Rosenqvist and Palou Reign Supreme in Thermal Heat Poles

The 2023 IndyCar season is shaping up to be an exhilarating affair, with the sport’s biggest names battling it out on the iconic Thermal Club circuit. This past weekend, the stage was set for a high-octane showdown, as drivers Felix Rosenqvist and reigning champion Alex Palou showcased their mastery of the track by clinching pole positions for the much-anticipated Thermal Heat races.

Despite gusty winds and ever-changing track conditions, Rosenqvist and Palou displayed nerves of steel, navigating the challenging 17-turn, 3.067-mile desert circuit near Palm Springs, California, with surgical precision. Their blistering lap times secured them top spots on the grid for their respective 10-lap heat races, scheduled for Sunday.

Rosenqvist, the Swedish sensation, etched his name into the record books with a scintillating lap of 1 minute, 38.5831 seconds in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. His performance was all the more impressive given the issues he faced with his push-to-pass mechanism during testing earlier that day. Undeterred, the 31-year-old driver from Värnamo put his troubles behind him, channeling his focus and determination to conquer the challenging circuit.

“It’s an angry pack behind in the mirror,” Rosenqvist remarked, acknowledging the fierce competition he’ll face in the heat. “I think it’s about the start and getting away, but, man, everyone’s going to go for it. That’s the beauty and the curse of this format. Everyone is just going to give it all, and that’s what we did now and ended up first.”

Joining Rosenqvist on the front row for the first heat race is Scott McLaughlin, whose best lap of 1:38.6068 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet secured him a coveted starting position. Meanwhile, Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet) and Christian Lundgaard (No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda) will line up behind them on the second row.

In the second qualifying group, reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou etched his name into the annals of Thermal Club history, producing the quickest lap of 1:38.5675 in his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Despite facing a red flag and swirling dust and sand, the Spaniard kept his composure, capitalizing on the brief window of opportunity to lay down a blistering lap time.

“Looking forward to tomorrow,” Palou said, exuding confidence. “After all that confusion with the red flag and everything, we didn’t know if we were going to be able to put a lap together. But happy with that.”

Palou’s teammate, Marcus Armstrong, will join him on the front row for the second heat race, having qualified second with a time of 1:38.7575 in the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Graham Rahal (No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda) and rookie Linus Lundqvist (No. 8 American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) rounded out the top four for the second heat.

With the stage set and the grid positions secured, all eyes now turn to Sunday’s highly anticipated heat races and the non-points Sprint for the Purse. Live coverage of these thrilling events will be broadcasted starting at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Buckle up, race fans, because the battle for supremacy on the desert tarmac is about to reach fever pitch, with Rosenqvist, Palou, and a star-studded lineup of drivers vying for the ultimate prize – the prestigious $500,000 purse and the right to etch their names into the annals of Thermal Club glory.