Latest news with #FirestoneFastSix
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Paddock Buzz: Marcus Armstrong Continues to Impress, Climb in Standings
INDYCAR Marcus Armstrong continued his strong run of form by qualifying third in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda for Sunday's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. 'It was a good day in the office,' Armstrong said. 'The lap felt pretty average if I'm brutally honest.' The result ties Armstrong's best career NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in his 42nd attempt. His best finish is third, most recently achieved last Sunday at Iowa Speedway. Armstrong has surged from 16th to seventh in points, powered by seven top-nine finishes in his last eight starts. 'We're on a bit of a roll right now, so (Sunday) could be a good one,' he said. Together with Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian teammates Felix Rosenqvist and Helio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500-only starter), MSR has tallied a team-record 17 top-10s in a single season, led laps in eight of 12 races and earned multiple podiums for the first time in team history. Armstrong finished fifth in Toronto last year, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. MSR's best Toronto finish came last year with a sixth from David Malukas. 'Love the circuit from the first laps I drove around here in 2023,' Armstrong said. 'It's a track that I enjoy going to and a city that I really love and even go to in the offseason. Cool place and cool fans. Had some decent results here the last two years.' Sunday's race coverage begins at noon ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. Palou Makes Fast Six for First Time in Toronto Alex Palou earned his best career start at Toronto by qualifying second in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing. In his previous three Toronto starts, Palou was eliminated in the opening round of qualifying, starting 22nd, 15th and 18th, respectively. 'We've normally been struggling quite a lot here in Toronto,' Palou said. 'Honestly, our target was to try and start up front. It's a surprise that we're starting on the front row, honestly.' This marks Palou's sixth front-row start of the season. He said the car improved with each run on track this weekend, including qualifying, a promising sign for him but scary for the 26 other drivers who battle him in Sunday's 90-lap race. The three-time series champion has shown an ability to charge through the field in Toronto, finishing sixth, second and fourth in previous starts. With just one spot left to gain, he'll look to earn his eighth win of the season on Sunday. 'Super proud of everybody's work,' Palou said. 'Happy to be starting on the front row.' Kirkwood Believes He Threw Away a Pole Back on May 31 in Detroit, Kirkwood believed he had a car capable of winning the NTT P1 Award but made a mistake and settled for third on the grid for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. He ultimately rebounded to win the race. On Saturday in Toronto, a similar story played out. Kirkwood made another mistake during the Firestone Fast Six round. The No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda for Andretti Global was on a one-lap strategy to go for pole, but a near-crash just before crossing the timing line spoiled the effort, leaving him sixth on the starting grid. 'Definitely just gave away a pole, without a doubt,' Kirkwood said. 'Just started the lap — the first time all weekend that happened to me — got a huge snap, a bit of understeer. The one time I go through there when it matters for a pole, it bottoms out and I get a huge snap. 'Unfortunately, it just feels like I'm throwing away poles left and right on street courses. That one didn't feel very good, if I'm being honest. Very, very disappointed with that performance. I tried to come into pit lane because I knew the lap was already shot and wanted to get fuel to try another run, but they said no. In hindsight, that probably cost us a few positions because I didn't even complete a lap, So yeah, a lot of dumb things.' Despite the disappointment, Kirkwood has proven he can bounce back. He leads the series with a 2.33 average finish on street courses and finished second in Toronto last year, just behind teammate Colton Herta. He was quickest in Friday's practice session and second on Saturday morning. Herta Sweeps Street Course Qualifying Front Rows Herta earned NTT P1 Award honors at Toronto, completing a clean sweep of front row starts on street circuits this season. Along with his pole in Detroit, Herta also qualified second at both the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. 'I think it just shows what this team is capable of on street courses,' Herta said. 'We continue to be, I feel, a dominant force in the league when it comes to that style of racing.' Though winless so far this season, Herta won last year's Toronto race from pole and has claimed three of his nine career victories on street circuits. He's also been consistently strong in Toronto, finishing second, third, and first in his last three starts. 'They keep impressing me every time we come here,' Herta said. 'The car's still that much faster than everybody else.' Changes To Turn 3 The city of Toronto laid new asphalt in the braking zone at Turn 3 on Friday night, following requests from drivers who noted a newly developed bump since the series last visited in July 2024. Harsh Canadian winters had worsened the surface, making cars unstable under heavy braking and potentially compromising overtaking opportunities in what is considered the best passing zone on the circuit. 