Josef Newgarden will start fifth in the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 Sunday after turning a two-lap average speed of 168.233 mph in single-car qualifications Saturday afternoon at the Milwaukee Mile.

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) driver Newgarden posted the top Honda-powered speed during qualifying for the 250-mile race and secured his fifth top-five starting spot of the 2014 season.

Newgarden was fourth- and fifth-fastest, respectively, in Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions Saturday before qualifications.

“We had a pretty productive day,” Newgarden said. “We lingered right in the top five; we never fell out of that, which is positive. I think we learned a lot about what we need for tomorrow’s race.

“Tomorrow is really going to be a day of attrition. It looks like tire degradation is going to be a big deal this year. Tires really fall off on a stint, so as long as we look after that, we should be strong. We seem to have good race pace.”

SFHR tested the No. 67 Direct Supply Honda on Milwaukee’s historic 1-mile oval earlier this summer.

“I’m happy we did our homework on the race because I feel like we have what we need to do a good job tomorrow,” Newgarden said. “We focused more on race setup in practice today. I think we did a good job in qualifying. We were pretty close, but it’s always hit or miss here with the mix of cloud cover and sun.”

To watch SFHR fight for its first win with Newgarden in the driver’s seat, tune into NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET), Sunday, Aug. 17. IMS Radio Network will broadcast the 250-lap race on channels XM 209 and Sirius 213.

To stay up to date on the latest team news and photos, like Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing on Facebook and follow @SFHRindy on Twitter and Instagram.