Star Toowoomba driver Will Power pulled out a timely pole position as his main Championship threats failed to fire in qualifying for the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race.

Power hauled his Chevrolet-powered Penske -Dallara around the circuit in 1:05.6474s, tipping out Ganassi driver Dario Franchitti by .24s.

IndyCar points leader Ryan Hunter-Reay was eliminated in part two of qualifying while Power’s team-mate Helio Castroneves did not make it further than the first round.

Castroneves has qualified 13th but Team Penske President Tim Cindric confirmed the news is even worse with the Brazilian to receive a 10-place penalty after an engine change.

Simon Pagenaud and veteran Alex Tagliani will start from the second row however Tagliani has received a body blow by being issued with a 10-place grid penalty after his team performed an unauthorised engine change.

Kiwi Scott Dixon who is still clinging to hope in the Championship qualified sixth, the slowest of the fast six runners.

For Hunter-Reay, who will start eighth, his take on the race is that the pace will be unrelenting around Mid-Ohio.

“The race is going to be very close and I think it’s going to be interesting,” Hunter-Reay said.

“It will take qualifying laps for the whole race because the field is so tight.”

“We’re disappointed not to make the Fast Six but we expected the field to be close because of the open test here last week.”

Hunter-Reay goes into the fourth last race of the IndyCar Series on 362 points with three wins for the year.

Castroneves is second on 339 points with two wins while Power is third on 336 with three wins ahead of Dixon who has accumulated 301 points and has recorded one win.

Qualifying – Mid-Ohio 

Here is the Firestone Fast 6