Dale Coyne Racing put both cars in the top six as Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin takes pole at St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — Scott McLaughlin will be on pole but rookie Dennis Hauger and Dale Coyne Racing steal the headlines at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

This is McLaughlin’s 12th career NTT Indycar pole and his third pole on these streets. His flying lap time of a 1:00.54 only bested second and third by less than a quarter of a tenth.

Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson starts alongside him on the front row after narrowly missing pole. He will have to wait another day for his maiden pole in Indycar.

Both Dayle Coyne Racing cars made it through to the Firestone Fast Six. Their rookie Dennis Hauger showcased his current skill and potential around the streets of St. Pete to qualify third.

Meanwhile his teammate Romain Grosjean starts sixth after his sabbatical.

Alex Palou starts his title defense fourth. He might have been outshined by the rookie Hauger, but his staring spot becomes his best start at the street circuit.

David Malukas starts his Team Penske tenure with a solid fifth starting spot which only solidifies the team’s silly season move to the young driver over the veteran Will Power.

Qualifying Round 2

No McLarens made it out of the round as Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard both lacked the speed necessary to lock into the fast six.

While both Meyer Shank Racing drivers put great effort into advancing to the second round of qualifying, their running ended there.

Marcus Armstrong put forth a mega lap but wound up one position shy from advancing. He starts seventh while teammate Felix Rosenqvist starts just outside the top ten in 11th.

Louis Foster and Kyffin Simpson start their 2026 campaigns on the right foot with their advancement into the second session. They both earn top tens and will make up row five.

Qualifying Round 1

A 23rd-placed grid spot is not the start Josef Newgarden wanted for 2026.

Newgarden suffered a fault in the final corner of his hot lap. Though he saved the car he did not save the lap and ran out of time to set another flyer.

Andretti Global teammates Kyle Kirkwood and Will Power had surprisingly early exits from the session while their teammate Marcus Ericsson topped the charts in the first group.

Kirkwood starts 15th while new teammate Power slides in a row ahead in 13th.

Scott Dixon suffered a similar slide in the final corner as Newgarden did. He failed to advance to the second round of qualifying for the first time since 2013 at St. Pete. He starts 16th.

Dale Coyne Racing confirmed their driver lineup the latest of all and get into the fast twelve with a rookie and a driver who had a year off from Indycar racing.

Both Meyer Shank Racing cars made the fast twelve which mirrored their collective investment into 2026.

Below is the starting lineup for the opening round of the NTT Indycar Series on the streets of St. Petersburg.

Starting Lineup