Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar-Korrespondent
At the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland, Felix Rosenqvist topped the Fast Six shootout, while two penalties shuffled the starting grid significantly.
Portland International Raceway, Saturday afternoon. Three rounds of knockout qualifying, six drivers battling to tenths of a second in the Fast Six. Felix Rosenqvist posted the day's quickest time in the Meyer Shank Racing entry and claimed his second pole of the 2026 season. But the real story of this qualifying session writes itself on the final starting grid, where two names drop six positions.
Rosenqvist Dominates the Fast Six Shootout
The first round split into two groups. Will Power set the pace in Group One with a 58.3603, ahead of Álex Palou and David Malukas, while Rosenqvist led Group Two at 58.4245, followed by Scott Dixon and Kyle Kirkwood. Twelve drivers from both groups advanced to Round Two, leaving positions 13 through 25 for the rest of the field.
Round Two saw a complete reshuffling. Rosenqvist stayed out front at 58.6449, with VeeKay and Kyffin Simpson moving into second and third, while Ericsson and Palou sat just behind. Power, who had topped Round One, slipped to sixth, but that was enough to secure a spot in the Fast Six.
The final push determined everything. Rosenqvist fired off a 58.4828, edging out Palou at 58.5012 and Power at 58.5130. Marcus Ericsson locked in fourth, Rinus VeeKay fifth, and Kyffin Simpson completed the top six. For Rosenqvist, it's his second pole of the season, a strong signal that Meyer Shank belongs in the discussion at Portland's technical road course.
Six-Position Penalties for Malukas and Collet
David Malukas' qualifying run looked solid on paper. Ninth in the combined time sheets at 58.8690, a respectable starting spot for Team Penske. But Sunday's grid tells a different story. Malukas receives a six-position penalty for an unapproved engine change following his heavy shunt in Nashville.
Caio Collet faces a similar fate. The A.J. Foyt driver qualified 18th but must also serve a six-position penalty for exceeding his engine allocation. Both penalties were confirmed before the race, pushing the entire midfield forward, a detail that could shape early restarts and strategic positioning throughout Sunday's race.
Adding to Penske's complications, Josef Newgarden took a drive-through penalty for speeding in pit lane during qualifying. It's a mixed Saturday for the blue oval team despite Will Power's strong third-place showing in the Fast Six.
What This Means for Palou's Championship Fight
Álex Palou arrives at this weekend with an 83-point lead over closest competitor David Malukas. With Palou qualifying second and Malukas dropping further thanks to his penalty, the championship leader couldn't ask for better circumstances. Malukas now starts not from ninth, but effectively from the midfield, while Palou lines up in the second row for a clean launch.
Portland is a technical road course with twelve turns across just over three kilometers, no place for pack racing like the ovals but demanding consistent lap times and smart overtaking in the right spots. Rosenqvist grabbed the prime starting position, but with Palou, Power, and Ericsson right behind him, Sunday's race remains wide open over 110 laps. How the field handles early cautions and how quickly Malukas claws his way forward through the pack will tell the real story of the Grand Prix of Portland.
