(DETROIT, MI.) – Alex Palou continued his dominant qualifying form, securing his third consecutive pole of the 2026 season with a blistering 1:01.9017 lap in the Firestone Fast Six.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver delivered the lap in the final single‑car run of the Fast Six, edging out Andretti Global’s Will Power and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin to lock down the top starting spot for Sunday’s race.

Qualifying Results

“I felt really good with my lap,” Palou said. “I thought there was not much more margin from my side, so I just tried to put everything together. So happy to make it to the pole, and we stayed there. Good stint, but the big day is tomorrow.”
 
“I would not change the position that we have right now, but it’s tough, man,” Palou said. “It’s a crazy race. We know the strategies are going to be moving up and down. So, hopefully we can get a clean start, start working from there and choose our strategies.”

(Official IndyCar timing)

  1. Alex Palou — No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda — 1:01.9017
  2. Two-time series champion Will Power — No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda — 1:02.1249
  3. Scott McLaughlin — No. 3 Clarience Technologies Team Penske Chevrolet — 1:02.4559
  4. Six-time series champion Scott Dixon — No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda — 1:02.6085
  5. Christian Lundgaard —  No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet – 1:02.7870
  6. Kyle Kirkwood — No. 27 Sam’s Club Andretti Global Honda – 1:03.0303

Series leader Palou’s lap was not only the fastest of the session but also marked the 16th pole of his career, according to IndyCar Communications.

Palou was the 4th driver to run in the single‑car Fast Six format. Despite the pressure of running mid‑order, he delivered a near‑perfect lap, maximizing braking zones and maintaining stability through Detroit’s tight, concrete‑lined corners. IndyCar reported that Palou’s lap was decisive enough that neither Power nor McLaughlin could match it

IndyCar’s full combined qualifying sheet confirms the same top‑four order, with Palou leading Power, McLaughlin, and Dixon.

Notable performances deeper in the field included:

Pato O’Ward qualifying 7th

Marcus Armstrong 8th

Christian Rasmussen 9th

Marcus Ericsson 10th

Detroit is a track where track position matters, and Palou has historically converted strong qualifying into strong race results. With two Ganassi cars in the top four and Andretti showing speed through Power and Kirkwood, the race is shaping up to be a strategic battle between the series’ powerhouse teams.

Up Next: Warmup, Sunday 9:30 AM/ET

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