'I think they need to grind it,' Will Power said after Friday's practice. 'It will hurt the racing. I'm very apprehensive about going up the inside. There's a massive new bump at the end of the straight, right in the braking zone.' Herta believed that spot was much better on Saturday. 'It was pretty brutal yesterday,' he said. 'I didn't really mind it because I think it adds character and whatnot. But it was on a limit. It was very aggressive. I think you saw quite a few guys have mistakes because of it. 'It's a very difficult part of the track to be standing on the brakes like that and have the bump there. 'I thought INDYCAR did a good job. I think there are no problems at all with it.' Odds And Ends · Arrow McLaren confirmed that both Pato O'Ward and Christian Lundgaard will have new Chevrolet engines installed for Sunday's race. According to team principal Tony Kanaan, the change was prompted by Chevrolet after detecting a potential issue. As this will be the fourth engine of the season for each driver – within the limit -- no grid penalties will be applied. O'Ward rolls off 10th. Lundgaard starts 19th. The 2023 race winner started 16th and climbed to seventh last year. · Scott McLaughlin admitted to making a driver error by missing the Turn 5 apex during his qualifying run and will start 15th in the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet. He was second and fourth, respectively, in practice this weekend and had averaged a fifth-place starting position in three previous street course starts this season. This marks the first-time in four Toronto appearances that McLaughlin was eliminated in the opening round of qualifying, having previously started sixth, second and fourth, respectively. · Callum Ilott had 20.5 average starting spot through the opening eight races of the season. Ilott starts 12th in the No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet and improved to 15th the last five races. · Kyffin Simpson will start 14th in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, marking his best street course start this season. He previously climbed from 17th to finish 10th at Long Beach and surged from 19th to finish fifth in Detroit. · Will Power will start fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, the fourth time he has qualified in that position at Toronto. He previously won the race from fourth in 2016. · By qualifying fifth, Graham Rahal (No. 15 United Rentals Honda) earned his first Toronto top-five start since qualifying second in 2017. He finished ninth that year. Rahal also qualified fifth in Detroit but suffered a six-spot grid penalty for an engine change. · Honda has won 11 of the 12 races this season and 12 of the last 13 on street circuit events dating back to Toronto in 2022. The manufacturer also secured eight of the top nine starting positions for Sunday's race. · Andretti Global and Chip Ganassi Racing drivers combined for nine of the last 12 top-three finishes at Exhibition Place, including a podium sweep last year. Their drivers share the front row and have three of the top six starters. · Green Flag for Sunday's 90-lap race is 12:22 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. recommended Item 1 of 1
Fox Sports
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Alex Palou Finds Even More Speed To Win Mid-Ohio Pole
INDYCAR Amid one of the more surprising lineups for a Firestone Fast Six qualifying session this season, there was little shock over who won the NTT P1 Award on Saturday for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport. NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship leader Alex Palou claimed his series-leading third pole of the season and ninth career pole with a best lap of 1 minute, 5.0215 seconds in the No. 10 Open AI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou also leads the series this season with six victories and brings a 93-point advantage over second-place Kyle Kirkwood into the race at 1 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). SEE: Qualifying Results 'Ever since I started with CGR, we've had great cars,' Palou said. 'But we've always struggled with qualifying up front. So, this year it has been phenomenal. The speed we have in the cars at every single racetrack we show up at is amazing. 'It's all the work that everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing is doing, all our partners. Super happy. Tomorrow is going to be a great day, for sure.' Christian Lundgaard will join Palou in the front row after qualifying second at 1:05.2126 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, tying his season best set in March at The Thermal Club. Palou's teammate Kyffin Simpson also was a star of the show, qualifying a career-best third at 1:05.7555 during his first Firestone Fast Six appearance in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Simpson managed to produce that stellar performance despite using a used set of Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, shrewdly saving an extra set of new alternate tires for the 90-lap race Sunday. Nolan Siegel, in only his second career appearance in the Firestone Fast Six, also qualified a career-best fourth at 1:05.9262 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet as CGR and Arrow McLaren locked out the first two rows on the starting grid. Colton Herta qualified fifth at 1:06.1218 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian, while Road America pole winner Louis Foster earned his third trip into the Firestone Fast Six during his rookie season and qualified sixth at 1:06.2398 in the No. 45 Droplight Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. While Simpson's gamble to use only a set of scuffed alternate tires paid off in the Firestone Fast Six, Palou's desire to ensure good track position on the 13-turn, 2.258 roller coaster of a road course induced him and his team to opt for a new set of Firestone Firehawk alternates in the last qualifying group. 