Will Power scored his 67th career NTT IndyCar Series pole in qualifying for Saturday night’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Photo: Penske Entertainment/Sean Birkle
Will Power earned the 67th pole position of his storied IndyCar Series career – tying the legendary Mario Andretti for the all-time series record – and captured the NTT P1 Award on Friday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Power turned a two-lap average speed of 182.727 mph in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet to earn his fourth pole of the season. Power will earn an extra point for the NTT P1 Award, which could come in handy since he leads Scott Dixon by just six points with three races remaining.
“It’s just amazing,” Power said. “Amazing year so far. This is a big victory for me, to reach the 67 number and equal such a legend of the sport in Mario Andretti. I just can’t believe that I’m right there with Mario because there’s been no one like him.”
Fellow championship contender Marcus Ericsson will join Power on the front row after his qualifying run of 182.070. Ericsson is third in points, 12 behind Power.
Josef Newgarden will start third after his run of 181.629. Newgarden, who has won the last two INDYCAR SERIES races at World Wide Technology Raceway, is fourth in points, 22 behind Power.
Scott McLaughlin ensured the asymmetrical, 1.25-mile oval was a Penske playground with all three cars in the first two rows of the starting grid, as he qualified fourth at 181.406.
Chip Ganassi Racing also had a strong day, putting three cars in the top six. Reigning series champion Alex Palou qualified fifth at 181.289, while Dixon will start sixth after a qualifying run of 180.954.
Power’s pole wasn’t a surprise, given he already led the series with three poles entering this event and paced practice earlier today at 180.539. Power also won the pole for this race last year at 180.618.
Still, there was nothing routine about his qualifying run in the shadow of the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
Power tried to keep the throttle pedal to the floor in turns 3 and 4 during his last lap on the tricky oval, and he realized midway through that he needed to downshift to complete the corner without contact. Still, Power deftly kept the car off the SAFER Barrier and delivered the coveted 67th pole.
“I’m still shaking,” Power said. “There was nothing left on the table – let’s put it that way. The second lap, I was loose in (turns) 1-2 and then tried to go again as much as I could in (turns) 3-4.”
There was one incident during qualifying. Felix Rosenqvist spun exiting turn 2, avoiding the SAFER Barrier and spinning slowly into the tire barrier on the inside of the track, with very light contact to the rear of his Chevrolet. Rosenqvist, who will start last in the 26-car field, was unhurt.
NTT IndyCar Series
World Wide Technology Raceway – Madison, IL
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – August 19, 2022
Friday’s Qualifying Results
1. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Chevrolet, 182.727 mph
2. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Dallara-Honda, 182.070
3. (2) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Chevrolet, 181.629
4. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Dallara-Chevrolet, 181.406
5. (10) Alex Palou, Dallara-Honda, 181.289
6. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 180.954
7. (5) Pato O’Ward, Dallara-Chevrolet, 180.303
8. (51) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 180.048
9. (28) Romain Grosjean, Dallara-Honda, 179.925
10. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Dallara-Honda, 179.531
11. (27) Alexander Rossi, Dallara-Honda, 179.420
12. (26) Colton Herta, Dallara-Honda, 179.347
13. (18) David Malukas, Dallara-Honda, 179.159
14. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 178.778
15. (45) Jack Harvey, Dallara-Honda, 178.775
16. (20) Conor Daly, Dallara-Chevrolet, 178.674
17. (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 178.657
18. (06) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 178.356
19. (30) Christian Lundgaard, Dallara-Honda, 178.165
20. (14) Kyle Kirkwood, Dallara-Chevrolet, 178.079
21. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Dallara-Honda, 176.368
22. (77) Callum Ilott, Dallara-Chevrolet, 176.184
23. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Dallara-Chevrolet, 176.005
24. (4) Dalton Kellett, Dallara-Chevrolet, 173.902
25. (33) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Chevrolet, 173.667
26. (7) Felix Rosenqvist, Dallara-Chevrolet, no speed
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