Louis Foster delivered a major surprise by claiming his first-ever IndyCar pole position during qualifying at Road America. In the Firestone Fast 6, the rookie stunned the field by clocking a faster lap on used tires than Alex Palou managed on a fresh set. Kyle Kirkwood qualified third, followed by Scott McLaughlin in fourth.

After relatively cool conditions on Friday, the temperature had risen to 91°F (33°C) just before qualifying began, with track temperatures hitting a scorching 120°F (49°C). The big question was whether the soft compound tires would suffer from increased degradation in the heat.

In the first group of the opening round, Alex Palou posted the fastest time—over three-tenths clear of a surprising second-place Graham Rahal. Scott Dixon set the third-fastest time, but his quickest lap was deleted after he impeded Devlin DeFrancesco during a warm-up lap.

Callum Ilott brought smiles to the Prema team as he helped them make history by advancing to the Fast 12 on a road course for the first time in the team’s IndyCar tenure. Pato O’Ward and Kyle Kirkwood went fourth and fifth, respectively, while Josef Newgarden narrowly made it through thanks to Dixon’s penalty.

The second group was topped by Christian Lundgaard, who had also led the morning practice session. However, the Dane’s best time was four-tenths of a second slower than Palou’s benchmark from Group 1. Behind Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, David Malukas, Will Power, Felix Rosenqvist, and Louis Foster also advanced to the Fast 12. The biggest surprise was that Andretti Global drivers Marcus Ericsson and Colton Herta finished seventh and eighth, failing to advance and left to change out of their race suits early.

Palou was fastest again in the second round, though he was 0.15 seconds slower than his earlier time, likely due to slightly reduced grip as track conditions slowed. The air and track temperatures had risen only marginally. Lundgaard was second quickest, followed by an impressive run from rookie Foster. Scott McLaughlin was the only Penske driver to make the Fast 6, with Kyle Kirkwood and Graham Rahal rounding out the top six.

Heading into the Firestone Fast 6, the battle looked set to be between Palou and Kirkwood, the only two with a fresh set of soft tires remaining. However, Kirkwood encountered issues with his hybrid system and was only able to complete one flying lap.

That left Palou as the heavy favorite for pole, and he laid down a lap nearly identical to his best from Round 2. But out of nowhere came Foster—on used tires—who went a full tenth of a second quicker! Palou was still on a hot lap and looked poised to beat it until he lost crucial time in the final corner at Canada Corner.

Kirkwood couldn't challenge in his sole timed effort, finishing third, while the remaining drivers—either on used softs or, in Rahal’s case, the harder primary compound—were no match for the leaders. And so, Louis Foster captured a stunning and unexpected first pole position of his young IndyCar career.

Full results of the qualifying session at Road America