IndyCar: Road America starting lineup - Pato O'Ward takes pole

Pato O’Ward took the pole position for the second race of the REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader at Road America, his first career IndyCar pole position.

With this weekend’s REV Group Grand Prix at Road America being a doubleheader, IndyCar abandoned the traditional road and street course knockout qualifying sessions in favor of simple two-group qualifying sessions to set the starting lineups.

The 23 drivers were split up into two groups, and the fastest driver overall takes the pole position while the fastest driver in the other group qualifies in second place, regardless of whether or not his time is actually the second quickest overall. The leaders of both groups receive a championship point.

The rest of the field is filled out by lining up the other drivers in the polesitter’s group in the odd positions and then by lining up the drivers in the other group in the even positions.

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It was Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward who took the pole position for this 55-lap race around the 14-turn, 4.048-mile (6.515-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin by recording a top lap time of 104.8971 seconds (137.758 miles per hour) in his #5 Chevrolet the second group of the qualifying session.

This pole position is the first of O’Ward’s career, and it is Chevrolet’s fourth pole position through four races this season. This is, however, the first pole position for a non-Team Penske driver this year.

Behind O’Ward, Honda drivers dominated the qualifying session. Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport’s Colton Herta posted the fastest lap time in the first group of the qualifying session and is set to start in second place in his #88 Honda.

However, it was Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh rookie Alex Palou who posted the second fastest overall time behind O’Ward in the first group. He is set to start in a career-high third place in his #55 Honda following his first career podium finish in yesterday’s race.

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified on the second row for the second consecutive race and is set to start in fourth place in his #28 Honda.

Honda drivers Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon, the winner of yesterday’s race, and Felix Rosenqvist are set to start in fifth, sixth and seventh place in their #15 Honda, #9 Honda and #10 Honda, respectively.

Will Power, yesterday’s runner-up, led the Team Penske charge in eighth place in his #12 Chevrolet in what was a disappointing qualifying session for the team. Meyer Shank Racing’s Jack Harvey and Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi are set to round out the top 10 on the starting grid in ninth and 10th place in their #60 Honda and #27 Honda, respectively.

Here is the full starting lineup for the second race of the 2020 REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader at Road America.

Starting Lineup
1st – Pato O’Ward
2nd – Colton Herta
3rd – Alex Palou
4th – Ryan Hunter-Reay
5th – Graham Rahal
6th – Scott Dixon
7th – Felix Rosenqvist
8th – Will Power
9th – Jack Harvey
10th – Alexander Rossi
11th – Santino Ferrucci
12th – Takuma Sato
13th – Charlie Kimball
14th – Josef Newgarden
15th – Rinus VeeKay
16th – Marcus Ericsson
17th – Zach Veach
18th – Oliver Askew
19th – Marco Andretti
20th – Conor Daly
21st – Max Chilton
22nd – Simon Pagenaud
23rd – Dalton Kellett

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Tune in to NBC this afternoon at 12:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the second race of the REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader from Road America.

IndyCar: Road America starting lineup – Pato O’Ward takes pole

By Asher Fair | Jul 12, 2020

Pato O’Ward took the pole position for the second race of the REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader at Road America, his first career IndyCar pole position.