Lundgaard Sets Fastest Lap but Starts Seventh at Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. — Christian Lundgaard secured the fastest lap during qualifying for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland on Saturday at Portland International Raceway, but he will start in seventh position due to a six-grid spot penalty.

Lundgaard’s teammate at Arrow McLaren, Pato O'Ward, will take the pole position for Sunday’s race. O’Ward clocked in at 58.5343 seconds in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, while Lundgaard set a time of 58.3939 seconds before receiving the penalty for an unapproved engine change.

<p“This is the best-case scenario for us, obviously, with a six-place grid penalty,” Lundgaard said. “I’m just proud of the team. Another front-row lockout for the team, except only one of them will start there.”

Felix Rosenqvist will join O’Ward on the front row after recording a best time of 58.5583 seconds in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing. Reigning Portland winner Will Power will start from third place with a time of 58.6424 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Championship leader Alex Palou will start fifth despite a mishap where he went off track and hit the tire barrier. He lost his best lap time due to the incident. “I went looking for mushrooms in the Fast Six,” Palou joked, acknowledging the mistake.

Palou, who leads O’Ward by 121 points in the standings, needs to maintain at least a 108-point lead after Sunday’s race to clinch his third consecutive championship. “I know that by winning the race I can win both things. It’s the goal,” he said.

O’Ward, focused on the race ahead, stated, “The points will take care of themselves. I’ll be thinking winning the race.” This will be a critical event for him as he tries to close the gap in the championship standings.

The 110-lap race is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the broadcast available on FOX, the FOX Sports app, and the INDYCAR Radio Network.