'We could have saved the last set of new soft tires here in the Fast Six to try and have an advantage tomorrow, but we were like, 'Man, we really think that starting up front, top three, is always going to benefit us more. We know there are some cars that are going to save those tires, so they're going to be a big threat tomorrow. But happy with our car and our starting position.' Among the Firestone Fast Six, Palou, Lundgaard and Herta used a new set of Firestone alternates. Simpson, Siegel and Foster stayed on used alternate tires. Kirkwood, quickest in Friday practice, was slowed by traffic during the second round of qualifying and will start seventh in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda featuring a special Honda tribute livery this weekend. That was disappointing for Kirkwood, the only race winner besides Palou this season. But starting seventh was nowhere near the same trouble suffered by Team Penske, which continues to endure a winless season despite being the most successful team in INDYCAR SERIES history. Josef Newgarden was the team's top qualifier, 18th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Scott McLaughlin was next, 21st in the No. 3 Odyssey Batteries Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Will Power in 22nd in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. A 25-minute warmup session precedes the race at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
Fox Sports
21-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Rookie Louis Foster Earns First Career Pole at Road America
INDYCAR First, it was Robert Shwartzman at Indianapolis. Now it's Louis Foster's turn. Foster became the second rookie to earn an NTT P1 Award this season, grabbing his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America Presented by AMR with a stunning lap of 1 minute, 44.5141 seconds Saturday in the No. 45 Droplight/Desnuda Tequila Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Foster's best previous start this season was third at the Sonsio Grand Prix in May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. SEE: Qualifying Results 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Foster became the first rookie to claim an NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for a road course or street circuit race since Linus Lundqvist won the top spot for this race last year. Shwartzman shocked the racing world in May by becoming the first rookie since 1983 to win the Indianapolis 500 pole. Foster's pole marked the first INDYCAR SERIES season with two rookie pole winners since 2019, when Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta achieved the feat. 'I said to the guys as we got into the Fast 12 to not put reds (Firestone Firehawk alternate tires) on because I wasn't confident we would make it through to the Fast Six,' Foster said. 'Boy, was I wrong. Absolutely awesome. The 45 crew has been amazing all weekend. 'Couldn't ask for a better start to the weekend. I still can't believe it. We went fast on old and new (tires). I'm going to celebrate well tonight.' The 55-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). A 25-minute warmup session will precede the race at 10 a.m. ET (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Championship leader Alex Palou rebounded from two consecutive races off the top three finishers' podium by qualifying second at 1:44.6300 in the No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kyle Kirkwood, who has won the last two races, qualified third at 1:44.8523 in the No. 27 Siemens Honda of Andretti Global. Scott McLaughlin will join him in Row 2 of the starting grid after qualifying fourth at 1:45.0137 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard, quickest in pre-qualifying practice Saturday morning, will start fifth after his best lap of 1:45.0828 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Graham Rahal qualified sixth at 1:45.4877 in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was the only team to place two drivers into the Firestone Fast Six in the three-segment qualifying format. Pato O'Ward, second in points, qualified 11th at 1:45.3704 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O'Ward trails Palou by 73 points, while Kirkwood is third, 75 back of the leader. The six drivers in the Firestone Fast Six final segment used an interesting mix of tire strategies to try and cope with air temperatures tickling the 90s and track temperatures in the triple digits on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Foster got the pole job done on lightly used Firestone Firehawk alternate tires and was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to not use the harder, more durable primary tires during any of the three segments. Palou opted for scuffed alternates before using new alternates on his final laps. Rahal was the only one of the six drivers to use primary tires in the last segment as he did not run the harder, more durable tire in either of the first two segments. recommended
Fox Sports
21-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Rookie Louis Foster Earns First Career Pole in Road America Qualifying
