Power topped the two-lap qualifying session around the 0.875-mile oval with a best lap of 17.7246s, which was a fastest speed of 181.578mph.
Power set the pace on both laps, which meant he takes pole position for each of the races. It also spelled series poles number 69 and 70 for the Australian, who credited his car’s balance for its speed.
The format for the double-headers was each driver getting two single-car laps, the first of which would set their position for the opening race and the second tour determining their position on Sunday’s grid.
Just as qualifying was about to begin at 8:30am local time, a heavy rain shower popped up and soaked the track. After track drying efforts, the session restarted just under two hours later.
Power produced 181.426mph on lap one and went even faster with 181.578mph on his second tour. “Could’ve been a little better, I was in between gears quite a lot,” he said.
Scott McLaughlin didn’t quite enjoy the speed of his fellow Antipodean team-mate, lapping in 180.334mph and 179.635mph to take P2 in both races. “Car felt good, I had a blast, but Will Power’s just a genius.”
The third Penske driver, Josef Newgarden – who was fastest in practice yesterday – could only manage laps of 180.081mph and 177.864mph, which put him third and seventh on the grids. “I just wasn’t quick enough, pretty simple,” he rued.
Source: Autosport