Power turned a lap time of 1 minute, 7.199 seconds at the twisting
2.3-mile (3.7-kilometer) course on Saturday. Dario Franchitti qualified second,
followed by Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Power tied an IndyCar record with his seventh pole of the season,
matching the mark set by teammate Helio Castroneves in 2007.
With less than two months to go in the season, the affable Power
finds himself in firm command of the points race.
He'll take a 54-point lead over Franchitti into the 85-lap event.
Yet as he sat in his car moments after sliding into a tire barrier
in practice — he deftly turned his car around to try and limit the impact on
his back - Power wondered if he'd finally shown the rest of the field a crack
in the armor.
“I was thinking after I hit, 'this is the sort of thing that
loses championships,”' Power said. “It's something that can steamroll pretty
quick.” Only it didn't. Power, a former ChampCar Series standout who joined
Penske on a part-time basis last year before landing a full-time ride with the
series' top outfit this season, did his best to brush off the miscue while his
team hurriedly prepared the backup car.
He didn't exactly light it up during the first qualifying session
before laying down the fastest lap in the second round. He took his time
getting hot in the finals, not throwing down the lap to beat until 90 seconds
before the checkered flag flew.
The pole allowed Power to capture IndyCar's first road course
championship. He's not complaining about the honor, but for a driver who has
dominated road races this year — he's won four times on road or street courses
and never finished lower than fourth — his eyes are on a decidedly bigger prize.
“I'm just so focused on the overall championship, that's all
I care about this year,” he said. “I really want to win the whole thing.” To do
it he'll have to find a way to improve in the races that require him to just
turn left instead of both left and right. Power has just one top-five finish on
the ovals this season and there are still four ovals races left on the schedule.
Yet he's been encouraged by his performances on the courses
that focus more on pure speed than precision. Is he on par with top oval racers
in the series? Not yet. But he's closer than he was a year ago when he ran on
ovals just twice.
“I think the toughest oval I had all year was Kansas, I was
just too conservative,” Power said. “That's the only oval where I didn't have a
chance to win. Everywhere else I've been, I've felt like I'm in the hunt.” He'll
have to be if he wants to hold off Target Chip Ganassi Racing stars Franchitti
and Scott Dixon, the last two series champions. Power leads Franchitti by 51
points and Dixon by 72 with six races remaining.
Franchitti pointed out he held a sizable lead in the points
race in 2007 with a handful of races remaining. The title came down to the last
lap of the final race.
Still, Dixon doesn't see Power's quick rise as a fluke.
Power is easily the most talented road racer on the circuit,
and eight of the 11 races so far this year have been on road courses.
“I'm surprised where Will is,” Dixon said. “There's been
some (races) that he's been the standout by far and there's others where it's
just kind of gone your way and when you get on one of those waves, you've got
to ride it.” Power is doing his best to enjoy it. He's led the points race for
almost the entire season and is starting to emerge from the considerable shadow
cast by Castroneves. He recently did a commercial with NASCAR Penske Racing counterpart
Justin Allgaier where he poked fun at the Nationwide Series regular.
