The Queenslander is the 2018 Indy 500 winner and the most prolific qualifier in IndyCar history with a record 70 pole positions.
However, he has to wait at least another 12 months for a pole position at IndyCar’s biggest race, after being denied by Team Penske team-mate Scott McLaughlin in 2024.
Power was fastest in Day 1 Qualifications but was second-quickest in the Fast 12 and hence second-last out for the Fast Six, in which he was top until McLaughlin completed the final run of the day.
“I just keep getting seconds this year, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get this pole,” said the Queenslander, who is winless since mid-2022 but has finished second in three of this year’s four championship races, after the Fast Six.
“For some weird reasons I just think it’s one of those things, you know, where racing gods go, ‘Yeah, you can have the pole record, but you’re certainly not going to get this one.’
“That’s just the irony of life, you know. Like I said [before Pole Day], it’s not the end of the world if I don’t. It’s just a box to tick. It’s a good one. Obviously the race winner is much bigger.
“But, the two days of qualifying is very stressful. You put a lot on the line, and it’s really hard to have the quickest car and the quickest team on that year.
“To put all that together, that’s a lot of things that have to align, and that’s very difficult because you see every team, there’s one car that just seems to be a little bit quicker for whatever reason, but I have to say that our cars have been the closest they’ve ever been, so it shows the quality control that we have.”
Power thinks that he was too conservative with his set-up, and that lowering the rear wing angle on the #12 Chevrolet could have made all the difference.
“It sucks, man,” he replied when asked what watching someone attack his effort is like.
“As soon as I saw [McLaughlin’s] first lap, I knew it was over.
“To, me if I was going last and I saw my run, I would have definitely taken a couple of steps of rear wing out because mine was extremely consistent.
“My car never slid. I finished that, and I was, like, ‘Man, that was easy. If I’m Scott, I’m…’”
McLaughlin then interjected to say, “We took three out.”
Power continued, “That’s what I told Dale. I said, ‘He went minus-three.’ You could go minus-three or -four there. The condition was quite good.
“That’s basically what we needed in speed. Minus-three degrees is around half a mile an hour.”
McLaughlin’s pole speed was 234.220mph (376.941km/h) while Power’s was 233.917mph (376.453km/h).
Their team-mate, Josef Newgarden, set the pace in Practice 8, with just Carb Day Practice and the face itself to come.
Discussion about this post