Josef Newgarden beats IndyCar title rival Dixon to Toronto pole
Reigning IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden took his third pole of the season for of this weekend's race in Toronto

Newgarden set his best lap of the session, 59.4956 seconds, as he took the chequered flag, after starting the final qualifying session last in the 'Fast Six' segment.
Having lost out on a win at Iowa last weekend, Newgarden's pursuit of championship leader Scott Dixon continues as his title rival qualified second and prevented yet another Penske 1-2-3, with Simon Pagenaud and Will Power locking out the second row of the grid.
Andretti's Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay completed the top six.
Qualifying started in the wet, with the first qualifying group setting their times on the wet compound Firestone tyres before conditions began to dry.
A dry racing line continued to emerge throughout the session until the rain returned just before the 'Fast Six'.
Takuma Sato was the only man in the top 12 to set his best time on the primary tyres, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver felt more comfortable on the black-banded tyres.
He finished the day seventh quickest, missing out progressing to the final part of qualifying by just 0.1639s.
Jordan King took eighth ahead of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports's James Hinchcliffe, who span over the line just before the end of the round of 12 in his home event.
His team-mate Robert Wickens, who started the round of 12 on the primary tyre before switching to the red-walled tyres, finished 10th.
Conor Daly, who replaced Gabby Chaves at Harding Racing for this weekend, was 11th and Matheus Leist completed the top 12.
Chip Ginassi Racing's Ed Jones brought out the red flags early in the session when he span in wet conditions and stopped on track.
He will start tomorrow's race from the back of the grid.
Qualifying result
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 59.4956s |
2 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.1964s |
3 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.2674s |
4 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.3862s |
5 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1.1317s |
6 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1.1659s |
7 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | -0.4244 |
8 | Jordan King | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | -0.4094 |
9 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | -0.3375 |
10 | Robert Wickens | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | -0.3251 |
11 | Conor Daly | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | -0.1823 |
12 | Matheus Leist | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | -0.0428 |
13 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 15.2813s |
14 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 0.6765s |
15 | Tony Kanaan | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 15.4735s |
16 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.6882s |
17 | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 15.6473s |
18 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.7738s |
19 | Rene Binder | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 16.3972s |
20 | Charlie Kimball | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.9357s |
21 | Ed Jones | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | - |
22 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1.0608s |
23 | Zachary Claman | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1.1460s |

Ganassi's Scott Dixon sweeps IndyCar Friday practice at Toronto
IndyCar leader Scott Dixon wins in Toronto, rivals hit trouble

Latest news
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Why IndyCar title glory is just the start for Ganassi's new star
Newly-crowned IndyCar champion Alex Palou has been lauded as a complete driver and veteran-like in only his second season. The 24-year-old is still in the early days of his career, but the parallels are there for all to see with his six-time champion Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate who has been CGR's team leader since 2014