Alex Palou Claims Pole Position at Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing secured the pole position for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix with a record lap time during an exhilarating qualifying session on Saturday. The three-time champion achieved a top lap of 1 minute, 7.2918 seconds in the Firestone Fast Six, marking his first pole of the season and the seventh of his career.

Pacing the field in the No. 10 HRC Honda, Palou is currently leading the series standings with two wins in the first three races of the season. “What an amazing day for the 10 car,” Palou said. “This is such a special place for us here. We got our first race win in INDYCAR back in 2021.” He expressed excitement heading into the race, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

Colton Herta from Andretti Global qualified third with a time of 1:07.4576 in his Honda. Herta noted, “I’ve never made a Fast Six here, so I’m happy that I was able to do that.” He acknowledged it as one of their toughest qualifying tracks and appreciated the progress made this year.

Rinus VeeKay of Dale Coyne Racing qualified fifth with a lap of 1:07.9103, delighted after a challenging race at Long Beach. “The car was exactly what I needed to be quick,” VeeKay said, showing confidence for the upcoming race.

Will Power, a two-time reigning Barber winner, narrowly missed another pole, starting second with a time of 1:07.4387. He shared his thoughts, stating, “It might be a bit of a hectic race tomorrow.” Meanwhile, six-time series champion Scott Dixon faced challenges, qualifying 26th after going off track during the first segment.

As excitement builds for Sunday’s race, fans can look forward to watching the 90-lap event on FOX, the FOX Sports app, and the INDYCAR Radio Network.