Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Palou converted their pole positions for IndyCar’s two heat races at The Thermal Club into victory, meaning they will share the front row of the grid for the final.
Heat One
IndyCar’s first heat race at Thermal Club in a largely orderly affair following a first-lap collision.
Scott Dixon punted Romain Grosjean sideways well before the field reached the first corner on the 17-turn course. The sliding Juncos Hollinger car thumped into Rinus Veekay, putting both out on the spot.
Dixon was handed a drive-through penalty which he served after the race restarted. That immediately ended his hopes of finishing in the top six and progressing to the final.
Rosenqvist had to get his elbows out to keep Scott McLaughlin behind at the initial start but was never seriously challenged once the race resumed. The Meyer Shank driver ran out the winner while McLaughlin and his Penske team mate Josef Newgarden also progressed.
Christian Lundgaard, Agustin Canapino and Colton Herta took the final spots on the grid for heat one. There were no significant changes of position after the restart, though newcomer Nolan Siegel briefly took an interest in Herta’s sixth place.
Siegel slipped back after a slight error and took the chequered flag as the first driver outside of the crucial top six, followed by Santino Ferrucci and Will Power. The latter passed Sting Ray Robb and Kyle Kirkwood in an ultimately fruitless attempt to reach the top six after being delayed at the start.
IndyCar Thermal heat one result
| P. | No. | Driver | Team | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank | Honda |
| 2 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Penske | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | Penske | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 45 | Christian Lundgaard | RLL | Honda |
| 5 | 78 | Agustin Canapino | Juncos Hollinger | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 26 | Colton Herta | Andretti/Curb-Agajanian | Honda |
| 7 | 18 | Nolan Siegel | Coyne | Honda |
| 8 | 14 | Santino Ferrucci | Foyt | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 12 | Will Power | Penske | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti | Honda |
| 11 | 41 | Sting Ray Robb | Foyt | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Ganassi | Honda |
| 13 | 21 | Rinus VeeKay | Carpenter | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 77 | Romain Grosjean | Juncos Hollinger | Chevrolet |
Heat Two
Alex Palou romped to victory in the second heat and claimed pole position for the final.
The second group of drivers performed a much cleaner start that the first did, as pole-winner Alex Palou and Marcus Armstrong led the field to the first corner. From there the two green cars disappeared, third-placed Graham Rahal dropping back at around two second per lap.
Linus Lundqvist in fourth place, and Pietro Fittipaldi behind, were content to bide their time. But further back…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…