By Matt Crider, Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas — On a weekend full of new experiences, Marcus Ericsson got into the act Saturday by storming to his first career NTT IndyCar Series pole at the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.
The Swedish racer posted a lap of 1 minute, 34.36 seconds around the 14-turn, 2.73-mile temporary street circuit that weaves through Arlington’s entertainment district. That time was good for an average speed of 104.158 mph in Andretti Global’s No. 28 Honda.
Now in his eighth season, Ericsson’s first pole comes in his 117th start. He narrowly missed the accomplishment two races ago in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Fla.
“It was really close in St. Pete already — obviously second there, just two hundredths of a second off pole — so it was frustrating,” Ericsson said. “It got me really fired up because I knew we were going to have a good shot here in Arlington. It just feels amazing. I think the team has done a really good job.
“Really, really good to finish qualifying in P1 and then start from pole tomorrow.”
Ericsson, who switched to Indy cars after making 97 starts in Formula One between 2014 and 2018, said his last pole was in GP2 in 2013.
“It’s been like a lifetime since last pole position,” he said. “I think I’ve been second four or five times in qualifying in IndyCar and been close a few times, been in Fast Six a lot of times. But it’s just been not my time, I guess. Worked really hard this winter to be better; it’s an important year for me.”
Four-time and defending series champion Alex Palou qualified second at 1:34.82. The Chip Ganassi Racing star is looking to bounce back from a 24th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway that followed his victory at St. Petersburg.
“Only having an out lap just doesn’t allow you to warm up the brakes or the tires or anything,” Palou said. “I was slower than what I did on old tires in the previous sessions. I think tire temp made a difference. Having said that, I don’t know if I would have matched his lap time. He was pretty fast, so I’m happy with P2.”
Saturday’s qualifying utilized a new one-lap, single-car format for the six-driver pole shootout. The top six from the second round were inverted for the final round, with the slowest — Ericsson — running first and Palou going last.
The track features a long backstretch on Randol Mill Road and twists around and between AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, the Ballpark in Arlington and the Arlington Convention Center.
“It looks spectacular,” Ericsson said. “I think it looks really well made. It looks great on TV. I think it’s a fantastic track to drive because it’s very technical, it’s very tricky. It’s bumpy, but it’s bumpy in that sort of characteristic way that I think really is IndyCar racing for me. It’s supposed to be bumpy and different concrete, asphalt — different surfaces.
“We need more tracks like this. I think it really raises the standard of IndyCar racing. I think the race tomorrow is going to be fantastic. I really believe it’s going to be a good show.”
The start time for the 70-lap race has been moved up to 11 a.m. Central because of forecasted high winds later Sunday afternoon. Television coverage will start at 10:30 a.m. on Fox. Morning warmup was moved to 8:30 on FS1.
“There’s not much you can do as a driver,” Palou said of the North Texas wind. “Just trying to adapt. If obviously we have tailwind, just going to have to brake earlier because we’re going to get so much more top speed. If we have just headwind, it’s going to be fine.”
McLaren’s Pato O’Ward was right behind Palou at 1:34.85, the only Chevrolet driver in the top seven.
Will Power, 22nd in the standings two races into his first season with Andretti, qualified fourth in the No. 26 Honda. Felix Rosenqvist was fifth in Meyer Shank’s No. 60 Texas A&M Honda, and teammate Marcus Armstrong qualified sixth.
Ericsson nipped teammate Kyle Kirkwood for the final spot in the third round. Kirkwood will start seventh, followed by Christian Rasmussen, David Malukas and Alexander Rossi.
Phoenix winner Josef Newgarden qualified 11th and North Texas resident Santino Ferrucci 12th.
Penske’s Scott McLaughlin clipped the inside wall in Turn 8 and careened into the outside wall while trying to head northbound on Collins Street, and the No. 3 Chevrolet will start last in the 25-car field.
Ericsson’s best finish this year was sixth at St. Petersburg, where he scored his most recent victory in 2023. His four career wins include the 2022 Indianapolis 500.
“Racing is always fun,” Ericsson said. “I’m very lucky to have this as a job. I think we all are in IndyCar.
“It’s more fun to sit here and talk about a pole position than P22 or something like that.”