5 July 2026 03:00 (UTC)
"We've got to finish the job tomorrow"
Saturday's on-track action featured Practice 2 and Qualifying under warm - and at times stormy - Fourth of July conditions as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the rolling hills of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Arrow McLaren locked out the front row with Christian claiming pole position and Pato qualifying second. It marks the third time Pato and Christian have qualified 1-2, previously achieving the feat twice in 2025 at The Thermal Club and Portland International Raceway. The No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren crew earned the 29th INDYCAR SERIES pole position in McLaren Racing history and the 13th since returning to full-time competition in 2020. For Christian, it was his fourth career pole position in the series, and his second with Arrow McLaren. The three Arrow McLaren Chevrolets have been among the fastest cars all weekend and will look to carry that momentum into Sunday's 90-lap race, with coverage on FOX beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Location | Lexington, Ohio |
Race Date | July 5 |
Round | 11 out of 18 |
Total Laps | 90 |
Total Race Distance | 203.22 miles / 327.05 km |
Track Length | 2.258 miles / 3.63 km |
Number of Turns | 13 |
Practice 2 | P1 | 1:05.2158 |
Total Laps | 32 | |
Qualifying - Round 1, Group 2 | P2 | 1:04.9152 |
Qualifying - Round 2 | P3 | 1:04.9811 |
Qualifying - Firestone Fast 6 | P1 | 1:04.8396 |
Starting Position | P1 |
"Pole position here in Mid-Ohio. Awesome for the team to go 1-2 with Pato. It's been a strong weekend, and we just kept it going. We've got to finish the job tomorrow, but we're leading the field off in the front row, and we've done this a couple of times now with Pato and myself. I'm happy. I've been saying we need to qualify better to make the race day a bit easier on ourselves, so lots to prove tomorrow."
Practice 2 | P7 | 1:05.4393 |
Total Laps | 39 | |
Qualifying - Round 1, Group 1 | P3 | 1:05.1804 |
Qualifying - Round 2 | P5 | 1:05.0203 |
Qualifying - Firestone Fast 6 | P2 | 1:04.8649 |
Starting Position | P2 |
"It was a great Qualifying here today in Mid-Ohio for Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy with the front row lockout. It's been a great weekend so far, and tomorrow we've got a pretty big one in Turn 1. We're determined to make it a good Sunday. I've been in this position before very recently, and it turned into being a pretty good day; that's what I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Practice 2 | P14 | 1:05.8545 |
Total Laps | 39 | |
Qualifying - Round 1, Group 1 | P8 | 1:05.3344 |
Starting Position | P14 |
“Disappointing day. I was focused on translating our potential into a deeper run into Qualifying, but it wasn’t in the cards. We’ll be ready to move forward tomorrow. Of course, congrats to the team, Team Chevy, Christian and Pato for going 1-2.”
Warmup | Sunday, 9:00 a.m. ET | FS1 |
Race Tune In | Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET | FOX |
Green Flag | Sunday, 12:52 p.m. ET | FOX |
