Marcus Ericsson finally kicked the “near-miss” habit on Saturday, dominanting the field to secure his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position for the first-ever Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.
After 117 starts and three frustrating second-place qualifying efforts—including a heartbreaker by just $0.02$ seconds at the season opener in St. Petersburg—the Swede left no room for debate in North Texas.
The Fast Six: A New Format
The final round debuted a high-stakes one-lap, single-car shootout. The top six drivers from Round 2 were inverted, meaning Ericsson—the slowest of the transfer spots—hit the track first.
His blistering lap of 1:34.3562 in the No. 28 Andretti Global Honda proved untouchable. Even reigning champion Alex Palou, running last as the fastest man from the previous round, couldn’t close the gap.
“I’ve waited long enough,” said a jubilant Ericsson. “I think 2013 was the last pole I had [in GP2]. To be nearly half a second clear… it’s a giant weight off my shoulders.”
The Starting Grid: Top 6
Honda dominated the tricky 2.73-mile street circuit, sweeping five of the top six spots.
Championship Leaders Stumble
While Ericsson celebrated, the top three in the points standings endured a nightmare Saturday around AT&T Stadium:
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Josef Newgarden (1st in points): Crashed in morning practice. Forced into a backup car, he could only manage 11th.
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Kyle Kirkwood (2nd in points): Quickest in practice but bumped by teammate Ericsson in the closing moments of Round 2. He starts 7th.
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Scott McLaughlin (3rd in points): Heavy contact with the Turn 8 wall during the first round ended his day early. He will start dead last (25th).
Race Day Weather Alert
Due to forecasted high winds in the Arlington area, INDYCAR has moved the start time forward.
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Warmup: 9:50 a.m. ET (FS1)
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Live Coverage: 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX and FOX Deportes.
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Green Flag: 12:00 p.m. ET.
The 70-lap race will navigate the spectacular temporary circuit winding between the homes of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
Grand Prix of Arlington Starting Grid
Qualifying: March 14, 2026; Race: March 15, 2026
|
POSITION
|
BEST SPEED
|
BEST TIME
|
BEHIND
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
M. Ericsson #28
|
104.158
|
1:34.356
|
Winner
|
|
|
2 |
A. Palou #10
|
103.651
|
1:34.818
|
0.462
|
|
|
3 |
P. O’Ward #5
|
103.621
|
1:34.845
|
0.489
|
|
|
4 |
W. Power #26
|
103.359
|
1:35.086
|
0.729
|
|
|
5 |
F. Rosenqvist #60
|
103.278
|
1:35.161
|
0.805
|
|
|
6 |
M. Armstrong #66
|
102.802
|
1:35.601
|
1.245
|
|
|
7 |
K. Kirkwood #27
|
104.679
|
1:33.887
|
-0.469
|
|
|
8 |
C. Rasmussen #21
|
104.393
|
1:34.144
|
-0.212
|
|
|
9 |
D. Malukas #12
|
104.281
|
1:34.246
|
-0.111
|
|
|
10 |
A. Rossi #20
|
104.216
|
1:34.304
|
-0.052
|
|
|
11 |
J. Newgarden #2
|
104.115
|
1:34.396
|
0.040
|
|
|
12 |
S. Ferrucci #14
|
104.011
|
1:34.490
|
0.134
|
|
|
13 |
L. Foster #45
|
103.820
|
1:34.664
|
0.308
|
|
|
14 |
K. Simpson #8
|
103.678
|
1:34.793
|
0.437
|
|
|
15 |
R. Grosjean #18
|
103.759
|
1:34.720
|
0.364
|
|
|
16 |
C. Collet #4
|
103.420
|
1:35.030
|
0.674
|
|
|
17 |
M. Schumacher #47
|
103.628
|
1:34.839
|
0.483
|
|
|
18 |
C. Lundgaard #7
|
103.370
|
1:35.076
|
0.720
|
|
|
19 |
D. Hauger #19
|
103.591
|
1:34.873
|
0.517
|
|
|
20 |
S. Dixon #9
|
103.311
|
1:35.131
|
0.774
|
|
|
21 |
R. Veekay #76
|
103.540
|
1:34.920
|
0.563
|
|
|
22 |
N. Siegel #6
|
103.204
|
1:35.229
|
0.873
|
|
|
23 |
S. Robb #77
|
102.185
|
1:36.179
|
1.822
|
|
|
24 |
G. Rahal #15
|
103.110
|
1:35.316
|
0.960
|
|
|
25 |
S. McLaughlin #3
|
99.617
|
1:38.658
|
4.302
|
|
