Chevrolet are still perfect when it comes to out-right speed. Team Penske’s Will Power broke his own IndyCar Series’ IMS road course record to claim pole on Friday. The pole position also gave Team Penske its 250th pole, the most by a team in IndyCar Series history.
Power’s pole lap of 01m07.7044s with a top speed of 129.687 mph broke the Australian’s own lap record on IMS’s road course, set last year. The feat was Power’s 47th career pole and his third this year.
“The car was great on used tires. In the Fast Six, the car had a fantastic balance and did a really neat lap,” said Power.
A promising sign that Power’s car can perform on scuffed (used) tyres.
The reigning road course discipline champion will attempt to claim his first win of the season on Saturday, so far Power is 0-2 starting from pole and had potential victories snatched away due to various incidents.
It was also a good day for other the Penske Chevrolets. Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden will start P2 and P3 respectively, while Juan Pablo Montoya returning for select rounds of the IndyCar Series calendar will start P5. Reigning champion Simon Pagenaud missed the Fast Six shootout and will start P7.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon (P4) and Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastian Bourdais (P6) were the only Hondas in the Fast Six, and the only Hondas to show any significant pace to the Chevys in practice.
IndyCar Grand Prix Qualifying Notes:
– Andretti Autosport qualifying was mixed. With starters in P8, P9, P11, and last for Sunday’s 82-lap IndyCar Grand Prix.
– A.J. Foyt Enterprises Conor Daly out-qualified his team-mate Carlos Munoz, P15 to Munoz’s P18.
– The 2.439-mile road course Indycars use is shorter than the road course Formula 1 used. F1’s was a 2.606-mile configuration.
