With a mighty scream, Will Power roars to the pole for IndyCar Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON — Will Power let out a scream that normally may be reserved for checkered flags.

But after capturing the pole for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio, the veteran racer wanted to make sure his entire 2019 season to date could hear him

“Take that,”  the Australian said to his (thus far) winless season.  “That’s sticking it to them.”

It’s the 57th pole of a long IndyCar career for the 38-year-old who finished the Fast 6 stage of qualifying in his No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet with a lap of 1:05.1569 (124.757 mph), edging defending Mid-Ohio champ Alexander Rossi at the end of the session.

Power, one step closer to breaking legendary Mario Andretti’s record of 67 pole positions earned, hopes the fast finish Saturday results in a great finish on Sunday. The green flag on the 90-lap race is scheduled for 4:05 p.m., broadcast live on NBC.

The Team Penske driver has won IndyCar races in 12 straight seasons, second only to five-time series champion Scott Dixon’s 16.  But his last victory last win came last year — 14 races ago.

It’s also the first pole Power has claimed since he went back-to-back in the first two races of the season. He didn’t look great during the three practice sessions on Friday and early Saturday. But he and his team found the speed when they needed it.

“Just after the year we’ve had – even the past couple of weeks – it’s been bloody terrible,” Power said. “It’s been a couple of mistakes by me. I was determined to get pole here and equally so to win the race.

“It beats you down a bit when you have constant bad runs and things just don’t flow your way. There’s always a turning point; that’s the good news. When you have a bad race there’s a good chance the next one will be good. If 10 of them like mine haven’t been good, well, the next one will definitely be good.”

Known for his quirky sense of humor, Power even intimated a higher power may have been on his side during the fast lap.

“There’s going to have to be, with the speed we’ve got, a point where God just says, ‘Let him have it.’”

Rossi, 27, seemingly had the pole wrapped up in his No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda. Rossi (Andretti Autosport) earned his sixth front-row start of the season, but he was nearly 0.4 of a second slower than Power.

“I think we just ran out of tire,” he said of the lap of 1:05.5317, which included a slide in turns 4 and 5 on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile permanent road course.

“You’re always disappointed if you miss (pole) by one or two hundredths because there’s a lot of things you can look back on over the lap to see things you could have done differently. But when it’s a gap of that size it’s OK,” said the Californian, currently second in the series points standings.

It was a great qualifying session for Team Penske and Chevrolet, who have three drivers in the top four positions on a track where starting position is often critical.

Penske driver Josef Newgarden, the series leader, starts in the third slot after posting a lap of 1:05.7885 in the No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet. Teammate Simon Pagenaud joins Newgarden on the second row after a lap of 1:05.8958 in the No. 22 Menards Chevrolet.

Sebastian Bourdai in the No. 18 SealMaster Honda of Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan and rookie Felix Rosenqvis and his No. 10 Clover Chip Ganassi Racing Honda round out the top six.

Rookie Colton Herta, who had the fastest times in two of the three practice sessions, qualified seventh for Sunday’s race.

Click here to view the full starting field for Sunday’s race.

ROSSI STAYING WITH ANDRETTI: Rossi will continue to drive the No. 27 Honda for Andretti Autosport in future years, the team announced Saturday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The multiyear deal includes co-sponsorship from NAPA AUTO PARTS and AutoNation. Also, Michael Andretti’s Indianapolis-based team will remain with Honda, which it has been with since the 2014 season.

Rossi joined the Andretti team for the start of the 2016 season.

“We’ve been working hard on this, and I’m happy to see everything come together,” Andretti said in a release distributed by the team. “Since 2016, we’ve built a strong relationship with NAPA AUTO PARTS – they’re such a natural fit for the series, Alexander and for the team, and we’re pleased to be able to continue working with them into 2020 and beyond.

Rossi has won seven races and six poles in his four seasons with Andretti Autosport. For a driver whose career first developed on European road courses, he has had success on U.S. oval tracks, winning the 100th Indianapolis 500 and last year’s race at Pocono Raceway.

In addition to winning two oval-track races in the NTT IndyCar Series, Rossi has won at a pair of street circuits (both at Long Beach) and three permanent road courses (Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio and Road America). He has a pair of wins this season (Long Beach and Road America) and is second in the standings after finishing second to Scott Dixon in 2018.

“It feels good to continue with Andretti Autosport,” Rossi said. “Over the past four years we’ve built a very strong team with great chemistry, and I believe that we have the tools necessary to win races and championships. It’s definitely a relief to have the future settled and be able to focus on the championship fight ahead of us.”

Andretti Autosport has won five Indianapolis 500s, all with Honda.

“This is an important moment for Honda Performance Development,” said Ted Klaus, president of Honda Performance Development. “Andretti Autosport is unquestionably one of the premier teams in the NTT IndyCar Series, and we are gratified to earn their confidence for the foreseeable future. At HPD, our first goal every season is winning the Indianapolis 500, and Andretti Autosport has won more 500s for Honda than any other team. That said, HPD is fortunate to work with multiple high-caliber racing organizations. This commitment from Andretti Autosport strengthens our entire effort as we move into the next era of Indy car competition.”