Source: Series PR

Starting Grid Set for Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Armstrong P10, Dixon P11, Palou P13, Lundqvist P19 and Simpson P23

Marcus Armstrong continued to exhibit strong pace on the Streets of St. Petersburg today, claiming a starting position on the outside of the fifth row for the 100-lap race.

Armstrong and the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda team advanced to the second round of the qualifying session alongside Scott Dixon and the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda team, who ultimately settled into P11 position themselves.

Alex Palou fell just short of advancing past the opening qualifying round and settled into a P13 starting position, followed by teammates Linus Lundqvist in P19 and Kyffin Simpson in P23.

Chip Ganassi Racing will be seeking a third race win (2023, 2011) on the St. Petersburg street circuit and their fourth race victory in the past five season openers (2023: St. Pete, 2021: Barber, 2020: Texas) on Sunday.

Up Next: NBC and Peacock will air the 100-lap Grand Prix of St. Petersburg tomorrow with coverage beginning at Noon ET ahead of the green flag at 12:30 p.m. ET. The INDYCAR field will participate in a final 30-minute warm-up session from 9:10 to 9:40 a.m. ET.

Marcus Armstrong
No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda
“The car was driving well, and I thought we were taking the appropriate amount of risk. However, I am pretty disappointed with myself in that second round. It’s a shame because I felt quite confident out there. I touched the wall a few times, but this Ridgeline Lubricants Honda is pretty rock solid. We were faster last year here in the race, so I have all the faith in the world that we are going to go forward.”

Alex Palou
No. 10 DHL Honda
“It was not the qualifying session that we wanted. We just needed a little bit more and had a bit of a messy session. But, we feel good about the way the car is responding. It’ll be tough starting from P13, but it’s a long race with 100 laps so we can make it.”

Scott Dixon
No. 9 PNC Bank Honda
“I think for us, it’s really hard to find the capability of the car. You push hard, you push a little bit harder and then you lose the front. When you’re in the sweet spot, everything’s just easier. Kudos to [Marcus] Armstrong there; that there was the best of our cars at the moment. We will continue to work hard tonight and prepare for tomorrow.”

Linus Lundqvist
No. 8 American Legion Honda
“Obviously a little bit disappointed in how qualifying went, as we thought we would be a bit further up than P19. But it is a long race and we’re going to try to play it smart and make up some spots on Sunday. We’re all here to fight for race wins and pole positions so we’re hopeful for a better one tomorrow.”

Kyffin Simpson
No. 4 Journie Rewards Honda
“Our first qualifying was just okay. We didn’t finish all that well, but I felt a lot more comfortable in the car and that is important for tomorrow. We’ll look through potential strategy options as we will be looking to make our way forward in the race.”