McLaughlin set an early benchmark within the Quick Six pole shootout on alternates at 1m06.329s and ran a second lap on this set – however made a tiny error at Flip 5 – earlier than switching to his second set.
Energy went earlier to his second set of alternates and lowered the bar to 1m06.046s with a minute to go, however then it was his flip to run extensive at Flip 5.
Nonetheless McLaughlin wasn’t to be denied with 1m05.949s on his remaining effort to grab pole, the 300th for his workforce proprietor Roger Penske.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Lundgaard jumped as much as third on 1m06.081s, forward of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) and Felix Rosenqvist (Meyer Shank Racing).
Marcus Armstrong, in his first-ever Quick Six look for Chip Ganassi Racing, accomplished the highest six.
Lundgaard had earlier set the benchmark within the Prime 12 qualifying session that set the Quick Six contenders, logging a 1m05.813s on alternates earlier than aborting a good faster lap to avoid wasting his rubber.
Energy was simply 0.063s slower in second, forward of McLaughlin, Armstrong, O’Ward and Rosenqvist.
Graham Rahal (RLL) narrowly missed out on becoming a member of Lundgaard within the battle for pole and can line up seventh, alongside Josef Newgarden (Penske).
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Photograph by: Josh Tons / Motorsport Images
Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti International), a mystified Alex Palou, Romain Grosjean (Juncos Hollinger Racing) and Tom Blomqvist (MSR) additionally fell at this stage.
Palou had topped his first qualifying group earlier than dropping tempo within the Prime 12 session, having posted a greatest lap of 1m05.5862s to greatest O’Ward, Armstrong, Rahal, Grosjean and Kirkwood.
Lengthy Seaside GP winner Scott Dixon (CGR) was solely seventh in his group and missed out, together with Colton Herta (Andretti), Santino Ferrucci (AJ Foyt Racing), Linus Lundqvist (CGR), debutant Luca Ghiotto (Dale Coyne Racing), Kyffin Simpson (CGR) and Sting Ray Robb (Foyt).
After setting the tempo in second observe, qualifying was a disappointment for Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing). He reported “no energy” over the radio on his opening run and the Dutchman’s electrical difficulty couldn’t be mounted in time to run once more.
McLaughlin set the tempo with a lap of 1m05.814s, a few tenths forward of team-mates Energy and Newgarden, who saved an enormous second on the exit of the ultimate activate his penultimate lap. Lundgaard was fourth, forward of Rosenqvist and Blomqvist.
Becoming a member of VeeKay in lacking out had been Christian Rasmussen (ECR), Alexander Rossi (McLaren), Marcus Ericsson (Andretti), Agustin Canapino (JHR), Jack Harvey (Coyne), Theo Pourchaire (McLaren) and Pietro Fittipaldi (RLL).