Power Takes Pole, Penske Sweeps St. Pete Qualifying

Power Takes Pole, Penske Sweeps St. Pete Qualifying
Despite being ill, Penske’s Will Power won the pole for the 2016 IndyCar St. Pete Grand Prix with a new track record. Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times
Chris Jasurek
Updated:

Will Power scored pole for the Verizon IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Saturday afternoon, setting a new course record with a lap of 1:00.0658 at 107.882 mph. It was the Australian driver’s 43rd IndyCar series pole and his sixth at St. Pete.

Power set fastest lap despite having a severe stomach disorder; after qualifying he was barely able to stand long enough accept the Verizon P1 pole award.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been feeling pretty ill all day,” Power said in a statement after the session. “It was a struggle to get through qualifying honestly. … The car was great today and a big credit to the guys for doing a terrific job in qualifying.”

Despite being ill, Penske's Will Power won the pole for the 2016 IndyCar St. Pete Grand Prix with a new track record. (Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times)
Despite being ill, Penske's Will Power won the pole for the 2016 IndyCar St. Pete Grand Prix with a new track record. Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times

Power led a Team Penske sweep of the first four grid positions; in fact, Penske Racing duplicated the front of the 2015 St. Pete Grand Prix, with Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves, and Juan Montoya scoring spots two the four.

Target/Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon qualified fifth, giving Chevrolet a lock on the top five. Andretti Autosports driver Ryan Hunter-Reay in sixth had the first Honda-powered car on the grid.

The Verizon IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg starts at 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. Tickets are available through the St. Pete GP website.

The race will be televised on ABC. Live timing and scoring is available on IndyCar.com.