MADISON, Ill. — Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won the pole for Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Weather Tech Raceway.
But instead of leading the field to the green flag of Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time start, the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet will start 10th.
On Saturday, IndyCar officials assessed a nine grid-spot penalty against the Team Penske driver for an unapproved engine change as the team went over its allotment for engines for this season.
Click here for qualifying results.
Instead of starting ninth, however, McLaughlin will start 10th because fifth-fastest qualifier and championship leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing also had a nine grid spot penalty for the same violation. That was issued by IndyCar officials Sunday morning.
McLaughlin gets credit for pole, however, with a two-lap average of 182.951 miles per hour in the No. 3 Chevrolet.
“Not bad for a dumbass,” McLaughlin quipped, referring to what he was called by Team Penske teammate Will Power for triggering a crash at the end of Saturday night’s practice session.
Power said he had no idea it was a teammate that had spun off the track leaving pit lane when he went high and into the wall Saturday night before Power called him a “dumbass.”
Power came into the NTT Performance Pit Area during the pole celebration to congratulate McLaughlin on his accomplishment.
McLaughlin also won the pole for the August 6 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville.
It is McLaughlin’s first career pole on an oval.
“I’m pretty happy with that,” McLaughlin said. “The car was very good. Straight off the truck, the car felt nice. We rolled into qualifying with a very similar setup to what we rolled off with.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve had starting where I am.
“Mathematics.”
The driver that will start on the pole is teammate Josef Newgarden, who is attempting to win his fourth-straight race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Newgarden was second fastest with a two-lap average of 182.390 mph in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Team Penske.
“We can in see the front, and that is good so it will help in the beginning, no doubt,” Newgarden said. “We have the car in a good window so we should be close.”
Newgarden enters the race third in the standings, 108 points behind Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou. Scott Dixon is second in the standings, 101 points behind Palou.
“We can’t control what Alex does so it will either be a good day, or we will slip even further out of it,” Newgarden said.
Colton Herta was third fastest with a two-lap average of 182.390 mph but will start the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda for Andretti Autosport on the outside of the front row.
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward starts third in the No. 5 Dallara Chevrolet alongside teammate Felix Rosenqvist’s Chevrolet. Romain Grosjean of Andretti Autosport will start fifth in the No. 28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport.
Palou qualified fifth but will start 14th. If he leaves Gateway with a 109-point lead over his nearest pursuer, he will clinch his second NTT IndyCar Series championship.
As for the “Dumbass” comment, McLaughlin said, “As you know, Will Power wears his heart on his sleeve and that is why many people love him. I’m going to feed into it like I feed into everything as well. It’s just a bit of fun. There is a great camaraderie on the team and a great effort here.
“Proud of everyone.
“I just want an oval win so bad. I’ll do whatever I can for an oval win right now.”