Pato O'Ward takes pole at Mid-Ohio

Pato O'Ward took the pole position at Mid-Ohio, setting the best time of the weekend. The Mexican driver is the ninth pole in nine races this season, which is the longest streak in IndyCar racing since 1961.

O'Ward completed his lap in 1min06s7054, just one-tenth of a second faster than Scott McLaughlin managed on his final lap. Colton Herta and Felix Rosenqvist set the third and fourth fastest times, respectively, and will complete the second row of the grid for Sunday's race.

Scott Dixon advanced to the Fast 6 race, but was never able to set a fast enough lap to contend for pole. It was the same story with Simon Pagenaud, and both drivers will start on the third row.

Alex Palou eventually lost the lead for Fast 6 and was unable to set a good enough lap, despite completing the previous two sessions in the top five. The current points leader, Marcus Ericsson, narrowly missed the cut in the first round of qualifying and will have to start from the sixth row.

The team that suffered the biggest disappointment on the day was Penske. Josef Newgarden, who was fastest for much of the weekend, was eliminated in the first round and will start 14th.

The two-time champion did not indicate that his car was in trouble, but rather that it was blocked by traffic. When 13 cars are on the short 2.26 mile course, it is difficult to avoid all the other drivers when everyone is accelerating at the same time.

His teammate Will Power was penalized for hindering Helio Castroneves. He lost his fastest time and was eliminated in the first round, which allowed David Malukas to advance.

The race is scheduled to start at 2pm this Sunday (07/03), with broadcast by TV Cultura and ESPN 4.

Check out the grid: