David Malukas has excelled in qualifying for the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway, achieving his first pole in IndyCar. The 24-year-old driver, who competes with Team Penske in car #12, delivered an impressive two-lap average of 175.383 mph, placing himself at the top of the grid.
Malukas expressed his happiness after the session: “Finally, I’m very happy. We’ve had so many second places, but now we’ve got the pole! I think the circuit played in our favor, and I’m excited for the race.” His teammate, Josef Newgarden, a two-time champion of the Indianapolis 500, fell short by nearly a mile per hour, finishing second with an average of 174.548 mph.
On the other hand, Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing started well but lost control of his Honda at the end of his run, finishing third at 173.993 mph. In his first oval competition, Mick Schumacher secured fourth place with an average of 173.667 mph.
At the same time, the session had a dramatic moment when Will Power suffered a severe crash during his lap. The #26 driver from Andretti Global hit the wall at turn 3, forcing him to start from 24th position. Power assured he was okay after the impact but expressed concern about the stability of the vehicle during qualifying.
Moreover, six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon faced difficulties, finishing in 15th position, while reigning series champion Alex Palou qualified 10th with 172.980 mph. Dennis Hauger‘s oval debut did not meet expectations, as he ended up in the last position after a lap of 169.818 mph.
Malukas, with his stellar performance, will set the pace for the race both for himself and for Team Penske on a promising day at the Phoenix circuit. The race is shaping up to be exciting with a large number of drivers competing for victory.