WEST ALLIS, Wi. – Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Clarience Team Penske Chevrolet) and Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) will start from the front of the two Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend fields after a high-speed qualifying session Saturday morning at the historic Milwaukee Mile.
McLaughlin put his No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet on the provisional pole for Saturday’s Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250, recording an average speed of 165.536 mph on his qualifying lap. However, a nine-position grid penalty means McLaughlin will not start from the pole when the field takes the green flag.
Instead, Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) will inherit the pole for Saturday’s 250-lap race after qualifying fourth-fastest at 164.019 mph.
The penalty shuffle will have a major impact on the front of the field. Palou, who qualified second at 164.147 mph, and David Malukas (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), who was third at 164.058 mph, are also scheduled to drop nine positions because of engine-change penalties.
That puts O’Ward in prime position to capitalize when the weekend’s first race goes green at 2:30 p.m. ET.
McLaughlin delivers a statement lap
McLaughlin’s 165.536-mph run was the clear benchmark for Saturday’s race, nearly 1.4 mph faster than Palou’s second-place effort.
The performance came after Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet) led Friday’s opening practice at 159.430 mph. Newgarden qualified fifth for Saturday at 163.771 mph, giving Penske two of the fastest four cars before penalties are applied.
Will Power (No. 26 Phoenix Investors Andretti Global Honda) qualified sixth, with rookie Dennis Hauger (No. 19 Nammo Dale Coyne Racing Honda) seventh and Indy 500 champ Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Sirius XM The Highway Meyer Shank Racing Honda) eighth. Louis Foster (No. 45 Desnuda Rahal Lettterman Lanigan Racing Honda) and Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Velo Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) completed the top 10 in raw qualifying speed.
The Milwaukee Mile is hosting its first INDYCAR doubleheader since the series returned to the historic 1.015-mile oval. Chevrolet has won all three races since INDYCAR’s return to Milwaukee in 2024.
Palou answers back for Sunday
If McLaughlin owned the first lap, Palou owned the second.
The championship leader recorded a 164.658-mph second qualifying lap to earn the pole for Sunday’s Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250. O’Ward was only 0.003 mph behind at 164.655 mph, setting up a potentially intense front-row matchup for Sunday’s race.
Newgarden will start third Sunday, followed by Mick Schumacher (47 ENG Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) and Will Power.
Unlike Saturday, Palou does not have a grid penalty for Sunday’s race, allowing the four-time champion to start exactly where he qualified.
That could be crucial in the championship fight.
Palou entered the Milwaukee weekend with a 91-point advantage over Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Sam’s Club Andretti Global Honda) and has an opportunity to clinch his fourth consecutive championship (5th overall) during the doubleheader. He can secure the title by meeting the required points margin after either race.
Kirkwood faces uphill battle
Kirkwood’s championship challenge took another hit during qualifying.
After his heavy practice crash Friday with Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 Splenda Stevia Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet), the Andretti Global driver qualified only 22nd for Saturday’s race with a 159.919-mph lap. His second qualifying lap was 159.234 mph, putting him 24th for Sunday’s race.
Kirkwood will therefore have plenty of work to do if he hopes to keep Palou from clinching the championship this weekend.
Two races, two different battles
The unusual Milwaukee qualifying format gave teams only two timed laps, with the first establishing Saturday’s lineup and the second determining Sunday’s starting order.
That produced two very different pictures for the weekend.
O’Ward inherits Saturday’s pole, with Newgarden and Power among the drivers positioned to challenge at the front. On Sunday, Palou will have the cleanest possible starting position as he pursues another victory — and potentially another championship.
After a chaotic opening practice and a qualifying session filled with penalties and championship implications, the Milwaukee Mile is set for 500 laps of INDYCAR racing across two days.
And with Palou sitting on Sunday’s pole and O’Ward leading Saturday’s field, the Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend is ready to begin.
Up Next: Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250, 2:30 PM/ET
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