Days after losing podium points for breaking IndyCar race rules, Kiwi Scott McLaughlin has bounced back to grab pole position for the Alabama Grand Prix at Birmingham.
The three-time Aussie Supercars champion recorded 1m 05.9490s to edge Australian teammate Will Power by less than one-tenth of a second around the Barber Motorsports Park at Birmingham for his fifth career IndyCar pole.
Fellow Kiwi Marcus Armstrong will take the sixth spot, after filling that poisition the Fast Six shootout, but championship leader Scott Dixon - a winner at Long Beach last week - will sit 13th on the grid, after a season-worst qualifying performance.
Earlier this week, McLaughlin's Team Penske were punished for violating the US motorsport circuit's push-to-pass rules, which allow drivers to temporarily boost their power output at certain parts of a race.
The penalties cost Power victory at St Petersburg in the season-opening event, where McLaughlin finished third. That loss of points saw both plummet down the championship standings, with Dixon promoted to the top.
On social media, McLaughlin insisted his team had made a simple mistake and had not set out to cheat.
"It's been tough," he said after qualifying top. "I just wanted to give these guys and girls on the team an opportunity to be back on front row and back on pole.
"In the last couple of races, we just haven't hit it in qualifying.
"This means a lot. We've just got to keep focusing like this for the rest of the season and keep working hard."
The front row sweep was a perfect answer to the accusations that had stained the team.
"I sent it pretty hard through the last couple of corners," said McLaughlin. "Any time you get a chance to get a Team Penske front row, that’s the main thing.
"I'm very proud of everyone."
McLaughlin scored one of his four IndyCar wins at Alabama last year.
The race is timed for 5am Monday (NZ time).
