The 23-year-old Californian’s lap of 58.4576s around the 1.964-mile, 12-turn natural terrain road course was enough to claim third in the Fast Six shootout, which was 0.1381s off the pole-winning mark set by Graham Rahal.
Herta was among five drivers to opt for the alternate, red sidewall tyres in the fight for pole, with Rahal the only driver that elected to go with the harder primary, black sidewall compound.
“It's a cat and mouse game and you have to be willing to give up a little bit, strategy-wise, to gain that pole,” Herta said. “We thought the reds were going to be better, I think for us they are the best. Our Gainbridge car has come a long way this weekend… so I'm happy with that.
“Happy with how everyone is working, the team is great, and happy to get two Hondas in the top three also.”
It was a dramatic turnaround for Herta, who was 20th and 14th in each of the two practices ahead of qualifying.
“The slightest mistake can knock you out of qualifying or be the difference in five or six spots in the race,” Herta said. “We put everything together and I'm happy with how the car felt. Hopefully we can go from here and keep making it better.”
Source: Autosport