Alex Palou – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley

Courtesy of the NTT IndyCar Series

DETROIT _ Alex Palou’s domination of qualifying during recent NTT IndyCar Series races is complete after he captured the NTT P1 Award Saturday for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.

Palou earned his third consecutive pole position and the 16th of his career with a best lap of 1-minute, 1.9017-seconds/95.668 mph in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda during the Firestone Fast Six. Palou was fourth in the qualifying order among the six drivers eligible in the single-car, one-lap final session.

SEE: Qualifying Results

It’s the first time in his career the four-time/reigning series champion has won three consecutive poles. More impressively, Palou built that streak this month on three different types of circuits _ the 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course for the Sonsio Grand Prix; the 2.5-mile IMS oval for the 110^th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and the 1.645-mile/nine-turn temporary street circuit in the Motor City.

“I felt really good with my lap,” said Palou, a 29-year-old native Spain. “I thought there was not much more margin from my side, so I just tried to put everything together. So happy to make it to the pole, and we stayed there. Good stint, but the big day is (Sunday).”

Series point leader Palou will aim for his fourth victory in eight starts this season in Sunday’s 100-lap/170-mile race (12:30 p.m. EDT, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). This is an event Palou won in 2023, when it returned to Downtown Motown after three decades on Belle Isle.

Two-time series champion Will Power of Australia produced his best qualifying performance of the season and will start alongside Palou on the front row with his lap of 1:02.1249-seconds/95.324 mph in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda of Andretti Global.

Scott McLaughlin was the quickest Chevrolet-powered driver in the manufacturer’s home race, qualifying third at 1:02.4559-seconds/94.819 mph in the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Team Penske Chevrolet as first car on-track in the Firestone Fast Six.

“Going out first…I’m a big ‘going out second’ guy,” said McLaughlin, a 32-year-old native of New Zealand. “But I think going out first and keeping the (Firestone tire) temp was a good gamble. I was really loose. Unfortunately, got a bit loose there. But we’re in a great spot to fight (Sunday).

“We’ve got to execute. But we’re racing against really good guys. They’re going to defend in the right spots. We’ll take what we can get and make sure we don’t make any mistakes.”

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand qualified a season-best fourth at 1:02.6085-seconds/94.588 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to complete the second-row starters.

Christian Lundgaard of Denmark rallied from an engine change after a malfunction ended his morning practice early, qualifying fifth at 1:02.7870-seconds/94.319 mph in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Kyle Kirkwood, who led practice Saturday morning, suffered a big tire lockup and two significant slides during his Fast Six run and qualified sixth at 1:03.0303-seconds/93.955 mph in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda of Andretti Global.

Pato O’Ward will start seventh after his best lap of 1:01.5966-seconds/96.142 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“We’re much better than where we were here the last few years,” said O’Ward, a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “I’m a little bummed that we didn’t get ourselves into the Firestone Fast Six. The margins here are so, so tight. The start here is always chaos, so I think tomorrow fifth or sixth or seventh will be very similar.

“So, that’s what we had today. I think we did have a little bit more maybe if I had got it perfect. But, like I said, it’s just so tight. The little bits and details that you can find some lap time make a big difference. We’re starting seventh. It’s the happiest I’ve been here. We just have to make it go fast for the race.”

Rookie Caio Collet of Brazil paced the two-car entries from Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing in 19^th after a best lap of 1:03.3440-seconds/93.490 mph in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet. Foyt teammate and Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci placed 22^nd on the grid after his best lap of 1:02.4114-seconds/94.887 mph.

Ironically, Collet and Ferrucci were both caught-out by red flags during their qualifying sessions. Collet was sitting seventh when the red flag flew for fellow-rookie Mick Schumacher’s contact with a barrier with just over two minutes to go in Group 1. That session was restarted after the track was cleared but Collet could not improve on his time.

Ferrucci _ who is celebrating his 28^th birthday Sunday _ would have benefitted if the red flag for David Malukas’ crash in Turn 7 had not stopped qualifying so late in the session. Ferrucci had been on a lap that would have transferred him into the Fast 12 but didn’t cross the finish line before the red flag came out so it did not count.

“We had a fantastic car,” Ferrucci said of his No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. “I don’t think we could have had any worse luck on the timing of the red (flag); we were in (the Fast 12) on the SMT. All I had to do is get through two corners. I didn’t even have it down in my mind that I couldn’t continue to improve, and yeah, just a shame. Last year we came from 21st to second, so guess we’re gonna have to do it again.”

A week of heartache continued for Malukas in qualifying. As noted, Malukas crashed heavily in Turn 7 at the end of the first qualifying round in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Malukas was uninjured but will start last in the 25-car field.

