The annual trip to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is one that teams, drivers, and fans look forward to. This event this weekend promises to deliver another exciting round of open-wheel racing.
Pato O’Ward became the ninth different pole sitter this season, which has not been done since 1961. The Arrow McLaren SP driver earned his 5th career pole on a day when several championship contenders had issues. It’s a tremendous opportunity for the young driver to get back into the battle for the title as the second half of the season heats up.
Scott McLaughlin will start alongside O’Ward on the front row tomorrow. The Team Penske driver is aiming to get his season back on track after a sensational start in the first two races before cooling off. Lining up just behind them in Row 2 are Colton Herta and O’Ward’s teammate Felix Rosenqvist. Scott Dixon and Simon Pagenaud rounded out the Firestone Fast Six and will start from Row 3 tomorrow afternoon.
Alex Palou starts from Row 4 tomorrow, alongside rookie David Malukas. Two more rookies start just behind them as Kyle Kirkwood and Callum Ilott rounded out the top ten in qualifying. Rinus VeeKay and Alexander Rossi line up in Row 6 for tomorrow’s race.
Since O’Ward had his “mental reset” after Long Beach, he has qualified 2nd, 5th, 7th, 5th, 5th, and now 1st. He is the only driver inside the top five of the championship standings to start inside the top six, and six of the last seven winners this season have started from the front row. The stars seem to be aligning for the 23-year old.
Josef Newgarden led the way in practice yesterday, but he had some trouble finding a gap on the 2.258-mile road course. Getting stuck behind a couple of drivers in the closing minutes, he was bumped out of the top six and failed to advance. Newgarden is the hottest driver in the series, but starts 14th tomorrow.
“It’s just IndyCar qualifying,” Newgarden lamented. “Sometimes it’s totally fine, and then sometimes, it’s a tight track. We’re not searching for answers, it’s just traffic. The car is fine, just traffic. We’re going out first and I catch the slowpokes. You’re just in a bad spot. I know they’re trying hard, but just needed to be behind some faster cars.”
There are a few drivers that have always been strong at Mid-Ohio, beginning with Power. The Penske driver has started on the front row nine times and has six podium finishes here. He was dealt a major blow this afternoon in terms of his championship pursuit.
Power was on pace to…
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