Robert Maleczka Earns Pole Award at PRI Hoosier 500

Swift Penguin Creations Pole Day delivered a dramatic opening to qualifications weekend at the 2025 PRI Hoosier 500 — a day defined by risk, reward, and a commanding display from Powerslide Motorsports.

When the dust settled after more than 13 hours of on-track action and 101 qualifying attempts, it was Robert Maleczka III who stood atop the pylon as the winner of the 4D Racewear Pole Award. Maleczka already held provisional pole when he made the boldest call of the day: with roughly two hours remaining — and only three attempts available all weekend — he withdrew his earlier time and headed back onto the track.

A mistake in the four-lap run could have dropped him deep into the qualifying order, or even toward the bubble, but the 2024 runner-up delivered one of the clutch performances of his career. His second attempt was cleaner, quicker, and decisive: an average of 228.513 mph that secured the pole position and set the tone for a dominant day by the Powerslide stable.

RESULTS: Provisional Standings After Pole Day Qualifications

His teammate, Alexander Russell, followed a similar script. Within the first few rows late in the session, Russell chose to withdraw his original time and requalify inside the final hour. Like Maleczka, he improved — slotting into P2 at 228.490 mph as part of a Powerslide front row lockout.

The strong showing didn’t stop there, though. Powerslide-affiliated entries swept the first six spots on the grid with Maleczka, Russell, Philip Kraus, Jason Brophy, Alex van de Sandt, and Hugo Olsson consecutively at the top of the Saturday standings.

But the drama wasn’t exclusive to the sharp end.

For veteran Marco Brasil, a three-time Hoosier 500 starter, the day became a story of frustration and misfortune. Brasil used all three of his available attempts on Saturday but failed to qualify for the race. His lone full run was wiped away when the speedy Brazilian re-qualifed towards the end of the day. His other two attempts were waved off by race control due to procedural violations – both times logging illegal warm-up laps under the 200 mph minimum.

Behind the Powerslide armada, Team I5G emerged as the only other team to place drivers in the top 10. Jacob Oster placed seventh with a 228.362 mph average, and Alexis Newsome slotted into ninth at 228.322 mph, giving I5G two cars solidly inside the top 10. Powerslide-affiliated Jeff Drake (P8) and Joshua Chin (P10) rounded out the fastest ten.

Elsewhere, Noah Carmichael — one of the busiest drivers of practice week — delivered one of the more inspiring late stories of Pole Day. With the sun setting and the broadcast shifting into primetime on PRI’s Facebook and YouTube channels, Carmichael made a late, composed run that pushed him into the provisional field at 31st, buying himself a small bit of breathing room ahead of Bump Day.

Pole Day itself was a marathon. The first attempt rolled at 6:10 AM Eastern, and the final run came at 7:50 PM — 13 hours and 40 minutes of nearly nonstop qualifying action featuring 101 total attempts.

LOOK: All Qualifications Runs from Saturday

Sunday now becomes a full-day, stress-filled exhibition for many drivers either on the bubble or the outside looking in. Open qualifying resumes at 8:00 AM Eastern and continues until 7:50 PM. The Hoosier 500 YouTube channel will carry coverage from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, after which the cameras move to PRI’s Facebook and YouTube for the final-hour Bump Day Primetime broadcast.

The pressure will escalate, the speeds will rise, and the final 33-driver grid for the 2025 PRI Hoosier 500 will be set. If Pole Day is any indication, nothing will come easily, and few are safe.

Cover photo by Gavin Hibbs.