Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment
Team Penske pulled from Fast 12 as Indy 500 P7-P12 is set
The first half of the two-phase Indianapolis 500 qualifying procedure took place to set positions seven through 12, and the results were absolutely unexpected as all three Team Penske cars failed to turn a lap as a result of Scott McLaughlin’s crash a few hours earlier and a failure to pass pre-qualifying technical inspection by teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power.
Felix Rosenqvist was fastest, followed by Pato O’Ward, Robert Shwartzman, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, and Takuma Sato. Those six will move into the final phase of qualifying with a run for pole to end the day.
Set and done for the weekend are AJ Foyt Racing’s David Malukas (231.559mph) in seventh, Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard (231.360mph) in eighth, Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson (231.014mph) in ninth, and the three Penske drivers led by Scott McLaughlin in 10th, Josef Newgarden in 11th, and Will Power in 12th.
Lundgaard was first out in the Fast 12 session and recorded a 231.360mph average in the No. 7 Chevy. Ambient conditions were decent at 76F, but track temperature was high at 124.5F.
Ericsson was next in the No 28 Andretti Global Honda with a 231.014mph.
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Both of the remaining Team Penske cars were pulled out of the qualifying line and taken back to Gasoline Alley, and per the IndyCar rulebook, leaving the line forfeits their opportunity to participate in the session. Newgarden's No. 2 Chevy failed pre-qualifying technical inspection, which appeared to be addressed by the team on pit lane, with the No. 12 car seen to have the same issue shortly after.
Rule 8.5.13.2.6 says in the event of what happened with the Penske cars, their speeds from Saturday’s qualifying session will be used to position them on the final grid, and on Saturday, McLaughlin was the fastest of the three and Power was the slowest.
Sato was next in the No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda and put up a 231.686mph.
Rosenqvist took the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda to an average of 232.523mph, well clear of the rest.
Malukas was quick in the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevy – the lone remaining Penske-related entry – and produced a 231.559mph.
PREMA Racing’s Shwartzman nearly went to the top in the No. 83 Chevy but saw his speeds decrease to an average of 232.008mph.
Dixon was next and achieved a 231.971mph in the No. 9 Honda.
O’Ward was the penultimate runner and went well with a 232.186mph in the No. 5 Chevy.
Palou was the last to go and in the No. 10 Honda and the same lack of speed shown in practice a few hours ago reappeared as he averaged 231.800mph.
P1: Felix Rosenqvist, 232.523mph
P2: Pato O’Ward, 232.186mph
P3: Robert Shwartzman, 232.008mph
P4: Scott Dixon, 231.971mph
P5: Alex Palou, 231.800mph
P6: Takuma Sato, 231.686mph
P7: David Malukas, 231.559mph
P8: Christian Lundgaard, 231.360mph
P9: Marcus Ericsson, 231.014mph
P10: Scott McLaughlin, no speed
P11: Josef Newgarden, no speed
P12: Will Power, no speed
Marshall Pruett
The 2026 season marks Marshall Pruett's 40th year working in the sport. In his role today for RACER, Pruett covers open-wheel and sports car racing as a writer, reporter, photographer, and filmmaker. In his previous career, he served as a mechanic, engineer, and team manager in a variety of series, including IndyCar, IMSA, and World Challenge.
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