What time is IndyCar qualifying today at Road America? Start time, qualifying groups, and practice results

IndyCar has wrapped up its two practice sessions for Road America, and it is time for the big qualifying session on Saturday (June 21). The last two races have seen drivers from two different teams take pole position - Andretti Global's Colton Herta at the Detroit GP and Team Penske's Will Power at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

However, both races have been won by the same driver - Herta's teammate, Kyle Kirkwood. The 26-year-old headlined day one at Road America by going quickest in practice one on Friday (June 20). He was the only driver to go in the 1:44s with a lap time of 1:44.9881.

In practice 2, Christian Lundgaard set the pace with a lap time of 1:45.341, with Alex Palou and 2024 winner at the track, Will Power, rounding up the Top 3. Kirkwood was nearly a second off his practice 1 pace, with a best time of 1:45.712.

For qualifying, the drivers have an added challenge - the scorching heat at Elkhart Lake. Most drivers wore cool suits to ease their runs in practice 2. However, if we were to keep the weather aside, a lot of drivers found two pain points at the 4.048-mile Road America circuit across the two practice sessions.

On the left-hander Turn 5, many drivers found themselves locking up their front left tires and going onto the sandy runoff area. The second challenging part of the track was Turn 14, the right-hander requiring downhill braking. Several drivers, including Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood, and Santino Ferrucci, went off track and onto the sand.

Kirkwood's incident was the most severe. He went directly onto the grass, unlike the other two, who brushed the sand just outside the curb.

With this background being set, here's what lies ahead for qualifying.

Practice 2 decides two groups for IndyCar qualifying at Road America

The qualifying groups for each IndyCar race weekend on the road/street circuits are determined by the results of practice 2. Drivers who finish the session in odd positions, i.e., P1, P3, P5, and so on, are classified into Group 2. The drivers who finish the session in even positions, i.e., P2, P4, P6, and so on, will be part of Group 1.

Here are the two groups for qualifying:

Group 1

1. Alex Palou
2. Kyle Kirkwood
3. Scott Dixon
4. Josef Newgarden
5. Devlin DeFrancesco
6. Pato O'Ward
7. Graham Rahal
8. Nolan Siegel
9. Marcus Armstrong
10. Kyffin Simpson
11. Callum Ilott
12. Robert Shwartzman
13. Conor Daly

Group 2

1. Christian Lundgaard
2. Will Power
3. Colton Herta
4. Felix Rosenqvist
5. Santino Ferrucci
6. Scott McLaughlin
7. Rinus Veekay
8. David Malukas
9. Louis Foster
10. Christian Rasmussen
11. Marcus Ericsson
12. Jacob Abel
13. Alexander Rossi
14. Sting Ray Robb

IndyCar qualifying at Road America: Start time and TV channel

The qualifying session at Road America is scheduled for 2:30 pm ET (1:30 pm local time). FOX will broadcast the session on FS1 in the US. For non-US viewers, here's a country-wise list of where you can watch the qualifying:

• Canada: TSN, TSN+
• Australia: Stan Sport
• United Kingdom: Sky Sports F1
• Spain: Movistar+
• France: Canal+
• Germany: Sky Sport
• Belgium: VOO Sport World
• Brazil: ESPN, TV Cultura
• Middle East: IndyCar LIVE
• Netherlands: Ziggo Sport
• Italy: Sky Sport
• Portugal: Sport TV
• Singapore: IndyCar LIVE
• Japan: Gaora Sports
• Hong Kong: IndyCar LIVE
• Hungary: Arena 4
• Turkey: S Sport

If you don't see your country mentioned here, check this IndyCar.com page for the full list of international broadcasters.