Rosenqvist claims second straight pole at TMS

Rosenqvist headed Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon with McLaren’s Alexander Rossi, 3rd quickest within the consultation.    

Team proprietor/driving force Ed Carpenter, in his first time out of the 2023 season, set the bar with a median of 218.375 mph over two laps, with a 1mph distinction between Laps 1 and a pair of. This was once instantly crushed via rookie Benjamin Pedersen within the AJ Foyt Racing automobile with a forged 219.100 mph reasonable.

Pedersen’s tenure at the highest didn’t final lengthy, as Devlin DeFrancesco of Andretti Autosport claimed provisional  P1 because the fourth runner.

Jack Harvey’s reasonable of 216.103 steered that the Rahal Letterman Lanigan crew’s struggles in first observe had now not been deceptive, with Harvey’s Lap 1 to Lap 2 drop-off, 1.8mph.

As the 9th runner, Colton Herta shaded his team-mate DeFrancesco to take most sensible spot, and reported again to his crew that his throttle was once flat all of the method round for each laps.

Rosenqvist, final yr’s Texas pole-winner, then delivered a 220.264mph reasonable, over 1mph transparent of Herta, which survived an attack from final yr’s winner, Josef Newgarden.

Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport Honda

Photo via: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

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Romain Grosjean break up his Andretti Autosport team-mates Herta and DeFrancesco, while Kyle Kirkwood in AA’s #27 automobile was once 0.9mph off, down along with his semi team-mates Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud of Meyer Shank Racing. This trio have been outpaced via rookie Agustin Canapino of Juncos Hollinger Racing.

Takuma Sato, the 17^th runner, in his first qualifying consultation for Chip Ganassi Racing, claimed provisional 3rd and most sensible Honda, while Scott McLaughlin was once a unhappiness. The Kiwi ace led observe, however in qualifying was once over 1mph off team-mate Newgarden.

David Malukas claimed provisional fourth within the Dale Coyne Racing with HMD automobile, however there have been nonetheless 9 automobiles left to run. One of those was once 2021 champion Alex Palou, who slid in simply forward of him and simply 0.028mph in the back of Sato.

Champion Will Power reported that his crew was once undergeared and two times on his second lap the #12 hit the rev limiter, costing him 1.8mph from Lap 1 to Lap 2.

Alexander Rossi was once a powerful contender for pole, however his 0.3mph deficit to Rosenqvist left sufficient room for five-time Texas winner Scott Dixon to position his automobile between them and put himself onto the provisional entrance row.

That survived an attack from the 3rd Arrow McLaren of Pato O’Ward, and ultimate runner Marcus Ericsson had not anything for his compatriot Rosenqvist, who scored his fourth occupation IndyCar pole, and his second straight at Texas Motor Speedway.