IndyCar News: Ericsson Claims Pole for Java House GP of Arlington

In a thrilling qualifying session for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR Series, Marcus Ericsson captured his first career pole at the debut Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. The 35-year-old Swedish driver, piloting the No. 28 Andretti Global entry, set a blistering pace in the new Fast Six format, clocking a lap of 1:34.3562 seconds on alternate tires to edge out the competition.

Ericsson was the first driver to hit the track in the decisive round, laying down an unbeatable benchmark that held firm against the field. “It feels incredible to start the weekend like this,” Ericsson said post-session. “The car was hooked up, and we made the most of the alternates. Can’t wait for race day.”

“I  worked really hard this winter to be better. It’s an important year for me. I know that. I felt like St. Pete was already a really good step and my best weekend as an Andretti driver, and we’ve continued that here this weekend. Just building confidence.”

“I’ve got to give a shout-out to the 28 crew with Ron Barhorst and the rest of the engineers and people on my timing stand. There are a lot of new people there and
they’ve been doing a really good job at getting the car in the window.”

Autoracing1 asked the happy pole sitter what one thing he liked about the new track.

” I think INDYCAR has done a tremendous job with just the whole organization of — the build of the track. It looks spectacular. I think it looks really well-made. It looks great on TV. I think it’s a fantastic track to drive because it’s very technical. It’s very tricky. It’s bumpy, but it’s bumpy in that sort of characteristic way, which I think really is INDYCAR racing for me. It’s supposed to be bumpy and different concrete, asphalt, different surfaces through the corner phases. There are bricks in some places where you lose grip. It was very difficult, and that for me is really in INDYCAR’s DNA.”

Reigning champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing will line up alongside Ericsson on the front row, posting a strong 1:34.8180s to secure second place, just 0.4618 seconds adrift.

The 2025 Series Champion was asked how the tires would react in tomorrow’s race.

” They behave very differently to what we’ve seen in St. Pete, and it’s the same exact tire both, the primaries and the alternates. Yeah, for some reason this track and this tarmac seems to like — I mean, the alternates are faster, but it seems to be that they’re having a lot more deg than what we saw in St. Pete. Having said that, there were a lot of cars struggling with tire deg with the alternates in St. Pete, as well.”

“It’ll be interesting because everybody has to run two sets of alternates. Let’s see how many cautions we get. I feel like it’s going to be a ton. Let’s see what the strategy is, how it shakes out.”

Pato O’Ward, driving for Arrow McLaren, rounded out the top three with a lap of 1:34.8453s, expressing optimism for the race: “We’ve got great speed here. Starting third gives us a shot at the win.”

Ericsson’s Andretti Global teammate, Will Power, will start fourth after a solid effort of 1:35.0856s. Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian claimed fifth at 1:35.1607s, while his teammate Marcus Armstrong completed the Fast Six in sixth with 1:35.6012s.

The session showcased intense competition across the grid, with drivers navigating the challenging Arlington street circuit under ideal conditions. Further analysis and driver reactions are expected as preparations ramp up for the main event.

NOTE that, due to the high winds predicted for Sunday, the Series has changed the race start to 11 am CT for the green flag.

2026 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Qualifying Results

Lucille Dust reporting live from Arlington, Texas