Newgarden and Palou Set Up for Success at Iowa Speedway
Josef Newgarden secured pole position for the Synk 275 at Iowa Speedway, clocking a best lap of 183.999 mph in a two-lap qualifying format. The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet will start fourth in tomorrow’s Farm To Finish 275 after running a second lap of 183.316 mph.
Points leader Alex Palou, driving the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, had a mixed qualifying performance. He will start fourth for race one but achieved pole for race two with a record lap of 184.014 mph, adding a valuable point to his championship tally.
Conor Daly showed strong pace for Juncos Hollinger Racing, qualifying second for race one and seventh for race two. Notable performances also came from Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Honda) in third for race one and second for race two, while Arrow McLaren teammates Pato O’Ward (fifth/ninth) and Nolan Siegel (eighth/fifth) mirrored each other’s results.
Defending champion Will Power (seventh/sixth) and veteran Scott Dixon (sixth/eighth) will start solidly but lacked the speed for pole. AJ Foyt Racing’s David Malukas rose to prominence, qualifying third for race one and currently holding the second position for race two after clocking a 183.369 mph lap.
Newgarden, who was the ninth driver to qualify, initially led the session but was challenged by Malukas and Rosenqvist. Palou narrowly missed out on the race one pole before establishing the fastest lap of the session for race two.
Rinus VeeKay faced difficulties, hitting the wall on his first lap but managed to complete his run. Scott McLaughlin’s challenging season continued as he crashed during qualifying, resulting in a starting position at the back for both races after an oversteer incident.
The Synk 275 will be broadcasted live at 5 p.m. ET on FOX.
Qualifying Results Summary:
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Qualifying 1:
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- Josef Newgarden (183.999 mph)
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- Conor Daly
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- David Malukas
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- Qualifying 2:
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- Alex Palou (184.014 mph)
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- David Malukas
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- Felix Rosenqvist
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This event sets the stage for an exciting double-header with drivers poised for crucial championship points.
