Will Power earned his second PEAK Performance Pole Award by posting the quickest lap in the Firestone Fast Six qualifying session. Power, driving the in the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental car, turned a lap of 1 minute, 1.0133 seconds (116.414 mph) on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit.
It was the quickest lap of the weekend and came in the final minute of the 10-minute shootout that sets the first three rows on road/street courses.
Power will start next to Ryan Briscoe, last year’s pole sitter who recorded his second front-row start in the past three street/road events (1:01.1232) in the No. 6 Team Penske car.
Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves (1:01.2033) will join Dixon (1:01.2046), driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, on Row 2.
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“I think every driver agrees, man that is exhausting, getting to those final laps when you’re going for pole, it’s tough,” Power said after the 65 minutes of qualifying in scorching hot temperatures and a pressure-packed atmosphere that produced a couple of spinouts - by Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Paul Tracy - and some decent entertainment.
IndyCar Series: Rexall Edmonton Indy - Qualifying Result
It’s likely just as gruelling for the teams chasing Penske this weekend, and that includes Ganassi, because Power’s teammate Ryan Briscoe sits on the outside of the front row and behind them on the inside of Row 2 will be Helio Castroneves, the final member of Penske’s high-speed hat trick. It’s their first sweep in qualifying this year.
“Great job for the team, Penske one, two, three. That’s exactly how we want to be. I hope we can finish that (Sunday),” said Power, who won a Champ Car pole here in 2007. National Post
Edmonton 2006 race winner Justin Wilson, road racer extraordinaire, was the biggest surprise in failing to advance out of the first qualifying group. Wilson, who hasn’t done much on ovals, is usually a hot foot on the multi-turn track and has done especially well in Edmonton, finishing 1-2-3-4 (although not in that order) in the four races held here so far. He’ll start this one in 15th spot.
Also back in the pack is former Indy 500 pole sitter Tony Kaanan who also didn’t get through in the first qualifying group.
The Andretti-Green driver was joined by high profile teammates Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti starting back in the pack as both failed to get out of the second group.
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Hideki Mutoh did make it through group two but didn’t make it to the fast six. Edmonton Sun
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IndyCar Series: Rexall Edmonton Indy - Qualifying Result
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