By: Spencer Neff
March 1, 2025
Scott McLaughlin earned the first NTT P1 Award of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. McLaughlin will start tomorrow’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at the front of the 27-car field.
The Team Penske driver earned his 11th career pole after notching a best lap of 59.4624 seconds (108.976 mph) on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn Florida street course.
It is his second career pole at St. Petersburg. He also won his first INDYCAR pole at the track in 2022. The next day, he won his first INDYCAR race.
Team Penske now has 306 INDYCAR poles as an organization and 13 in 21 St. Petersburg races, both add to their series records.
Round 3-Fast 6
McLaughlin saved the best lap of the session for when it was most needed and rebounded from a practice crash yesterday.
Lining up on the front row beside him will be 2021 race winner Colton Herta of Andretti Global. Meyer Shank Racing was the only team with all of their cars in the Fast Six. Felix Rosenqvist and new teammate Marcus Armstrong occupy the second row in third and fourth.
Christian Lundgaard starts his first race with Arrow McLaren in fifth next to Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon.
McLaughlin and Lundgaard were the only Chevrolet-powered cars to make the Fast 6 among the four Honda entries.
Round 2-Fast 12
Herta (59.5449-108.825 mph) was quickest in the second round of qualifying. Joining him in the run for the pole were Lundgaard, Armstrong, Rosenqvist, Dixon and McLaughlin.
Marcus Ericsson, Alex Palou, Kyle Kirkwood, Josef Newgarden, Nolan Siegel and Rinus VeeKay did not advance. They will start seven through 12th in tomorrow’s race.
Round 1-Group 1
McLaughlin(59.4678-108.967 mph) was fastest in the opening 10-minute group session. Advancing to the Fast 12 with him would be Herta, Siegel, Newgarden, Lundgaard and VeeKay.
Missing the cut were Will Power, Kyffin Simpson, David Malukas, Santino Ferrucci, Graham Rahal, Pato O’Ward and Jacob Abel. They will start tomorrow’s race on the inside of rows 7-13.
Round 1-Group 2
Palou (59.6003-108.967 mph) would be P1 during the second grouping of qualifying’s first round. Joining him the Fast 12 would be Dixon, Rosenqvist, Ericsson, Armstrong and Kirkwood.
Unable to advance would be Devlin DeFrancesco, Louis Foster (best among the rookies), Robert Shwartzman, Alexander Rossi, Conor Daly, Christian Rasmussen, Sting Ray Robb and Callum Ilott. Ilott will start 27th, while the other seven drivers will line up on the outside of rows 7-13.
Up Next
Here is the on-track schedule for tomorrow in St. Petersburg. Stay with IndyCar1909.com and our social media platforms for the latest on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Sunday, March 2
9:02-9:27 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, FS2
10:10 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (45 laps/81 miles/55 minutes),FS1 (Live)
Noon – FOX Sports on air
12:22 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
12:29 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (100 laps/181miles), FOX, FOX Sports Deportes, FOX Sports App (Live)
Header Image By Travis Hinkle/INDYCAR
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