ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — It's been nearly fourteen years since a woman last started an Indy NXT race from the pole position. That changed Saturday at Road America.
Andretti Global's Jamie Chadwick was the fastest driver during qualifying for Sunday's Indy NXT race at the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
The last woman to score a pole in IndyCar's feeder series was seven-time Indianapolis 500 starter Pippa Mann when she started first for a race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in October 2010.
In fact, no woman had ever won a pole for an Indy NXT race on a road or street course prior to Chadwick doing so on Saturday.
“I’m so happy,” Chadwick said. “We struggled a little bit this weekend chasing balance. When Louis (Foster) did the lap he did, I knew we would have a good car. Track conditions improving, this is our shot in our group, as well. I really thought we could make the most of this opportunity."
The pole follows successful outings in the previous two race weekends. Despite a twelfth place finish last week on the streets of Detroit, Chadwick started the race from the fourth position, her best race start prior to Saturday.
Additionally, Chadwick is still riding the high of being the first woman to score a podium in Indy NXT since Pippa Mann won at Kentucky in 2010 when she did so last month on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The three-time W Series champion will line up alongside her Andretti Global teammate Louis Foster for Sunday's race. Points leader Jacob Abel starts from the fourth position.
Nolan Siegel, who was third in points prior to this weekend, was replaced by Kiko Porto as the 19-year-old received a call-up to the IndyCar Series to replace Agustin Canapino in the Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 78. Canapino withdrew from the IndyCar race at Road America following a controversy regarding online threats by his fans toward Arrow McLaren driver Theo Pourchaire.
