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MADISON, Ill. – (AP) – Will Power came close to Marco Andretti’s pole record four on Saturday when he won first place at the Worldwide Technology Raceway, the 63rd pole of his career.
It was the first of the season for the Australian, who scored his first win of the year a week ago, and it extended his streak of winning at least one pole per season to 13 consecutive years – a record IndyCar. This pushed Power past Bobby Unser and Helio Castroneves.
“It was very important for me to get a pole,” said Power, who is not convinced he can catch Andretti’s mark.
“I’m excited to get pole position and get closer to Mario, but I mean it’s going to be tough to get, to be honest. I mean, it doesn’t get any easier. The streak is only getting tougher, you see it this year, and I had a pole this year.
Power had a slight issue during a gear change, but still beat Colton Herta for pole by less than 0.1 mph. Power teammates at Team Penske Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud qualified third and fourth.
Pato O’Ward, who follows championship leader Alex Palou before Saturday night’s race outside of St. Louis, qualified fifth.
Palou qualified 12th but will actually start 21st due to a nine-place penalty for an unapproved engine change. This is the third unapproved engine change this season for Palou and the second this month.
Romain Grosjean qualified 15th in his first career race on an oval. The Frenchman had switched from Formula 1 to the IndyCar this season, but planned to race only on roads and streets until he found himself missing out on the competition watching the Indianapolis 500 on TV. .
Grosjean, who tested at Gateway last month to make sure he wanted to run on an oval, threw his fist in the air as he drove his car into the pit lane after his qualifying attempt .
“Realistically, completing the 260 laps is my first goal,” said Grosjean. “I want to go all the way and gain experience. There is a lot to learn but I feel more and more comfortable in the car. “
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