INDYCAR First, it was Robert Shwartzman at Indianapolis. Now it's Louis Foster's turn. Foster became the second rookie to earn an NTT P1 Award this season, grabbing his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America Presented by AMR with a stunning lap of 1 minute, 44.5141 seconds Saturday in the No. 45 Droplight/Desnuda Tequila Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Foster's best previous start this season was third at the Sonsio Grand Prix in May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. SEE: Qualifying Results 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Foster became the first rookie to claim an NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for a road course or street circuit race since Linus Lundqvist won the top spot for this race last year. Shwartzman shocked the racing world in May by becoming the first rookie since 1983 to win the Indianapolis 500 pole. Foster's pole marked the first INDYCAR SERIES season with two rookie pole winners since 2019, when Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta achieved the feat. 'I said to the guys as we got into the Fast 12 to not put reds (Firestone Firehawk alternate tires) on because I wasn't confident we would make it through to the Fast Six,' Foster said. 'Boy, was I wrong. Absolutely awesome. The 45 crew has been amazing all weekend. 'Couldn't ask for a better start to the weekend. I still can't believe it. We went fast on old and new (tires). I'm going to celebrate well tonight.' The 55-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). A 25-minute warmup session will precede the race at 10 a.m. ET (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Championship leader Alex Palou rebounded from two consecutive races off the top three finishers' podium by qualifying second at 1:44.6300 in the No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kyle Kirkwood, who has won the last two races, qualified third at 1:44.8523 in the No. 27 Siemens Honda of Andretti Global. Scott McLaughlin will join him in Row 2 of the starting grid after qualifying fourth at 1:45.0137 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard, quickest in pre-qualifying practice Saturday morning, will start fifth after his best lap of 1:45.0828 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Graham Rahal qualified sixth at 1:45.4877 in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was the only team to place two drivers into the Firestone Fast Six in the three-segment qualifying format. Pato O'Ward, second in points, qualified 11th at 1:45.3704 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O'Ward trails Palou by 73 points, while Kirkwood is third, 75 back of the leader. The six drivers in the Firestone Fast Six final segment used an interesting mix of tire strategies to try and cope with air temperatures tickling the 90s and track temperatures in the triple digits on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Foster got the pole job done on lightly used Firestone Firehawk alternate tires and was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to not use the harder, more durable primary tires during any of the three segments. Palou opted for scuffed alternates before using new alternates on his final laps. Rahal was the only one of the six drivers to use primary tires in the last segment as he did not run the harder, more durable tire in either of the first two segments. recommended
Fox Sports
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Paddock Buzz: Kyle Kirkwood Laments Missed Chance for Pole
INDYCAR Kyle Kirkwood rued what could have been an NTT P1 Award performance for Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, but he instead starts third in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda after making wall contact in Turn 3 during qualifying Saturday. His fastest lap, 1 minute, .7312 of a second, was compromised when he broke a toe link during the Firestone Fast Six, relegating him to the second row for Sunday's 100-lap race airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. His lap was trending toward pole. 'I've never been more disappointed with a third in my life,' Kirkwood said. 'I know I threw away a pole, without a doubt.' His frustration is amplified by his pattern of near-misses on this track, but he remains optimistic. His teammate Colton Herta snagged the NTT P1 Award in his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, giving Andretti Global the top starting spot. Kirkwood, while disappointed, found some consolation. 'I'm glad one of us got it because it would have been very disappointing if none of us got it,' Kirkwood said. Despite the qualifying hiccup, Kirkwood is poised for a strong showing. His street course record backs it up. All three of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories have come on street circuits, including twice at Long Beach (2023, 2025) and once in Nashville (2023). He led 46 of 90 laps from the pole in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13. He's also steadily climbed around the 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street circuit, improving from eighth in 2023 to fourth last year. 'The car is fast,' he said. 'We're really good for the race. We're starting in a good spot.' Andretti Global Best Positioned To Top Palou? Runaway NTT INDYCAR SERIES leader Alex Palou qualified sixth in his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. He shifts to fifth due to Graham Rahal's six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change before last Sunday's 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. 