It was a strong start for Belardi, with Rosenqvist holding the fastest lap after ten minutes. For the first time this weekend, series veteran Zach Veach made his way towards the top of the charts, setting a lap just hundredths of a second slower than his teammate. Andretti Autosport’s Shelby Blackstock also surprisingly appeared in the top three at the halfway point, ahead of Scott Hargrove and RC Enerson. Just after the halfway point in the session, many of the contenders hit the pits to change to fresh Cooper Tires rubber and take one final shot at the pole position.
With new tires on, the action really picked up across the field. Kyle Kaiser was the first driver to dip below the 1:06 barrier, turning a lap of 1:05.873. Kaiser was also the first driver to stop for a second set of new Cooper Tires, demonstrating how critical every point will be in this tightly contested season. Every team and driver up and down the pit lane knew they’d need fresh rubber in the dying seconds of the session to have a chance to pick up the bonus point for pole position.
Blackstock did have a minor calamity exiting the pits on cold tires, making slight contact with the wall and ripping his front wing off. Thankfully for Blackstock, though, the debris from his front wing did not necessitate a red flag, allowing the Nashville-based driver to keep his fastest lap of the session.
With the field on sticker tires and about five minutes remaining, the field sought to find space to set a clean lap. As the drivers spaced themselves out, Rosenqvist found enough space to set a clean lap and jump up to second quick. With about three minutes remaining, Dean Stoneman found the tire barrier, ending the session prematurely. That gave the pole position to Kaiser, with Rosenqvist, Veach, Blackstock, and Hargrove completing the top five.
“I think coming into this year I had a different mindset than I did last year,” Kaiser said following qualifying. “I was a rookie, learning a new car, and a lot of people didn’t think I had the experience to move up because I’m so young. I just turned 20 a week ago. I think going into this year I have more confidence and I know how to go about it, and it showed in that qualifying session that I know how to put it together now versus last year. I feel like I’ve clicked in and the team gave me a perfect car.”
“I think I have to use all of my experience here [in St. Petersburg],” Rosenqvist commented. “Going quick, I think, anyone can do. It’s more the things like—if you go offline here you’ll be understeering into the wall. You make a small mistake and you’ll be gone. That’s what I’ll keep in mind the whole time. Remember this is a street course, try to remember the mistakes I’ve done in the past on street circuits and try to use that to be as quick as possible [in the race].”
Enerson, Carlin Racing’s Felix Serralles, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports drivers Andre Negrao and Santi Urrutia, and Kaiser’s Juncos Racing teammate Zach Claman De Melo completed the top five. Surprisingly down the field given his domination of this event last year and his testing pace, Ed Jones could only muster 12th in the session for Carlin.
The first race of the weekend, the 40-minute sprint race, will roll off at 1:00 p.m. ET.
1. Kyle Kaiser
2. Felix Rosenqvist
3. Zach Veach
4. Shelby Blackstock
5. Scott Hargrove
6. RC Enerson
7. Felix Serralles
8. Andre Negrao
9. Santiago Urrutia
10. Zach Claman De Melo
11. Juan Piedrahita
12. Ed Jones
13. Dean Stoneman
14. Dalton Kellett
15. Scott Anderson
16. Neil Alberico
IMS Photography
