By INDYCAR
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Alexander Rossi earned his first NTT P1 Award in more than three years, taking the top spot Saturday for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR.
Rossi’s final lap secured his seventh career pole and first since June 2019 at Detroit, as he produced a time of 1 minute, 44.8656 seconds in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda. That lap also ensured there was a different pole winner for the first eight races of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, a feat last achieved in 1961 when nine different drivers claimed pole positions to start the season.
SEE: Qualifying Results
Four of the drivers in the Firestone Fast Six qualifying session decided to use the Firestone primary “black” tires, which are more durable but have less grip than the alternate “red” tires. Josef Newgarden used the same strategy last year to win the pole on this 14-turn, 4.048-mile circuit.
“I think we saw with Josef last year that he was able to get Colton (Herta) on the blacks, and most of our competition was on the primaries, as well,” Rossi said. “I think that’s just kind of the trend here.
“It was an amazing job all weekend by the NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Andretti Honda guys. It’s been a long time since we’ve been in this position. It’s cool, we’ll enjoy it, but we’ve got a job to do tomorrow.”
The 55-lap race starts at 12:55 p.m. (ET) Sunday. Live coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock Premium and at noon on the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Two-time series champion Newgarden will join Rossi on the front row after his best qualifying lap of 1:44.9371 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden, in a change of strategy from last year, joined Pato O’Ward as the only drivers using alternate tires for their flying laps in the Firestone Fast Six.
“I thought he was on used reds like everyone else,” Newgarden said of Rossi. “I’m surprised he was able to make that work…
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