Alex Palou takes first pole of 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season at Barber

• All five Honda-powered IndyCar teams make Firestone Fast Six round of qualifying
• Reigning and four-time champion Alex Palou scores first pole position of the year
• Honda powers five of the Fast Six for the second-consecutive race

Alex Palou drove his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to pole position for the first time in 2026—going P1 in qualifying for the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.

Palou will be looking to replicate his 2025 result at Barber Motorsports Park—where the Spaniard led 81 of 90 laps from pole in a Honda Racing Corporation USA-liveried vehicle to score his third of eight victories of the year en route to winning his fourth IndyCar championship.

Chip Ganassi Racing was one of the Honda-powered teams represented in the Firestone Fast Six, with all five Honda teams sending at least one car through to the final round of NTT INDYCAR SERIES elimination qualifying.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Graham Rahal will line up third; Meyer Shank Racing's Marcus Armstrong, fourth; Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood, fifth; and Dale Coyne Racing's Romain Grosjean, sixth. This is the second race in a row that Honda has powered five of six cars in the Firestone Fast Six and the first time since the return of multi-manufacturer competition in 2012 that every Honda-powered team has made the final round of qualifying.

Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Qualifying Results

R – Rookie

Quotes

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified first: "We just got my first pole position of 2026. I'm super happy, my #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was insanely quick today with amazing balance. One of the best feelings I've ever had in the car. I'm also thrilled to have five Hondas in the Fast Six with five different teams, which is pretty impressive for Honda. The big day is tomorrow, so cheer for us and cheer for the #10 car."

Graham Rahal (#15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) qualified third: "Right away this morning I felt like I was in the hunt. It was a great day for us and for Honda with all of the work that everybody has put in—if I say Honda a bunch more times, I may get another box of cookies [from the Honda PR team]! The performance has been strong and it's been a good week, good day, good performance overall. I was a little surprised that a lot of the other guys ran another set of alternate tires. This is a race where tires are really, really important and we'll see what happens tomorrow. We didn't have the intentions to run them, and so we're pleased with where we're at heading into the race."

Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) qualified fifth: "Good day for us in the #27 JM Bullion Honda. There were a lot of Hondas in the Fast Six, as well as a Honda on pole, which is so good to see. We were one of the only ones to run used tires, so it was not completely unexpected that we were a little further back in the Fast Six, but we were glad that we just solidified ourselves a spot in there. Very happy with today's performance."

David Salters (President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): "To secure pole position and five Hondas in the Fast Six represented by five different teams—that is an outcome that we can all be very proud of. Hats off and thank you to all the men and women at Honda Racing Corporation USA who continue to put in exemplary work, and of course, a big congratulations to the legendary Mr. Alex Palou and everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing for their performance today."

Where to Watch

• Television coverage of Sunday's Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix starts at 1:00 PM ET on Fox. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).

HRC US social media content and video links can be found on:

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