Colton Herta secured the pole position in Saturday’s IndyCar race on the Exhibition Place street circuit, clocking a lap at 59.5431 seconds.
Seeking his first win of the season, the Andretti Global driver will start next to teammate Kyle Kirkwood on Sunday, who posted a lap at 59.6375. Felix Rosenqvist from Meyer Shank Racing placed third with a lap time of 59.8252.
Points leader Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing received an 18th place starting position after a penalty for interference during the initial qualifying segment.
“I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is,” Palou remarked. “It’s frustrating, but we’ll focus on having a fast car tomorrow.”
Defending champion Christian Lundgaard and four-time champion Scott Dixon failed to advance from the first round of qualifying.
Alexander Rossi of Arrow McLaren was sidelined due to a broken right thumb, paving the way for French driver Theo Pourchaire to make his sixth start of the season.
Rossi sustained the injury during Friday’s practice session when his car hit a tire barrier and slid into a concrete wall. Pourchaire arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport shortly before qualifying, setting a lap time of 1:01.6071 in the No. 7 Chevrolet. He will begin the race from the 26th position.
This race marks the first street event since the introduction of hybrid powertrains two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio.
