Pole For Power At Barber Motorsports Park
Column By: JOHN DOUGLAS / RPW – BIRMINGHAM, AL – Will Powrer blistered the competition to take pole position for the Indy Car G.P. of Alabama on Saturday. His Penske team mates Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud filled out the qualifying podium, with Josef Newgarden in the fourth Team Penske entry settling for seventh.
Power’s choice to run used red Firestone option tires in the final round of qualifying paid dividends, as his was the only time below one minute and seven seconds.
Team mate Castroneves held the pole speed until Power’s final lap on track in the “Fast 6” session. “Last week at Long Beach was all about precision.” Castroneves said comparing his qualifying runs, “This week was (crazy) ahhhh!”
Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the top five in qualifying, with James Hinchcliffe finishing in the sixth and final spot of last round qualifying. The single Ganassi and two Andretti Auto Sport machines showed strong pace in the latter stages of qualifying, as rumors in the paddock spread of Honda cutting back on power for reliability.
The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama airs on NBC Sports Network Sunday, April 23rd at 3 P.M. EST.
