Ericsson Captures First Ever Pole at Arlington

Marcus Ericsson celebrates his first-career NTT P1 Award of his career for the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington in Arlington, Texas. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)

ARLINGTON, Texas – Marcus Ericsson danced the Texas two-step all the way to his first NTT P1 Award of his impressive NTT IndyCar Series career, and the first for the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on the streets of Arlington, TX, with a top time of 1:34.3562 in the No. 28 InPwr Andretti Global Honda.

“I waited long enough, I can tell you that,” said Ericsson. ” I think I’ve been second four or five times in qualifying in IndyCar and been in Fast 6 a lot of times. But yeah, it’s just been not my time, I guess. Worked really hard this winter to be better. It’s an important year for me.”

Ericsson outlasted a slew of pole threats on the highly technical 2.73-mile, 14-turn street course, including holding off the final threat in Alex Palou, who ended up alongside his former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate in second place with a lap of 1:34.818 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

“Yeah, I have a great friendship with him. I think he deserves it. He’s a really good driver. Happy to see him there,” said Palou. “Yeah, very happy. It was a lot of work. It was exciting to see what we could do in this Fast Six. It’s been very close throughout the field, and you had to nail all the laps.”

For the first time on street courses, the NTT IndyCar Series moved to a one-lap, single-car shootout during the Firestone Fast 6 to introduce a greater spotlight for the teams and drivers and showcase the talent and expertise it takes to pull off an NTT P1 Award in the series.

“Yeah, it’s a lot of pressure in this format, but I love it,” said Ericsson. “I love the pressure — that’s when I thrive, and I think I showed that today.”

Will Power navigates the streets of Arlington in practice, in preparation for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. (Photo: Hannah Pattillo | The Podium Finish)

Fan favorite Pato O’Ward will roll off from the third position on Sunday with a lap of 1:34.8453 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Ericsson’s new teammate at Andretti Global, Will Power, will start a season-best fourth place in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda with a lap of 1:35.0856.

Row 3 for Sunday’s race will feature a pair of Meyer Shank Racing teammates, with Felix Rosenqvist rolling off fifth with a lap of 1:35.1607 in the No. 60 Texas A&M Honda, and Marcus Armstrong rounding out the Firestone Fast 6 with a lap of 1:35.6012 in the No. 66 ROOT Insurance Honda.

Saturday’s qualifying session did not go without its fair share of drama. After a strong start to the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season, Scott McLaughlin was pushing on his flyer lap when he clipped the sharp right-handed Turn 8 concrete barrier, which sent him sailing straight into the barrier on corner exit, severely damaging the left-front suspension of his No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet. Since McLaughlin was the cause of the red flag, his best time was disallowed, and he will start the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington from the last position.

“Just turned a little bit early into Turn 8 and clipped the inside wall,” said McLaughlin. “We have a fast car. We’ll be able to charge from the back and have some fun.”

Due to a severe wind advisory with expected gusts up to 60 mph in the Dallas area on Sunday afternoon, changes to the race day scheduled start times were made by the series to limit the amount of time the race will be run during the gusty forecast. The Java House Grand Prix of Arlington broadcast on FOX and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation Radio Ch. 218 will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the green flag set for noon ET.

Qualifying Results: