver	Number	Team	Time from Advancing
13.	Louis Foster	45	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	+0.0972
15.	Romain Grosjean	18	Dale Coyne Racing	+0.1532
17.	Mick Schumacher	47	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	+0.2724
19.	Dennis Hauger	19	Dale Coyne Racing	+0.3064
21.	Rinus Veekay	76	Juncos Hollinger Racing	+0.3529
23.	Sting Ray Robb	77	Juncos Hollinger Racing	+1.6119

Round 1, Group 2

Round 1, Group 2 turned chaotic late when McLaughlin’s No. 3 clipped the inside wall at Turn 8 and speared the outside wall on corner exit, bringing out a red flag with little time left.

“Turned a bit early and clipped the inside wall,” McLaughlin told FOX Sports. “Bummed for the guys because it’s a silly mistake. We’re gonna have a heap of tires and a great car. We’re coming to the front.”

Once the session resumed with two minutes remaining, the finish effectively became a one-shot shootout with everyone getting a single flying lap. The restart produced a headline swing, as Ferrucci ripped off a big lap to transfer, while it was a quietly encouraging run for rookie Caio Collet in the No. 4 even though he came up short. The stunners were up and down the order, though, with Arrow McLaren’s Lundgaard and Siegel failing to advance and CGR’s Dixon also missing the cut.

Position	Driver	Number	Team	Time from Advancing
14.	Kyffin Simpson	8	Chip Ganassi Racing	+0.0496
16.	Caio Collet (R)	4	AJ Foyt Racing	+0.2865
18.	Christian Lundgaard	7	Team McLaren	+0.3325
20.	Scott Dixon	9	Chip Ganassi Racing	+0.3871
22.	Nolan Siegel	6	Team McLaren	+0.4853
24.	Graham Rahal	15	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	+0.5724

Due to weather concerns, The Java House Grand Prix of Arlington will kick off Sunday, March 15, at 11:30 a.m. ET, with coverage on FOX, one hour earlier than previously scheduled.