IndyCar Detroit: Newgarden on pole for final Belle Isle race

Team Penske's Newgarden delivered a 1m15.215s lap, an average of 112.477s, to go fastest by 0.133s and claim his 16th pole.

Heading into the Firestone Fast Six on used reds, Helio Castroneves was the first driver to throw down a fast lap in Q3, a 1m15.453s tour of the bumpy 2.35-mile, 14-turn course.

That survived the first assaults from Newgarden and rookie David Malukas in the Dale Coyne Racing with HMD-Honda, before Takuma Sato in the second Dale Coyne Racing with RWR car moved to the top with a 1m15.349s.

Soon after, Newgarden delivered his pole-stealing lap to top the timesheet, with Sato lining up second and Simon Pagenaud of Meyer Shank Racing in third.

Castroneves settled for fourth, with Arrow McLaren SP's Pato O'Ward in fifth and rookie David Malukas in sixth.

The fastest time in Q1's Group 1 was set by Castroneves, with a a 1m15.737s, ahead of Ericsson, O’Ward and Pagenaud. 

Devlin DeFrancesco went straight out on alternate tyres, and on his second lap he produced a 1m17.019s, but the best of the drivers on primary tyres were able to able to eclipse him.

Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda

Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images

Another driver on alternates, Christian Lundgaard then went to the top of the times for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda and delivered a 1m16.306s, but Scott McLaughlin was only two-tenths away in his Team Penske-Chevrolet.

Castroneves and O’Ward then improved on their second flying laps and Helio got down to 1m15.436s.

Conor Daly just missed out by 0.0087s, as did Friday pacesetter Kyle Kirkwood who had to serve a drive-through for a pit speed violation.

Malukas topped the Group 2 times on primaries, 1m16.3251s, ahead of the Andretti Autosport pair of Alexander