Will Power on his way to his 68th pole. (Al Steinberg photo)
MONTEREY, Calif. – With 14 seconds remaining, Will Power was able to leapfrog past rookie driver Callum Ilott to win a record 68th NTT IndyCar Series career pole for the Monterey Sunday Grand Prix at Firestone on Saturday.
Saturday’s pole at WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca not only broke the tie with Mario Andretti for the most poles in IndyCar history, but also gave the Team Penske driver another point for the series championship.
He extended his lead to 21 points over Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden and six-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon.
Mario Andretti congratulates Power on pole position. (Al Steinberg photo)
“I didn’t even notice the record because I was so focused on the point for the championship,” said Power. “It blows my mind that I have one more pole than Mario Andretti.
“I was really focused. It’s hard work, the whole team.”
Andretti congratulated Power on the pole celebration.
“You know how much I loved qualifying and you can see he’s the same,” Andretti said. “It came and that’s beautiful and great for the series, great for the sport, records are made to be broken.
“Lead the first lap and then most laps to earn more points than finishing ahead of your two closest competitors.”
Power was quickly greeted by two Mount Rushmore of Motorsports figures.
“Seeing Mario there before I got out of the car was really surreal,” Power said. “I am very happy and I want to repay them for everything they have done for me.
“A day I am sure you will remember. It’s a day I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Team owner and IndyCar owner Roger Penske also attended the celebration in the pit lane.
“Seeing Mario Andretti come into the pits and shake his hand is something I’ll remember,” Penske said. “He’s been a classy guy for years. Watching Will put it down and put it down and put it down is a real winner.
“What we did this year was great. We’ll see what happens on Sunday.”
Power won pole with a best time of 1:11.6127 on the 2.238-mile single-corner street course in the #12 Verizon Chevrolet for Team Penske.
“That was the focus, getting that point for pole in the Championship and we ticked that box,” said Power. “We ticked another box by breaking a tie with Mario Andretti.
“I want to give my boys the best. They gave me their best all season and I want to give them the championship.”
Rookie driver Callum Ilott finished second in the #77 Chevrolet for Juncos-Hollinger Racing for his best starting performance of his career. His fast time was 1:11.6329.
“If I hadn’t had lunch I might have been light enough to get the extra speed to win pole,” said Ilott, who admitted he had eaten pasta earlier in the day.
Alexander Rossi was third in the NAPA Auto Parts/Auto Nation No. 27 Honda Andretti Autosport with a 1:11.7698, followed by teammate Romain Grosjeans No. 28 DHL Honda with a 1:11.7858.
Alex Palou’s No. 10 NTT Data Honda was fifth with a 1:12.1625, Pato O’Ward’s Chevrolet rounded out the fast six with a 1:12.4542 for Arrow McLaren SP.
Power was the only one of the five riders still eligible for the Championship to complete a successful qualification. The other four drivers had problems in the previous laps.
None was bigger than Newgarden’s big moment at 4:35 in the first segment. He lost control of his car when he ran into the corkscrew. He reversed and the car was suspended on the hill and track surface without the front tires touching the ground.
“We’re done. We’re done,” Team Penske President Tim Cindric told Newgarden over the radio. “We can’t get out of this lap and we’re going to lose our two fastest laps.”
Newgarden will start 25th in the 26-car field.
“It’s not over yet, but it’s unfortunate that we’re making such a mistake,” Newgarden said. “That didn’t put us in a good position for tomorrow, but we’ll make the best of it.”
Another championship contender who will start deep in the field is Dixon, who will start 13th at 1:12.1722 when he was stuck on the first lap of his segment.
“It’s definitely going to be interesting,” Dixon said. “The 14 (Kyle Kirkwood) never really worked. We start there in the middle and the starts are always interesting. It will be a different race than last year.
“It’s not over until it’s over, but congratulations to Will. He is great in qualifying and congratulations.”
Newgarden and Dixon are now 21 points behind Power. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson finishes 10th in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing with a 1:12.1359. He’s now 40 points ahead.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin is now 42 points off the lead and will start eighth with a 1:11.6916 in the #3 Chevrolet for Team Penske.
Another big upset in qualifying was Colton Herta, who went off course early in the second group and drove into the gravel pit. He was able to continue, but the rider who won the last two poles and the last two races at Laguna Seca will start 18th in the No. 26 Honda with a time of 1:12.2720 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Championship will be decided in Sunday’s race. It will air on NBC starting at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
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