Power powers to another pole, will start up front at Long Beach vying for third win in 4 races

Power earns third straight IRL pole

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Another race, another pole for Will Power.

The way he’s driving, another win could be just around the corner.

Powering his way through a bumpy, tight-turned course that left drivers breathless, Power earned his third straight Indy Racing League pole at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday.

A two-time winner already this season, Power bounced and burned rubber his way around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street course through downtown Long Beach in 1 minute, 9.3185 seconds to finish just ahead of Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Power has made it look so easy, his opponents are wondering if they’re ever going to catch him.

“He got a very good opportunity and he’s obviously a very good race car driver,” said Andretti Autosport’s Tony Kanaan, who qualified sixth. “When things are going your way, it goes your way. He’s been impressing everybody. He’s the guy we wake up every morning wondering how we’re going to beat him.”

What a ride it’s been for Power.

The 29-year-old Australian wedged his way in at Team Penske last season while Helio Castroneves went through his tax evasion case, driving well enough the team gave him five more races. Power finished in the top 10 in every race, but a practice crash in Sonoma left him with a broken back and an uncertain future.

Impressed by Power’s prowess, Team Penske gave him a full-time ride for this season, an opportunity he’s hit full throttle.

Tentative with his car’s setup as a part timer last year, Power has been more assertive in telling his crew what changes to make and the results have been remarkable.

Power won a soggy opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, then made it 2 for 2 in more rain at St. Petersburg, taking the checkers after earning the pole. He made it two straight poles last week in Alabama, missing out on a third straight win — he still finished fourth — thanks to bad luck on restarts.

Power was back up front again in Long Beach, hitting 102.206 mph for his third straight pole, one short of the IRL record set by Castroneves in 2004 and Billy Boat in 1998.

“We’re going to have to steal one of his red (fast) tires,” said Castroneves, who finished fourth, just behind Justin Wilson.

They’re all going to need all the tires, fenders, arm strength, whatever they can muster in Sunday’s 85-lap (167.2-mile) race.

A favorite among the drivers because of the weather and tradition, Long Beach is one of the most physically-demanding courses in the 17-race season.

Winding around the Long Beach Convention Center, the course is filled with the bumps and humps typical of temporary street courses with a dash of wickedly-tight, forearm-straining turns.

The sixth turn, coming off a short straightaway, is a hard left lined with tire barriers that seem to be lined with IndyCar-drawing magnets. The 11th turn, just before the final stretch to the start/finish, is simply diabolical, a hairpin that almost crosses over itself before straightening out.

The slightest miscalculation at best means a tenth or two of a second, at worst a trip into the wall.

“You can’t make a mistake,” Kanaan said. “You’re out there trying as hard as you can and that takes away from you. We’re at the edge at every lap.”

Dario Franchitti, the defending Long Beach champion, struggled to 12th in qualifying. His teammate Scott Dixon finished eighth, marking the first time since the IRL changed qualifying formats in 2007 that Target Chip Ganassi Racing failed to get a driver in the top 6. Danica Patrick, who doesn’t particularly like road courses to begin with, was near the back of the field, in 20th.

Even the drivers at the top had trouble.

Hunter-Reay earned a career-best starting position, but only after catching a break when his wheels slammed into the wall at the same time after one turn, limiting the damage to the car’s body.

Kanaan went off the course twice because of overdriving and needed a second or two to catch his breath before talking to his engineer after one energy-draining run.

“You can’t afford the slightest hiccup,” Power said. “In year’s past in any series you could afford to get it slightly wrong on one set of tires and make the correction for the next set, but here you can’t afford any plateau in your progress. A wrong turn is definitely a no-no. It doesn’t take much to be on one end or the other end.”

So far, Power is still at the right end.