sports

McLaughlin Claims Pole at St. Petersburg IndyCar Opener

Scott McLaughlin secured the pole position for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, delivering a 'bloody good' performance to kick off the NTT IndyCar Series season.

McLaughlin clocked a best lap of 1:00.5426 at 107.032 mph in his No. 3 DEX Chevrolet, topping the 14-turn course. He expressed excitement over the result and a strong car from his new engineer, Raul Prados.

Starting on the front row, McLaughlin will be joined by Marcus Ericsson. Rookie Dennis Hauger qualified third, while defending champion Alex Palou sits fourth. The race begins Sunday at 12:29 ET on FOX.