IndyCar
Will Power ties Mario Andretti for all-time INDYCAR pole positions; 3 Ganassi cars start in Top 6
MADISON, IL (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Will Power is now in elite company in the INDYCAR record books as he is tied atop the all-time pole position leaderboard alongside motorsports legend Mario Andretti.
Power won his 67th career INDYCAR pole Friday at World Wide Technology Raceway with a two-lap average speed of 182.727 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
“It’s just amazing,” said Power. “This is a big victory for me, to reach the 67 number and equal such a legend of the sport in Mario Andretti. I just can’t believe that I’m right there with Mario because there’s been no one like him.”
Perhaps more important than the record is the Championship point Power earned, which gives him a 7-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon going into Saturday night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline.
Championship contender Marcus Ericsson will start on the outside of the front row. Ericsson sits in third place in the title fight, now 13-points behind Power.
“It’s the best qualifying of my IndyCar career so I’m proud of that,” said Ericsson, this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner. “When you’re so close to your first pole you really want it, but we’ll try to get them tomorrow (Saturday).”
Chip Ganassi Racing put three cars in the top six. Reigning series champion Alex Palou qualified fifth at 181.289 in the No. 10 American Legion Honda, while six-time series champion Dixon will start sixth after a qualifying run of 180.954 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Saturday’s live coverage of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline will begin at 6 p.m. ET. (USA Network, Peacock Premium and the INDYCAR Radio Network).
PORTLAND, OR (August 7, 2026) – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou is fastest on the speed charts after the first NTT IndyCar Series practice at the Grand Prix of Portland.
Palou’s fast lap of 58.5716-seconds (120.714 mph) in the No. 10 DHL Honda was 0.0886-seconds quicker than Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda.
“Good day, great start,” said Palou, who leads the Championship standings. “I think there’s some work to do with the alternates (Firestone Firehawk tires), but we were really good on primaries, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“We definitely came here with a much different car than we’ve ever ran here, and hopefully it’s paying off,” said Kirkwood. “Early days, but it’s promising. Compared to where we were last year, this is a big step in the right direction.”
Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay continues his impressive season for one of the smaller teams in the paddock posting a 58.7996-seconds lap around the 12-turn, 1.964-mile circuit, which put him third on the speed chart.
Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian’s Marcus Armstrong and Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward each spent time in the pits after clipping the Armco barrier at the apex of Turn 1 in separate incidents.
NTT P1 Award qualifying is Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (FS1) and the INDYCAR Radio Network powered by Only Bulls.
The 110-lap race starts at 4 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX and FOX Deportes. FOX One and INDYCAR Radio.
PORTLAND, OR (August 7, 2026) – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Niels Koolen is atop the speed charts after the first Indy NXT by Firestone practice at the Grand Prix of Portland.
Koolen’s best lap of 1-minute, 3.0405-seconds in the No. 10 CGR car was .0456-seconds quicker than Andretti Global’s Seb Murray, who posted a 1:03.0861 in the No. 27 Megatron machine.
“It seems all the prep we did as a team for this track paid off so far,” said Koolen, who sits 16th in the Championship standings. “Let’s see if we can keep this up for the rest of the weekend.”
SEE: Practice Results
Murray’s teammate Lochie Hughes, was third at 1:03.1374 in the No. 26 Andretti Global entry.
JM Correa was fourth at 1:03.1984 in the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports car. Myles Rowe rounded out the top five at 1:03.3058 in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy machine.
Points leader Nikita Johnson was 13th at 1:03.5915 in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry.
“Traffic was a little bit difficult,” series rookie Johnson said. “(The circuit) is so flowy that it’s kind of hard to see in your mirrors sometimes, and even I messed up, as well, on some of these laps. It’s kind of hard for everyone to see who’s behind. A little bit of traffic here and there, but we had the car in a better window at the end.”
Enzo Fittipaldi, just one point behind Johnson in second, was 18th at 1:03.9284 in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car.
His fellow rookie teammate Tymek Kucharcyzk, 25 points behind Johnson in third, was the quickest of the tight trio atop the standings in 12th at 1:03.5783 in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry.
All three of the title contenders can take solace in knowing less than one second separated the top 20 drivers on the speed chart.
Koolen’s teammates may want to take a look at his set-up and data because they have some work to do. Bryce Aron was 15th in the No. 9 car. James Roe was 19th in the No. 8 and rookie Carson Etter was 24th in the No. 11 car.
A second practice session is scheduled for noon ET Saturday, followed by qualifying at 3 p.m. ET. The 35-lap race starts at 2 p.m. ET Sunday. FS1, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls are broadcasting the remaining sessions this weekend.
LEBANON, TN (July 18, 2026) – Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood is sitting atop the speed chart after the first NTT IndyCar Series practice at Nashville Superspeedway.
Kirkwood’s No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda turned a fast lap of 23.7447 (197.097 mph) around the 1.33 mile oval to best Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou, who turned a fast lap of 23.7605 (196.996) in the No. 10 DHL Honda.
Team Penske’s David Malukas was third quick with a 23.8362 (196.340) in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. Malukas’ car however got loose in Turn 2 and slammed backwards into the wall.
Malukas exited the vehicle under his own power and walked to the AMR Safety Vehicle. Malukas was taken to the infield care center. NTT IndyCar Series officials issued an update a short time later saying he was being taken to a local hospital by private vehicle for further testing. He has not been cleared to return to the cockpit at this point.
Malukas was also assessed a nine-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change entering this weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon rounded out the Top 10 with a quick time of 23.9932 (195.055) in the No. PNC Bank Honda. Palou and Dixon’s CGR teammate Kyffin Simpson was 20th at 193.346.
Qualifying takes place at 3:00 p.m. on Fox and the IndyCar Radio Network.
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