PORTLAND, Ore. — Christian Lundgaard won the NTT P1 Award at Portland, but with a six-grid spot penalty he will actually start seventh in Sunday’s BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI.
It’s Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who will actually start on the pole and lead the field to the green flag for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series race.
“It was a really confusing qualifying,” O’Ward said. “Great job by Christian to get the P1 Award there. The car really came alive.
“I’m happy with this great qualifying session and we will be leading the field to green. This was our toughest road course last year so great step forward.”
It’s Lundgaard’s first NTT P1 Award since Toronto in 2023.
“This was base case scenario for us with the six-place grid spot penalty,” Lundgaard said. “It’s another front row lockout for the team, but we won’t start that way.”
The Fast Six included championship leader Alex Palou running through the grass in Turn 11, going off course and hitting the tire barrier to create a local yellow. Palou lost the fastest lap, had a flat spot on his tire and impeded Christian Lundgaard’s lap with less than one minute remain.
“I went looking for mushrooms,” Palou said. “I was trying a bit too hard. We really wanted the pole, but it was a bit too tight. I couldn’t continue and I’m sorry if I disturbed anybody in qualifying, but I was trying.
“I’m happy we are in the top six and will have a good start for tomorrow.”
Palou enters the race with a 121-point lead over O’Ward in the battle for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series Championship. If he leaves Sunday’s race with a 108-point lead, he will clinch his third-straight IndyCar Series Championship, his fourth overall.
Lundgaard won the pole with a lap at 58.3939 around the 12-turn, 1.964-mile Portland International Raceway road course.
O’Ward was second in the No. 5 Arrow Mclaren Chevrolet at 58.5343 followed by Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing at 58.5583 in the No. 60 Honda, Will Power at 58.6424 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, David Malukas at 58.6557 in the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet and Palou at 58.6690 in the No. 10 DHL Honda.
“We made some changes on the top six to be a little bit better, but it was a pretty good lap, put it together and I’m happy with that,” Power said. “Any time you are top six in this series is a really good effort.”
Malukas moves up to fourth.
“Wow, what a crazy session,” Malukas said. “My car was a rocket ship. I couldn’t have made it without this team. We have to capitalize on it on Sunday.”
The ambient temperature had risen to 74 degrees Fahrenheit with a track temp of 107.2 degrees F when the first group of Segment One began.
Sting Ray Robb had a “Stinger” in the Turn 6 area when he dropped his wheel off course, kicked up a cloud of dust and spun out on the race course. That wiped away his best lap up to that point with ability to advance for causing a local yellow affecting a fellow competitor.
Kyffin Simpson had the fast time as the group headed into the final two minutes of the session with a best time of 58.4221 in the No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Of course, that did not last as teammate Palou eclipsed Santino Ferrucci’s pole time from 2024 as the champion in waiting whipped off a time at 58.115 in the No. 10 Honda.
With 1:08 remaining, Robert Shwartzman went off course into the tire barrier in Turn 11 to stop action with the red flag.
Shwartzman refired the car, but he lost his best laps. That would give the field one final minute of action before the session concluded.
Back to green and each competitor had one last timed lap to take aim at Palou’s fastest speed.
All cars but Palou and Power took advantage of the final lap. Simpson was able to jump up to second over Power at 58.3118. Malukas also had a fast lap to advance into the second round at 58.4601.
The six drivers to advance into Round 2 including Palou at 58.1185, Simpson at 58.3118, Power at 58.3261, Marcus Armstrong’s No. 66 Meyer Shank Hona at 58.3604, Alexander Rossi’s No. 20 ECR Honda at 58.3720 and Malukas’ No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet at 58.4601.
Missing the cut were, in order, Scott McLaughlin at 58.5449 in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, last year’s pole winner Ferrucci at 58.6237 in the No. 14 Chevrolet, Louis Foster’s No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda at 58.6376, Nolan Siegel’s No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 58.7105, Robb’s No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Chevy at 58.9272, Rinus VeeKay’s No. 18 Dalce Coyne Racing Honda at 59.0866 and Shwartzman’s No. 83 Prema Chevrolet at 59.7458.
There were several fast guys in Group 2 including O’Ward, Kirkwood and Lundgaard.
Kirkwood put up the early lap at 58.56934 before Andretti Global teammate Marcus Ericsson pass him at 58.3078 in the No. 28 Andretti Global Honda.
That time held up until the action heated up for the final two minutes.
With 55 seconds left, Felix Rosenqvist moved into second with a time of 58.4077.
With 20 second left, O’Ward took over first place at 58.2519 and lowered that to 58.2420 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Newgarden was the last driver on the track and had the third fastest lap of the session at 58.3181 in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. He was followed by Scott Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Honda at 58.3206, Christian Lundgaard’s No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 58.3279 and Felix Rosenqvist’s No. 60 Meyer Shank Honda at 58.4077.
Missing the Round of 12 were Devlin DeFrancesco at 58.4702 in the No. 30 Honda, Colton Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda at 58.5312, Chrisitan Rasmussen’s No. 21 ECR Chevrolet at 58.5457, Kirkwood’s No. 27 Andretti Global Honda at 58.5693, Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda at 58.5836, Callum Ilott’s No. 90 Prema Chevrolet at 58.7557, and Dale Coyne Racing’s Jacob Able in the No. 51 Honda at 58.9648.
Palou set the early time in the top 12 when he surpassed Newgarden with a lap at 59.6400 to the Team Penske driver’s 59.6675. But Lundgaard took over the top at 59.5446.
Newgarden passed Lundgaard at 59.5273 and O’Ward passed Lundgaard at 59.2325.
Palou and O’Ward both came onto pit lane for fresh sets of Firestone Reds in an attempt to lower their lap times even further in the final five minutes.
In the final minute, it became a frantic battle for the top between Palou and O’Ward.
With 22 seconds left, O’Ward was on top at 58.2820 and Palou was second at 58.3346. The session came to an end with both Lundgaard (58.2548).
Advancing into the Firestone Fast Six were Rosenqvist at 58.1918, Lundgaard at 58.2548, O’Ward at 58.2820, Palou at 58.3346, Power at 58.4463 and Malukas at 58.4810.
At that time, seventh through 12th were, in order, Rossi at 58.4973, Armstrong at 58.5320, Newgarden at 58.6960, Dixon at 58.7446, Ericsson at 58.7483 and Simpson at 58.7715.
Of course, that was rearranged after Lundgaard’s six grid position penalty.
“It was a bit messy, just for track position,” Dixon said. “The last two laps, whatever I was doing, it was stuck in regen and you losing a ton of power there. The car was pretty good. We have shown the speed that we have and will just have to improve for tomorrow.”
As for Newgarden, it was a remarkable comeback for a team that had to replace the Chevrolet engine after the morning practice session.
“Amazing job by the team” Newgarden said.
The starting positions for the top three rows would be determined in the Firestone Fast Six.
