IndyCar at Iowa: Qualifying Report

As the track temperature climbed into the triple digits Saturday morning in Iowa, IndyCar drivers climbed in for the morning qualifying session to set the grids for both Saturday’s race and Sunday’s race. Will Power took pole for Race 1 with a first lap speed of 178.199 mph, and then went and took pole for Race 2 with an even faster lap 2, at 178.013 mph. Power was the fastest in the practice session Friday, and said afterward that he was hoping to end that streak. His Penske teammate Josef Newgarden had previously set both fastest laps, and watched on his teammate earned his 65th and 66th career poles.

The two Penske drivers took the front row for both races, locking out the top two spots after their very successful test here. Conor Daly, a pole sitter the last time IndyCar was in Iowa, laid down his laps early in the session, but was leaped by Colton Herta, who went 3 mph faster on his second lap. The Race 1 top 5 will be Power, Newgarden, Daly, O’Ward, McLaughlin, and Race 2 will be Power, Newgarden, Herta, Daly, Sato.

Power, speaking to media after qualifying, described his lap as “messy”, saying that the car was bottoming out and sliding up the track, and that his high line in qualifying was a result of that, rather than a intentional choice. Asked about his chances in the race, Power stated that he was worried more about traffic and random FCYs, than cars coming through the pack on race setups. The double pole gives Power a big advantage over Ericsson, and when asked about his approach Power said, “Yeah, I’m hoping that this is a good weekend for us to catch Marcus because he’s very tough. He’s not the best qualifier, but he’s probably the best racer in the series, in my opinion. Just over the years watching him race, he’s one of the toughest guys. Like he’s very, very good at starting back there and making his way all the way to the front.”