By Steve Wittich

Veteran Jacob Abel took only three laps to get his Firestone tires up to optimal operating temperature. He set the fastest lap of INDY NXT by Firestone, qualifying on only his third lap of his group. 

Abel, currently tied with Nolan Siegel for the series points lead, will start from the pole for his second and third straight races, while his closest competition in the championship will start both races from the inside of the third row. 

With 14 of 21 pole-sitters going on to win the INDY NXT by Firestone race, they started inside the front row, winning the pole for the pair of races on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course is essential. 

When the first group of ten INDY NXT by Firestone drivers saw the green flag for their 12-minute qualifying session, the ambient temperature was 66F, and the track temperature was 104.7F. 

After all ten drivers had completed three laps, Callum Hedge held the quickest time at 75.4173 seconds. That held for the driver’s fourth lap. 

Hedge went quicker on his fifth lap, but Jamie Chadwick went quicker, grabbing the top spot for the first race. After six laps, with three laps remaining, Chadwick was still quickest, with the top five with two-tenths of a second of the driver of the No. 28. 

Collet was the next driver to go quicker, besting Foster, who also went quicker on his seventh lap. 

Foster and Chadwick went quicker on their eighth laps. Still, they remained behind the HMD Motorsports No. 18. On her tenth lap, Chadwick set her quickest lap, only four hundreths of a second behind Collett and one hundreth behind her Andretti Global teammate Foster. 

On his final lap, Foster ran across Jack William Miller’s No. 40. The second-generation driver was judged to have interfered with Foster and lost his two fastest laps. 

Collet ended the first group with the best and second-best lap times. 

When the 11-car second group got the green flag, the ambient temperature was 67F, and the track temperature was 105F. 

Niels Koolen, in the No. 33 HMD Motorsports machine, went through the grass on his out-lap but could continue. 

It only took three laps for Barber Motorsports Park winner Jacob Abel to grab the provisional pole as the first driver to go under 75 seconds. 

Abel remained on top with his third lap, with Roe, Siegel, Brown, d’Orlando and de Alba, Jr. going quicker on their fifth lap. 

Somewhat surprisingly, lap times stagnated, and Abel will start from the pole for his second and third straight races. 

Unofficial Race #1 Starting Line-Up

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM
1	51	Jacob Abel	Abel Motorsports
2	18	Caio Collet	HMD Motorsports
3	29	James Roe	Andretti Global
4	26	Louis Foster	Andretti Global
5	39	Nolan Siegel	HMD Motorsports
6	28	Jamie Chadwick	Andretti Global
7	23	Jonathan Browne	HMD Motorsports
8	17	Callum Hedge	HMD Motorsports
9	3	Michael d’Orlando	Andretti Cape
10	10	Reece Gold	HMD Motorsports
11	27	Bryce Aron	Andretti Global
12	99	Myles Rowe	HMD Motorsports w/Force Indy
13	2	Salvador de Alba	Andretti Cape
14	14	Josh Pierson	HMD Motorsports
15	22	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	Abel Motorsports
16	21	Jordan Missig	Abel Motorsports
17	7	Christian Bogle	HMD Motorsports
18	11	Nolan Allaer	HMD Motorsports
19	33	Niels Koolen	HMD Motorsports
20	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
21	76	Lindsay Brewer	Juncos Hollinger Racing

Unofficial Race #2 Starting Line-Up

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM
1	51	Jacob Abel	Abel Motorsports
2	18	Caio Collet	HMD Motorsports
3	29	James Roe	Andretti Global
4	26	Louis Foster	Andretti Global
5	39	Nolan Siegel	HMD Motorsports
6	28	Jamie Chadwick	Andretti Global
7	23	Jonathan Browne	HMD Motorsports
8	17	Callum Hedge	HMD Motorsports
9	3	Michael d’Orlando	Andretti Cape
10	10	Myles Rowe	HMD Motorsports w/Force Indy
11	27	Bryce Aron	Andretti Global
12	99	Reece Gold	HMD Motorsports
13	2	Salvador de Alba	Andretti Cape
14	14	Josh Pierson	HMD Motorsports
15	22	Christian Bogle	HMD Motorsports
16	21	Jordan Missig	Abel Motorsports
17	7	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	Abel Motorsports
18	11	Nolan Allaer	HMD Motorsports
19	33	Niels Koolen	HMD Motorsports
20	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
21	76	Lindsay Brewer	Juncos Hollinger Racing