Scott Dixon will start third for the Grand Prix of Portland, while Scott McLaughlin will start 15th after a tough qualifying.
After struggling with a difficult car in the first practice session Dixon was able to find pace in his Chip Ganassi car to put it on the second row of the grid.
Fellow Championship contender Alex Palou will start from pole position for the first time in his IndyCar career.
“I’m super happy. My first pole in IndyCar. It’s the best start of the weekend we could have,” Palou said.
“I’m really happy about that. We’re starting in the best position tomorrow and we know we have a pretty fast car.”
“I cannot wait for tomorrow’s race.”
With three races left in the season, the other championship contenders will start further back on the grid.
Josef Newgarden is set to start from 19th, while current championship leader Pato O’Ward will start from seventh.
With track position likely to be key in the race it put Dixon in a good position come race day.
McLaughlin however, had a tough qualifying being impeded late in the session by Romain Grosjean.
After an investigation into the incident, Grosjean was dropped to 11th in the session leaving him to start 21st in tomorrow’s race.
Despite the penalty for Grosjean, McLaughlin wasn’t able to advance to the fast 12, leaving him to start 15th for the race just behind fellow Penske driver Will Power, the pair finishing the session as the top two drivers for the team.
The 110 lap race starts tomorrow morning at 7.30 am NZT.
Main image: Joe Skibinski
