Scott McLaughlin, Alex Palou Speed to Milwaukee Poles

O’Ward To Start First This Afternoon due to Engine Change Penalties

Scott McLaughlin and Alex Palou won the NTT P1 Awards on Saturday morning for the two NTT INDYCAR SERIES races during the Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend at the Milwaukee Mile, but only Palou will lead the field to the green flag of a race.

McLaughlin earned his second pole of the season and 13th career pole with a top lap of 165.536 mph in the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Team Penske Chevrolet, but he will start 10th in the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 later today due to a nine-spot grid penalty incurred for an unapproved engine change after last weekend’s race at Washington.

SEE: Race 1 Qualifying Results | Race 2 Qualifying Results

“I’m happy, and I felt that was a solid lap, for sure,” McLaughlin said. “Just want to put on a show from wherever we are (on the grid). We’ll just ship it and see where we end up.”

All 25 drivers turned two laps on the historic 1.015-mile oval during qualifying, with the speed from their first lap setting the grid for the 250-lap race today and the second lap determining the starting order for the 250-lap race Sunday.

Reigning and four-time series champion Palou (photo, above), aiming to clinch his record-tying fourth consecutive title this weekend, earned his eighth pole this season and 20th of his career for the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday with his second lap of 164.658 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Palou qualified second for today’s race at 164.147, but he will move back to the 11th starting position for incurring an unapproved engine penalty like McLaughlin after the D.C. race.

“I would prefer not to have that penalty, but this is probably the only place if you have a fast car and you feel good with the car, you have plenty of laps to make our way forward,” Palou said. “I was really comfortable with the car.”

It’s a similar story for David Malukas, who qualified third at 164.058 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. He will move back nine spots on the starting grid due to an unapproved engine change after the race in the nation’s capital.

Those three penalties will elevate Pato O’Ward to the top starting spot for today’s race (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). O’Ward qualified fourth at 164.019 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“I’m pleased with that,” O’Ward said. “I’m really happy with my car, and I really think we can make this weekend a good one. I think it would be a closeout to this oval championship, which has been a little bit tougher for us this year.”

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, who led practice Friday, qualified fifth for today’s race at 163.771 in the No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet.

O’Ward qualified second for Sunday’s race (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls) at 164.655. Newgarden clocked in third at 163.767.

Rookie Mick Schumacher tied his career-best starting spot – also on an oval at Phoenix – by qualifying fourth at 163.244 in the No. 47 ENVE Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Will Power continued his surge in the second half of the season by qualifying fifth for Sunday’s race at 163.243 in the No. 26 Phoenix Investors Honda of Andretti Global.