“It’s just fine margins and honestly, our car wasn’t where we wanted it to be,” said Malukas, a 24-year-old native of Chicago. “In both practice sessions, we’re just missing that little bit. I drove just that little bit harder and it was pushing the limit on all corners of the track. I almost hit the wall many laps earlier _ many corners earlier _ and then on that one, I just had one big wobble on entry.

“I had to keep the foot planted because we needed that extra time to make the transfer and probably should have let go. I probably should have just gave up not making the transfer, and then just kept the car in one piece. That one is all on me.”

That disappointment came on the heels of Felix Rosenqvist passing Malukas with yards to go to the finish of last Sunday’s 110th Indianapolis 500. Rosenqvist, of Sweden, won by 0.0233-seconds _ closest finish in 500 history. Rosenqvist qualified 16th for this event in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Honda after being eliminated in the first round.

Palou leads second-place Malukas by 37 points in the standings but could expand that gap due to the distance between the two drivers on the starting grid.

“I would not change the position that we have right now, but it’s tough, man,” Palou said. “It’s a crazy race. We know the strategies are going to be moving up and down. So, hopefully we can get a clean start, start working from there and choose our strategies.”

A 30-minute warmup session will precede the race at 9:30 a.m. Sunday (FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

Alessandro de Tullio – Detroit Grand Prix – INDY NXT by Firestone – Photo by Paul Hurley

Alessandro de Tullio didn’t think he had extracted enough from his No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing entry during qualifying Saturday for the INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix.

Still, the series rookie secured his fifth pole in seven races this season in INDYCAR’s developmental series via a lap of 1-minute, 5.3664-seconds/90.597 mph. De Tullio turned the pole-winning lap while running in the first group of a two-group session around the 1.645-mile/nine-turn temporary street circuit.

SEE: Qualifying Results

“I think there was more (in the car) than what I did,” said de Tullio, a 19-year-old native of Miami. “I made a few mistakes on my lap. It was just getting better and better each lap. On the last lap, I didn’t really put it together. I’m surprised we’re P1, but still happy to be up there.

“Still pretty good. Just not completely satisfied with my job. I think there was more in it for me, from my side. The team did an amazing job to give me another really fast car.”

The 45-lap/55-minute race is scheduled Sunday for 10:30 a.m. (EDT, FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). De Tullio will aim for his second victory, as he won from pole in late March in the second race of the double-header at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

Max Taylor rebounded from a hard crash in practice Saturday morning to lead the second qualifying group and will start second Sunday after his best lap of 1:05.6050-seconds/90.266 mph in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car of Andretti Global. Taylor led the pre-qualifying practice despite his incident.

Rookie Tymek Kucharczyk of Poland will start third after his hot lap of 1:05.3713-seconds/90.590 mph in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine. Kucharczyk earned his first career victory earlier this month in the series’ most recent event, Race 2 of the double-header on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road- Course.

JM Correa, another Miami resident, joined Kucharczyk in Row 2 after qualifying fourth at 1:05.8840-seconds/89.885 mph in the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports entry.

Australian Lochie Hughes, who paced practice Friday, will start fifth after his qualifying run of 1:05.4102-seconds/90.536 mph in the No. 26 Andretti Global car. Salvador de Alba of Mexico qualified sixth at 1:06.0553-seconds/89.652 mph in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports machine.

Rookie and series point leader Nikita Johnson qualified 10th at 1:06.1661-seconds/89.502 mph in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry. Johnson has two victories this season _ the only driver in the series with multiple wins. But the gap between Johnson and fourth-place Enzo Fittipaldi of HMD Motorsports _ who qualified seventh at 90.437 mph in the No. 67 car _ is just 16 points.

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 273; 2, David Malukas, Team Penske, 236; 3, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 224; 4, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 195; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 188;  6, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 181; 7, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 176; 8, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 167; 9, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 167; 10, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 154;

11, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 151; 12, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 129; 13, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 127; 14, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 125; 15, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 122; 16, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 116; 17, Will Power, Andretti Global, 112; 18, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 111; 19, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 95; 20, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 95;

21, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 92; 22, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 76; 23, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 71; 24, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 66; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 62; 26, Derek Daly, Dryer & Reinbold Racing, 24; 27, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 20; 28, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 8; 29, Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports, 6; 30, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian, 5;

31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 5; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Arrow McLaren, 5; 33, Katherine Legge, HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing, 5.

FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)

Note _ All times Eastern

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, May 24 _ 110^th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, (Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian)

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., 9 p.m.

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon

Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA

Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.

Note _ Dates and times subject to change.

2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE/(RACE-WINNER)

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)

Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)

Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1 (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2 (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill.

Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2

Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2

Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn.

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.

Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2