Photo: indy.com
Colton Herta, the youngest driver to ever win an IndyCar Series race, saved his best for last on his final flying lap to out-duel Scott Dixon for pole position for Sunday's Honda Indy Toronto. It is the first time this year the IndyCar Series will have a repeat pole-sitter.
It will be the young driver's ninth pole position start and his first since Long Beach in April. The record of 10 consecutive IndyCar races without a repeat pole-sitter set back in 1952 is safe. Scott Dixon will join Herta on the front row for the 85-lap, 11-turn race set on the bumpy 1.786 temporary street course.
After winning the pole Herta praised his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda and the Andretti Autosport team. He has won four races since joining the series full-time in 2019. All of those victories came on road courses. Herta regained the feeling for an IndyCar after spending two weeks in Portugal testing cars for McClaren's Formula One team.
"I was a little bit worried about maybe taking a session to get back into it,'' he said. "But as soon as I got in the car, the seating position and everything is so different that it was almost kind of like a light switch just flicked in my head that this was the IndyCar. It took maybe one or two laps. The actual driving style isn't incredibly different, so it was pretty seamless to kind of go back and forth.''
Herta will be joined by teammate Alexander Rossi, who qualified near the front in fourth.
Dixon, the New Zealand driver for Chip Ganassi Racing had to settle for second. He has not had a non-Indianapolis pole position start since 2016 and needs just one more victory to tie Mario Andretti (52) and become No.2 on the series career wins list.
After winning the pole Herta praised his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda and the Andretti Autosport team. He has won four races since joining the series full-time in 2019. All of those victories came on road courses. Herta regained the feeling for an IndyCar after spending two weeks in Portugal testing cars for McClaren's Formula One team.
"I was a little bit worried about maybe taking a session to get back into it,'' he said. "But as soon as I got in the car, the seating position and everything is so different that it was almost kind of like a light switch just flicked in my head that this was the IndyCar. It took maybe one or two laps. The actual driving style isn't incredibly different, so it was pretty seamless to kind of go back and forth.''
Herta will be joined by teammate Alexander Rossi, who qualified near the front in fourth.
Dixon, the New Zealand driver for Chip Ganassi Racing had to settle for second. He has not had a non-Indianapolis pole position start since 2016 and needs just one more victory to tie Mario Andretti (52) and become No.2 on the series career wins list.
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