2023 Detroit race winner Palou has three consecutive wins in a Month of May sweep of the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst on May 4, the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 and the '500' on May 25. Most drivers believe Palou's reign will end, maybe even Sunday. Last year, Palou started second but finished 16th. 'He can't win them all,' Arrow McLaren rival Christian Lundgaard said. Lundgaard is third in points and starts fourth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. He finished eighth on the streets of St. Petersburg and third at Long Beach this season. Lundgaard and Palou may have to beat Andretti Global. It's the only organization to beat Palou this season with Kirkwood's Long Beach victory. Looking ahead, Andretti drivers believe they have among the strongest cars on both street circuits and short ovals. Those disciplines of tracks comprise five of the next seven races. The series races July 20 on the streets of Toronto, where Herta beat Kirkwood in an Andretti Global 1-2 finish last year. Between Detroit and Toronto is World Wide Technology Raceway (June 15), Road America (June 22), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 6) and an Iowa Speedway doubleheader (July 12-13). Andretti Global earned an oval victory with Herta in the season finale last year at Nashville Superspeedway. Kirkwood started on the pole there and led the most laps. 'I know we can beat him,' Herta said of Palou. 'If we do the right stuff, we have a really good chance here to beat him. We should beat him if we do everything the right way. 'We do have the speed to win. I think we've made mistakes this year and it's been disappointing, but I think if we focus on us and do what we need to do, we should be able to beat him.' RLL Eyeing Momentum in Motor City Rahal enters Sunday's race with cautious optimism, hoping to convert recent progress into long-awaited results on the downtown street circuit. He swept the 2017 doubleheader on the Belle Isle circuit, marking his most recent INDYCAR SERIES victory – 131 races ago. Rahal believes he had a chance to end that drought. He qualified fifth in his No. 15 JJ Curran Crane Company Honda but will drop six spots due to an unapproved engine change penalty stemming from his mechanical failure on Miller Lite Carb Day, prompting an engine change before the '500.' 'I feel pretty good even starting 11th,' Rahal said. 'The car has been really shocking to drive all weekend. I say shocking because we've not been good here at all.' Rahal finished 15th at Detroit last year and 25th in 2023. Starting in Row 6 on a bumpy, tight Detroit street circuit, Rahal believes this car allows him the aggression and confidence to march through the field. Rahal also points to tangible evidence the entire organization is on the rise. All three RLL cars reached the Firestone Fast Six in the Sonsio Grand Prix, including Rahal starting second. Then, all four RLL entries finished in the top 17 in the '500,' including part-time driver Takuma Sato, who led the most laps (51) in a ninth-place effort, and a career-best finish from Devlin DeFrancesco (11th). Rookie Louis Foster (12th) was one-spot off his career best finish, which happened in the previous race, the Sonsio Grand Prix, in which he finished 11th. Foster was eighth and fifth quickest, respectively, in practice this weekend in his No. 45 Mi-Jack Honda and starts 14th. He was .0081 away from advancing to the Top 12. DeFrancesco was 14th on Saturday morning but starts 23rd in the No. 30 EVTEC Honda. 'I feel like we are getting better, period,' Rahal said. 'I think we are a team on the rise. I know people don't like to believe that, but I think it's true. I feel like this is a sign because all of us, Louis and I, in particular, and even Dev, have been quite fast.' VeeKay Thinks DCR Changes Will Boost Results Rinus VeeKay already noticed Michael Cannon's effect in the first weekend of Cannon returning to Dale Coyne Racing. Cannon spent six years (2014-19) engineering for the organization. He served as an engineer in recent seasons for Chip Ganassi Racing and AJ Foyt Racing. Cannon is VeeKay's engineer on the No. 18 askROI Honda and was part of a personnel shakeup after the '500' that also saw Mike Colliver return to the team to lead engineer Jacob Abel's No. 51 Blue Oval SK Honda. VeeKay was ninth in opening practice Friday and qualified a season-best seventh Saturday. 'The car was on rails out there,' VeeKay said. 'I could really drive the car. The car wasn't driving me this time. We've got the Albert Einstein (Cannon) of INDYCAR on the pit stand right now. The experience that Michael Cannon has right now is insane.' VeeKay is 12th in points with three top-10 finishes this season. His best Detroit finish on this street circuit is 14th for Ed Carpenter Racing last season. Odds and Ends Following Friday's practice mishap between Will Power and Kirkwood, the two shared many laughs before Saturday morning practice and admitted to no animosity. Five drivers have completed all 630 laps this season: Kirkwood, Lundgaard, Pato O'Ward, Palou and Felix Rosenqvist. Herta earned his 15th career pole. He has converted five of those previous 14 poles into victories, including last July on the streets of Toronto. He finished 18th from the pole here last year. Defending Detroit winner Scott Dixon qualified 10th, but like Rahal, faces a six-spot grid penalty for an engine change before the '500.' He will start 16th. Tony Kanaan will be the guest analyst for Sunday's INDY NXT by Firestone race airing at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1. Andretti Global rookie teammates Dennis Hauger and Lochie Hughes share the front row. recommended
