Scott McLaughlin has qualified on pole for tomorrow’s IndyCar Music City Grand Prix in a delayed qualifying session on the Streets of Nashville, topping the field by over three-tenths of a second. Scott Dixon will start from 12th after crashing out in Round 2 of qualifying, while Marcus Armstrong will start from the eighth row after failing to progress from Group Stage Qualifying.
Wet weather and surface flooding delayed qualifying, which was pushed back nearly four hours to allow conditions to improve.
Once proceedings began, McLaughlin immediately made a statement in the group stages to top second-fastest Dixon by over half a second for both to progress to the Top 12.
Armstrong was eighth quickest in Group 2, missing out on qualifying for Round 2 by just over one-tenth of a second. Marcus Ericsson, who is fourth in the standings, also failed to progress and starts off the tenth row.
Patto O’Ward would top Colton Herta in Round 2, while championship leader Alex Palou was third and McLaughlin fourth. Romain Grosjean and David Malukas were the other two drivers to progress to the Fast Six.
Last year’s Music City GP winner Dixon was eliminated from the session, finishing 12th quickest after crashing hard at Turn 11 in the closing moments, emerging from his car unharmed.
McLaughlin set a 1:14.6099 in the final minute of the Fast Six qualifying to top second-placed O’Ward by 0.3296 seconds, while Herta and Palou lock out the second row, and Malukas got the better of Grosjean on the third.
Coverage of tomorrow’s Music City Grand Prix begins at 4.00 am New Zealand time and will be shown live on Sky Sport 5.
