Power earns Verizon P1 pole award for Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

IndyCar, IndyCar News/Releases, INDYCAR PR — By on April 26, 2014 7:46 pm

[Source: INDYCAR press release]

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Note: For the full qualifying results and other information from the day, visit our Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Event Summary.

Will Power earns Verizon P1 pole award for Honda Indy Grand Prix of AlabamaBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Saturday, April 26, 2014) – Will Power has quite a successful record with two wins in the past four Verizon IndyCar Series races at Barber Motorsports Park. The Team Penske driver has another shot toward stretching his championship lead in the April 27 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

Power posted a quick lap of 1 minute, 8.3120 seconds in the Firestone Fast Six on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course to claim the Verizon P1 Award for the third time in five years, and padded his championship lead with a bonus point entering the third round of the season.

It was Power’s 33rd career pole, breaking a tie for eighth all time with Michael Andretti. He previously started from the pole in 2010 and 2011, and won the race in 2011 and ’12. In total, he’s collected 168 points — so far — at Barber.

Power holds a 28-point lead over Long Beach winner Mike Conway entering the 90-lap race (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN), but Conway is only competing in the 10 road/street course left on the schedule for Ed Carpenter Racing. Simon Pagenaud, who qualified 10th in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports car, is 34 points back in third in the standings.

Four different teams were represented in the final 10-minute session, and the six qualifiers were separated by .3138 of a second.

James Hinchcliffe, who watched most of last April’s race from the infield following an early race incident, tied his career best of second on a road/street course (.0289 of a second behind Power) in the No. 27 United Fiber & Data car for Andretti Autosport. Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won the 2013 race from the pole, will share Row 2 with Josef Newgarden, who also tied his career-best qualifying effort (at Long Beach) in the No. 67 Hartman Oil/Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car.

Scott Dixon, who has been the runner-up in all four races at Barber, qualified fifth in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, and Helio Castroneves qualified sixth in the No. 3 AAA Insurance Team Penske car. Castroneves won the 2010 race and has finished third the past two years. They’re the only drivers to compete in the Firestone Fast Six in all five years at Barber.

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES POST-QUALIFYING NOTES:

Will Power claimed his first pole position of 2014 and his third pole in five starts at Barber Motorsports Park. It is the 33rd pole of his Indy car career, which breaks a tie with Michael Andretti for eighth all time.

James Hinchcliffe qualified second, matching his season-best start of the season (Long Beach) and his best Barber start (2012).

Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified third, his second consecutive top-five start at Barber. He won the pole here last year

Josef Newgarden qualified fourth, matching his career best qualifying performance (Long Beach 2014).

Scott Dixon qualified fifth and Helio Castroneves qualified sixth, They are the only two drivers to qualify Firestone Fast Six for every race here at Barber.

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