Will Power: “I sent it” to snatch pole position for IndyCar WWTR oval night race

Will Power laid down a 49.9088s qualifying effort with a 180.329mph two-lap average to claim pole for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The result was Power’s fifth pole on the 1.25-mile oval and his 71st overall, extending his record for indy car racing poles. It was the two-time IndyCar champion’s first time topping the charts in qualifying since Aug. 2024 at Portland International Raceway.

Power’s strategy was simple.

“I sent it a lot,” Power said of his run. “I knew you would have to. You’d have to try to be flat in (turns) 3 and 4. Which I wasn’t quite flat, but very, very close.

“Cool, man. Cool. It’s been a while since I’ve had a pole, so I’m really excited for the Verizon 12 car. Chevy did a great job, good power. Hopefully we can execute in the race. It’d be awesome to get a win here.” 

It’ll be an all-Team Penske front row, continuing a day of strength for the organization after Josef Newgarden led opening practice. Scott McLaughlin fell just .1515s shy of Power in an earlier run. Newgarden couldn’t match his teammates in qualifying, but ended up a strong fifth at session’s end.

As qualifying unfolded

The company is looking for its first win of 2025, hoping to break a season-long sweep for Honda drivers Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood. Chevrolet will have many frontrunners looking to break through at Gateway. The Bowtie brand claimed the top-five qualifiers on Saturday, with Pato O'Ward, David Malukas and Newgarden capping off the top-five. 

Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong was quickest among Honda drivers in sixth, followed by teammate Felix Rosenqvist.Colton Herta, Alex Palou and Kirkwood wrapping up the top-10. Honda controls sixth through 11th, with Scott Dixon completing the group. 

Championship hopeful ChristianChristian Lundgaard will have ground to make up if he hopes to salvage the weekend. Lundgaard was a disappointing 14th at day’s end, clear of teammate Nolan Siegel (20th) but well behind O’Ward and unable to capitalize on a pedestrian run for championship frontrunner Palou.

Rookie Robert Shwartzman was unable to repeat the magic of his shock Indianapolis 500 pole run. The Prema Racing driver suffered a slight bobble during his run and wound up 24th at session’s end. 

With only one race on the weekend, the field was set based on two-lap averages. Drivers qualified in reverse order of the series’ current point standings. The session started later than initially planned, pushed back two hours by lingering storms that dropped light moisture through the morning and early afternoon. Early sunshine gave way to overcast skies as the session went on, dropping the track temp and aiding drivers that qualified later. 

Track preparation in focus

Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

Qualifying was preceded by practice for the USAC Silver Crown Series, where a blown motor may also have impacted time trials for some of the session’s early qualifiers. 

“Cars blowing up just before we go and qualify is really a shame for us,” Conor Daly told Frontstretch after an early run. “I like to turn in really late into (turns) 3 and 4. That’s exactly where the oil dry is, and a bunch of sand. Our safety team does a great job doing that, but it’s still slick.” 

It’ll be a late evening for the IndyCar field. The 27 competitors will return to the racing surface for final practice at 8:15 p.m. ET. Sunday’s race is slated to go live on FOX at 8:00 p.m. ET. 

Qualifying results – 2025 IndyCar Bommarito Automotive Group 500

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

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Main Information
Cla	Driver	#	Laps	Time	Interval	Mph
1	W. Power Team Penske	12	0	49.9088		180.329
2	S. McLaughlin Team Penske	3	0	+0.1515 50.0603	0.1515	179.783
3	P. O'Ward Arrow McLaren	5	0	+0.3173 50.2261	0.1658	179.190
4	D. Malukas A.J. Foyt Enterprises	4	0	+0.3484 50.2572	0.0311	179.079
5	J. Newgarden Team Penske	2	0	+0.3958 50.3046	0.0474	178.910
6	M. Armstrong Meyer Shank Racing	66	0	+0.4398 50.3486	0.0440	178.754
7	F. Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing	60	0	+0.4562 50.3650	0.0164	178.696
8	C. Herta Andretti Global	26	0	+0.5083 50.4171	0.0521	178.511
View full results