Will Power tops qualifying for IndyCar race at Sonoma

SONOMA – Track position at Sonoma Raceway is paramount, so much so that 10 of the past 11 winners in IndyCar races run at the Sonoma County road course have started in the top three.

And the man who has conquered Sonoma time after time is in the best spot to possibly steal the IndyCar championship.

Will Power won pole position for Sunday’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, shattering the track record he set last year and earning his sixth pole of the season. It’s also the fourth track record the Australian has broken this year.

It’s his fifth pole award at Sonoma, a track where he has won three times in the past six years.

“My favorite session of the whole weekend is qualifying, where you get to get the absolute maximum out of the car and ring its neck,” Power said.

And Power did exactly that in almost every session he ran. He was the fastest driver through all his qualifying rounds, and took the pole position on his final run of the final round. In addition, the track record – which was set and reset numerous times on Saturday – was no match for Power’s faster circuits. He didn’t even know that his track record was falling - he just knew he had a time to beat.

The mark he had to beat in the final round was Josef Newgarden’s lap at 1:16.3964. Power charged past that to the top spot at 1:16.2597.

“I know Josef had set his time, and I had to beat that,” Power said.

Power earns one championship point for winning the pole. He currently sits fourth in the standings, 61 points behind leader Juan Pablo Montoya, who will start fifth.

Graham Rahal, currently second in points and 37 points behind Montoya, will start sixth. He thinks this weekend’s double-points race is a double-edged sword.

“I’m excited because now I have a chance to win the thing, but I’m not so excited because if we have a bad day, we will go back pretty far,” Rahal said. “You have to be on your game.”

Juan Pablo Montoya won the other race that had double points - the Indianapolis 500.

And as trivial as Power’s single-point bonus may appear, it could make a difference in the tight championship race. Five drivers are within 100 points of Montoya. Drivers can earn 1 point for a lap led and 2 points for leading the most laps. Bonus points won’t be doubled this weekend.

Several cars broke the track record during the first round of qualifying. Rahal, Tony Kanaan, and Simon Pagenaud broke the mark in the first group. In the second group, Newgarden took the record before Power reclaimed it.

Power led the second round of qualifying, and re-broke the track record in the process. Scott Dixon, third in points and 47 points behind Montoya, didn’t advance to the final round. He’ll start ninth.

Helio Castroneves, fifth in points, was the only championship contender not to make it past the first round of qualifying in either group. Currently fifth in the standings, 77 points behind his teammate Montoya, he’ll start 15th Sunday.

Penske IS ON THE WALL

Sonoma Raceway honored auto racing team owner and racing legend Roger Penske by presenting him with a plaque for making the track’s Wall of Fame on Saturday.

During the presentation in the winner’s circle, Penske asked Sonoma Raceway president and general manager Steve Page to inscribe Justin Wilson’s name on Penske’s just-presented plaque. Wilson died after suffering a head injury during last Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway when a piece of flying debris from another vehicle struck his helmet.

Penske said Wilson built strong bonds in the paddock.

“I wouldn’t let this day go by without having his name on that plaque with me because he’s one of the great guys,” Penske said. “When we lose a great friend and a competitor, we need to honor him also.”