Perfect Palou Wins Milwaukee Pole

Alex Palou prepares to qualify for the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 (Photo: Mike Moore | The Podium Finish).

WEST ALLIS, Wis. — It wasn’t until Alex Palou’s sixth season in the NTT INDYCAR Series when he found his stride on an oval when he won the 109^th Indianapolis 500, then backed that up a short two months later with a victory in the Farm to Finish 275 at Iowa Speedway.

Now he adds his second oval pole of the season for Sunday’s Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 with a two-lap average speed of 162.971 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou clinched his fourth NTT INDYCAR Series championship on Aug. 10 at the Portland International Raceway after finishing the race in third place.

“I knew I had a good car,” Palou said. “I just wanted to get everything out of it, so I just fired as much speed as I think it could handle and a little bit more, and it sticks. It feels amazing to get a pole here.”

Palou’s 12^th career pole and his third on an oval came in dramatic fashion when he grabbed the top spot on the final attempt of the session from David Malukas, who was two miles away from his first career NTT P1 Award after laying down a quick two-lap average of 162.256 in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises.

“Before he went out, I told the guys, ‘He looked fast in practice one; he’s going to be the one to beat,’” Malukas said. “As soon as I saw that first lap, saw him come out of (Turn) 4, I was like, ‘All right, that one looked pretty good.’

“We’re going to be starting on that front row here in Milwaukee. We can still do a lot from up there.”

Pato O’ Ward qualified third at 162.078 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. On the outside on Row 2 next to O’ Ward will be the 2024 Milwaukee race winner Scott McLaughlin who lines up fourth with a speed of 161.758 mph in the No. 3 Sonsio Vehicle Protection Chevrolet of Team Penske.

Pato O’ Ward navigates the Milwaukee Mile during practice to prepare for the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 (Photo: Mike Moore | The Podium Finish).

By virtue of a nine-spot engine change penalty, six-time series champion Scott Dixon will relinquish his fifth-place starting position and roll of the grid in 14^th place with a speed of 160.951 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Portland winner Will Power rolls off sixth at 160.819 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. His Team Penske teammate, Josef Newgarden, capped off a strong qualifying effort for the legendary team with an eighth-place qualifying effort in the No. 2 Snap-on Chevrolet.

Sunday’s 250-lap race at the legendary Milwaukee Mile will air at 2:00 p.m. ET on FOX, INDYCAR Radio Network and INDYCAR Nation SiriusXM channel 218.

Snap-on 250 Qualifying Results: