Louis Foster earned the best spot – the pole – for his continued march toward the INDY NXT by Firestone championship Saturday afternoon at the Milwaukee Mile.
Championship leader Foster earned his sixth pole of the season and his 10th career INDY NXT by Firestone pole with a track-record two-lap average of 151.180 mph in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Global. Foster, who leads second place Jacob Abel by 79 points in the standings, only needs to finish sixth or better in the race today to clinch the season title in the INDYCAR development series.
SEE: Qualifying Results
Live coverage of the 90-lap race starts at 3:50 p.m. ET today on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
“I think at this stage of the season we’ve done enough work, we’ve got enough wins, I think we’ve proved ourselves,” Foster said. “So, I think if we have to give up the win or second or whatever to get a championship, that’s what I want to do.
“Obviously, if we’ve got the car today to pull away, we will. We’ll see what happens.”
Qualifying consisted of the average speed of two laps around the historic, 1.015-mile oval, and Foster was one of only six drivers to be faster on their second lap. He opened with a lap of 150.996 and followed with a speed of 151.365.
Foster’s two-lap average broke the previous two-lap average record of 150.868 set in 2015 – the last time the series raced here – by Spencer Pigot.
Abel will share the front row with Foster after qualifying second at 150.824 in the No. 51 Abel Construction car of Abel Motorsports. This is the seventh front-row start in 13 races this season for Abel, who has won three poles this year.
Jamie Chadwick will start third at 150.745 in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global to continue her strong recent form in qualifying on ovals. Chadwick qualified third in July at Iowa and second earlier this month at World Wide Technology Raceway as she seeks her first oval win.
Christian Brooks qualified fourth at 150.403 in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports car.
Top rookie Caio Collet qualified fifth at 150.328 in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports machine, and Salvador de Alba Jr. was the final driver faster than 150 mph with his run of 150.079 in the No. 2 Grupo Indi car that qualified sixth for Andretti Cape INDY NXT.
Reece Gold and Taylor Ferns, both involved in separate crashes during practice Friday, did not attempt to qualify and will not compete in today’s race.
Veteran driver Gold was not cleared to drive by the INDYCAR medical team in a re-evaluation this morning after his crash in Turn 2 in the No. 10 HMD Motorsports entry. Rookie Ferns also hit the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in a separate incident in the No. 55 Bradford Allen/Abel Motorsports car, and Abel Motorsports and Ferns jointly decided for her not to compete today.
Both Gold and Ferns intend to compete in the season-ending Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Rookie Ricardo Escotto, who qualified 13th, will start from the back of the grid in the 16-car field after he was penalized for avoidable contact and pit lane speed limit violations in the race last weekend at Portland International Raceway.