Indy Car Series News
Will Power scored the 65th and 66th pole positions of his career when he topped qualifying for both rounds in the HyVee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, with Team Penske-Chevrolet teammate Josef Newgarden joining him on both front row.
Qualifying for the double-header saw each car make a two-lap run with the first flyer determining grid order for today’s first race, and the second lap setting order for tomorrow’s round.
Power was the only driver to break the 178mph barrier and he did it twice, to draw within one pole position of Mario Andretti’s all-time IndyCar pole record.
Although the track temperature was rising, suggesting the lap times might slow toward the end of the one-by-one qualifying session, Newgarden – who has led more than 1100 laps on the 0.894-mile oval – was able to eclipse the benchmark set by Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet’s Conor Daly, despite running four cars from the end.
However, two cars later it was Power’s turn and taking his new wide line to the turns, he was able to produce lap speeds comfortably clear of the opposition.
Colton Herta had the wildest switch in fortunes between runs, claiming only 17th fastest for Race 1, but third for Race 2.
Also impressing were the Dale Coyne Racing-Honda duo of Takuma Sato and David Malukas, while Jack Harvey’s Rahal letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda also found a new turn of speed and his HyVee-backed car will start seventh for both races.
The first of these begins at 3.05pm local (Central) time.
