Team Penske driver sets himself up well for championship race with 68th career pole.
Icon SportswireGetty ImagesWill Power has his sights set on a second NTT IndyCar Series championship this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
On Saturday, he picked up a little bonus on his way to Sunday’s championship race, as he broke Mario Andretti’s all-time record for poles with his 68th career pole during qualifying for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.
Power captured his fifth pole of the season to put himself in prime position to win the championship. A podium finish, regardless of what his competitors for the championship do on Sunday, will be enough to secure his second title.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE QUALIFYING RESULTS
“It’s such a big day tomorrow that I can’t celebrate much because I’ve got to be so focused on tomorrow,” Power said after setting the pole mark. “Tremendous milestone. To be out there with an iconic guy like Mario is amazing. When I think about the era he raced in, how dangerous it was and how much more of a risk it was, it just blows my mind I’m there with Mario.”
Andretti, who captured his 67th and final Indy car pole in 1993 during a Championship Auto Racing Teams weekend at Michigan International Speedway in 1993, was among the first to congratulate the 41-year-old Power.
“Awesome. I know how much I loved qualifying, and I can see he’s the same,” Andretti, said. “Trying to reach and trying to do the lap you know you cannot repeat. That’s what puts you on pole. It (losing the all-time pole record) was coming. It’s beautiful. It’s great for the series and the sport. Records are made to be broken, and it’s with a good man.”
Power’s best lap that was also worth a bonus point in the championship in the Firestone Fast Six was 1 minute, 11.6127 seconds. Rookie Callum Ilott qualified a career-best second.
As for the other four drivers still alive in the championship chase, Scott McLaughlin qualified eighth, Marcus Ericsson 10th, Scott Dixon 13th.
Josef Newgarden fared even worse, spinning off course in qualifying. He’ll start 25th in the 26-car field.
The two drivers still alive in the Rookie of the Year race, David Malukas and Christian Lundgaard, qualified seventh and 16th, respectively. Lundgaard leads Malukas by five points in the standings.
Mario Andretti, right, congratulates Will Power on Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Penske Entertainment
All-Time IndyCar Poles
- Will Power 68
- Mario Andretti 67
- A.J. Foyt 53
- Helio Castroneves 50
- Bobby Unser 49
- Rick Mears 40
- Sebastien Bourdais 34
- Dario Franchitti 33
- Michael Andretti 32
- Scott Dixon 28
IndyCar Points Standings
Heading into the Finale
Contenders
- Will Power 523
- Josef Newgarden 503
- Scott Dixon 503
- Marcus Ericsson 484
- Scott McLaughlin 482
Mike Pryson Mike Pryson covered auto racing for the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot and MLive Media Group from 1991 until joining Autoweek in 2011.
Keyword: IndyCar Finale Qualifying: Will Power Passes Mario Andretti for All-Time Pole Record