(This story will be updated with driver reaction.)
ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin – Colton Herta became the youngest pole winner in Indy car history when he captured the NTT P1 Award in qualifying Saturday for the REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR.
In the Firestone Fast Six, the last of three knockout qualifying rounds, Herta turned a lap on Road America’s 4.014-mile permanent circuit at 1 minute, 42.9920 seconds (140.306 mph) in the No. 88 GESS Capstone Honda.
REV GROUP GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY AMR: Unofficial qualifying results
At 19 years, 83 days old, Herta is more than a year younger than the previous youngest pole winner in Indy car racing. Graham Rahal was 20 years, 90 days old when he won the pole for the St. Petersburg race in 2008. Herta became the youngest race winner in Indy car history in March, when he drove to victory at the INDYCAR Classic at Circuit of The Americas at the age of 18 years, 259 days.
Alexander Rossi will start alongside Herta in the front row for Sunday’s race after qualifying second. Rossi’s best lap in the Firestone Fast Six was 1:43.1693 (140.065 mph) in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda.
Team Penske teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden will share the second row for Sunday’s race. Power qualified third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (1:43.3749, 139.786 mph) with Newgarden fourth in the No 2 REV Group Team Penske Chevrolet (1:43.6036, 139.478 mph). Newgarden leads Rossi by 25 points entering the race.
It will be an all-Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing third row on Sunday. Graham Rahal qualified fifth in the No. 15 Gehl/Manitou Honda (1:43.8076, 139.204 mph), with Takuma Sato sixth in the No. 30 Mi-Jack/Panasonic Honda (1:43.8790, 139.108 mph).
The three rounds of qualifying ran incident-free, though reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon suffered a mechanical issue on his final lap in the first round. The No, 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda advanced to the second round but didn’t turn a lap and will start 12th on Sunday.
Indy cars have raced on Road America’s beloved and challenging circuit since 1982. Sunday’s race will be the 29th for Indy cars at the track. Live coverage begins at noon ET on NBC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.