Colton Herta earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES oval-track pole Saturday at Iowa Speedway, but it was Scott McLaughlin who exited the qualifying session with the track record.

McLaughlin’s lap of 188.248 mph broke Helio Castroneves’ 10-year-old mark of 186.809 mph. That second-lap effort earned McLaughlin the No. 1 starting position for the second race of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade.

But first things first: Herta will lead the 27-car field to green tonight in the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart after a first lap of 187.655 mph. The 250-lap race is set for 8 p.m. ET, with live coverage on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

QUALIFYING RESULTS: Race 1 | Race 2

It took longer than normal for Herta to celebrate this significant personal accomplishment.

INDYCAR’s new hybrid technology is being used for the first time on an oval track this weekend, and there were a couple of hiccups in the two-lap qualifying session. Herta had one of them on his run, and his Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian brain trust were given the opportunity by INDYCAR to withdraw Herta’s time and qualify again. The team rolled the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda to the front of the qualifying line only to decide against risking the provisional pole.

If Herta had re-qualified, he also would have deleted his impressive second qualifying lap, which ranked fourth for Sunday’s race (Noon ET, NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network). He and the team decided against it.

“That’s the most bizarre pole I think INDYCAR has seen for a while,” Herta said. “I’m happy we ended up holding on. It’s tough. It’s my first oval pole, and it means a lot to finally get that monkey off my back.”

The pole was the 13th series pole of Herta’s career.

McLaughlin won his second pole on an oval, the first coming in May for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. He has seven series poles for his career.

McLaughlin will start in the second position for tonight’s race.

“Absolutely you want to be up the front as far as you can,” the driver of the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet said. “Ultimately, a lot of things are going to dictate this race (outcome) with the pit stops and whatnot.”

McLaughlin’s teammates did not fare nearly as well despite their rich history of success at this .894-mile oval track. Josef Newgarden, who has won four of the past five races and six overall, posted the 22nd and 14th fastest laps in the two-lap runs. Will Power, a winner of a series-leading seven poles here, was fourth and 23rd after grazing his car off the Turn 2 wall on the second lap.