INDIANAPOLIS – Team Penske experienced a power failure in Saturday’s first round of Indianapolis 500 qualifications and that has left one of the greatest pole winners in Indy car history with one last chance to make the starting lineup for the 105th Indianapolis 500.
Will Power, whose 62 poles are the second most in IndyCar history behind Mario Andretti’s record of 67, will join Simona De Silvestro, Charlie Kimball, R.C. Enerson and Sage Karam as the five drivers that will contend for the final three positions in the starting lineup for next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
All five of the Team Penske related entries had less than stellar qualifying efforts. Rookie Scott McLaughlin was the fastest of the Penske Chevrolets and will start 17th after a four-lap average of 230.557 mph. Josef Newgarden qualified 21st with a four-lap average of 230.071 mph. Simon Pagenaud, the 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner, qualified 26th at 229.778 mph.
Power made two qualifying attempts and was bumped out of the field after his first four-lap run at 229.052 mph and his second run at 229.228 mph was not enough to lock him into the top 30 positions.
The fifth Team Penske related entry is the Paretta Autosport entry for driver Simona De Silvestro. All three of her four lap averages were too slow at 228.395 mph, 228.173 mph and 228.013 mph in the No. 16 Chevrolet.
Ironically, if Power’s team had played the line game better at the end of Saturday’s qualifications, he would have been ahead of De Silvestro in the tech line, instead of behind.
She was able to begin her last qualifying attempt with seven seconds remaining before qualifying concluded at 5:50 p.m. ET. That left Power stranded in the tech line and unable to make a final attempt on Saturday evening.
“If we had just timed it a tiny bit better and had our car ahead of Simona’s, we would be in the race right now – I truly believe that,” Power told SPEED SPORT as he walked off pit lane Saturday night. “It’s a game, but it’s a game Penske has rarely ever played. We certainly didn’t expect to be in this position today.
“We have to do the right thing and move forward.”
Power has experienced the best of times at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Saturday wasn’t one of them.
“We improved on the car, that last run was solid, we trimmed the car and was ready to go again but we ran out of time,” Power said. “We’ll be prepared to go again on Sunday.
“It’s nerve-racking. One mistake in the run on Sunday and you are out. You want everything to go right. We will be very focused on doing everything really well on Sunday.”
Power believes it’s all about execution in the Last Chance Shootout. One tiny mistake and he can miss next week’s Indianapolis 500.
“It’s all about checking the boxes because if we falter a little bit, there is a chance at not getting into the field,” Power said. “I think the car is good, especially in race condition. I thought we were fast, but ever since we turned up the boost, we’ve lost speed.
“Simona and I are definitely on the bad side of that. We will both have a think about it and do it again Sunday.
“Some of the best go through this. Tony Kanaan has been through it. Ryan Hunter-Reay has been through it. Alexander Rossi has been through it and James Hinchcliffe has been through it. It’s that sort of place.
“You can never, ever think this place is going to be easy because it’s not. If you leave anything on the table, you find yourself in a situation like we are now.”