Will Power heads wet practice at Barber

Rain has halted any serious practice times at Barber Motorsports Park for the second round of the Izod IndyCar Series.

Australian Penske star Will Power was the fastest in the limited session, setting the fastest time, with the defending race winner getting the upperhand at the picturesque 2.38-mile road course, setting a 1m11.2886s.

“The Verizon No. 12 Chevy felt very good this morning before the rain,” Power said.

“We have tested here a lot and know the track very well and the set-up very well. We just made minor adjustments to the car because we basically know what we want.

“I think with the rain, qualifying will be mixed up tomorrow and if the track has weepers there will be wet patches.

“Driving the new car really isn’t all that different – you carry a lot more speed everywhere on the track. I just hope the results are similar.”

Power’s Team Penske team-mate Helio Castroneves, the 2010 Barber race winner and current Izod IndyCar Series points leader, was second in the #3 AAA Team Penske Chevrolet with a lap of 1:11.5010s.

The third Penske entry of Australian Ryan Briscoe was 15th.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Takuma Sato was third (1m11.5608s) in the first of the Honda-powered cars followed by Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s Josef Newgarden (1m11.5884) also in a Honda. KV Racing Technology’s Rubens Barrichello was fifth (1m11.6028) in a Chevrolet.

Sato led a rain-soaked afternoon session with a lap of 1m18.868 that saw only 17 cars record laps in wet conditions.

Qualifying for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be held tomorrow morning (Australian time).

See below for the full practice times