MADISON, Ill. – Team Penske made sure there wasn’t a power failure at World Wide Technology Raceway Saturday during qualifying for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
Friday night, there was a nearly hour-long power failure because of a fire in nearby Fairview Heights, Ill., that left the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in the dark.
On Saturday, it was Team Penske’s Will Power that generated the electricity by scoring the 63rd pole of his Indy car career. He is attempting to chase down the all-time pole leader Mario Andretti, who earned 67 poles during his legendary career.
RESULTS: NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Qualifying
“I didn’t see this one coming,” Power said. “I’m stoked man because every one I get gets me a little closer to Mario.”
The 2014 NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner ran a two-lap average of 180.618 mph around the 1.25-mile short oval for his first pole of the season.
Power’s first lap in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet clocked in at 24.9781 seconds and lap two was 24.8508 seconds for a total time of 49.8289.
Power is coming off a victory in the most recent NTT IndyCar Series contest last Saturday during the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
“The second lap was about as good as it gets for me,” Power said. “It feels good to put qualifying sessions together without mistakes. That’s a little bit of a victory for me to get the pole and get me a little closer to Mario Andretti’s career record.
“Anything I get these days, I’m so happy because the field is so stuffed. If I didn’t get a pole this year, it would have been tough to get Mario’s record. There’s a chance I can get it.”
Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian was second fastest with a two-lap average of 180.528 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was third with a two-lap average of 180.509 mph.
Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud was fourth with two laps at 180.368 mph, with Pato O’Ward rounding out the top-five with a two-lap run at 179.894 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.
When Power won last week on the IMS road course, he believed the win could help jump-start his season. The momentum continued into qualifying at the 1.25-mile oval next to the Mississippi River across from the St. Louis Arch.
“You can win from there,” Power said as he prepares for Saturday night’s final oval race of the season that begins at 9:45 p.m. Eastern Time. “Strategically, this is a very track position race. It’s a good starting spot.
“It’s another race weekend we are trying to put together some good runs here. I’m still my normal, competitive self. I’m getting closer to Mario and that will be tough to get because it doesn’t get any easier; the series only gets tougher. If I could get two poles this year, we’ll see what happens with Mario’s record.”
Romain Grosjean is making his first start on an oval and qualified 15th with a two-lap average of 178.220 mph in the No. 51 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR.
“I want to get to the end, get some experience and try to understand this kind of racing,” said the former Formula One driver from France. “It felt good. It’s very, very new for me. There is a lot to play with and a lot to learn. I feel more confident in the car. We should have a good race car. The qually attempt could have been a lot better.
“My second lap in turn two, the front end washed out, but overall, I’m pretty happy with that. This is a big thing for the guys. They have been super, super supportive. We kept it quite simple for the first qually.
“It’s all coming together.”
Saturday’s race is set to begin at approximately 8:30 p.m. EST.