Power Breaks Pole Record, Inches Closer to Title at Laguna Seca

This weekend is shaping up to be one for the ages. Power has his sights set on the championship, but also one of the greatest records in the history of motorsports. Today, he hit on both of those by earning pole position for the season-ending race at Laguna Seca. His 68th career pole moves him past the legend, Mario Andretti for most on the all-time list.

"It didn’t even occur to me until they told me," Power said after being reminded of the record. "I was so focused on getting pole because it’s such a big day tomorrow. I can’t celebrate much because I need to focus on tomorrow. But it is a tremendous milestone. To be out there with an iconic guy like Mario is amazing. When I think about the era he raced in, how dangerous it was and how much more of a risk it was, it just blows my mind I’m there with Mario."

The pole today also gives Power another point in the championship, pushing his lead to 21 points. With that, there is a strong possibility that he will lead a lap, and possibly the most laps in the race. Those each reward another point, which could come into play in terms of the championship. Given what took place in qualifying, it was a near-perfect day for Power.

Qualifying began with the unthinkable. Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon have a legitimate shot at another title tomorrow, as they are tied for 2nd place in the standings. Both were eliminated in the first round of qualifying, and will have a mountain to climb tomorrow.

Newgarden made a critical mistake going into the corkscrew, and lost control of his No. 2 Chevrolet. He spun off course and was unable to continue, meaning he starts on the last row tomorrow. “I just made a mistake,” Newgarden admitted. “It’s a real shame. I think we have the fastest car in the field right here. It’s a real bummer for everybody. It’s not over, but it’s not ideal, what just happened here. It is what it is.”

The path to a third title is now even tougher for Josef, as 20 of the 24 races here have been won by a driver starting on the front row. Only once has a driver won this race from beyond the 6th starting position. That was Max Papis, who won after starting 25th, which is exactly where Newgarden starts tomorrow.

Dixon was in line to advance but was bumped below the cutoff line by Simon Pagenaud, who was the final car on track. Qualifying struggles have been the story of Dixon's 2022 season. His 11.1 average starting position this year is the third-worst of his career. He'll roll off from the 13th starting spot tomorrow in his quest for a record-tying seventh title.

"We went out on used blacks and took a little bit of time to get some speed out of it," Dixon said. "We put on the reds and the No. 14 was so slow on his out lap that we couldn’t get them up to temperature. I think strategy was always going to be key for this race. It's a very slippery, low grip track, and that’s going to play into more cautions and the factor of flipping the strategy."

Power was the only one of the five title contenders to make it to the Firestone Fast Six in qualifying. Scott McLaughlin qualified 8th while Marcus Ericsson starts 10th tomorrow.

Callum Ilott nearly stole the show on Saturday, just missing out on his first career pole. The rookie did advance to the Fast Six for the first time in his career, and will have a great view of the start of the race, starting from the front row.

Andretti teammates Alexander Rossi and Romain Grosjean had a great afternoon and will start from Row 2 tomorrow. Rossi is making his 114th and final start with the team. The 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner scored eight race wins, seven poles, and 28 podium finishes in his seven years with the organization. He hopes to add to that tomorrow, before moving on to the Arrow McLaren SP organization next season.

"A positive day and a really good weekend for the whole team," Rossi said. "It’s frustrating that we’ve led a good amount of second round qualifying sessions this year but not quite converted that into a pole. But it’s a great result for the team, especially with it being our last race together. I’ve started second and third here in previous years but never got the result so hopefully we can close out the season on a high."

Their teammate Colton Herta has made this place his home since the series returned in 2019. The second-generation driver won both races from pole, leading 174 of the 185 laps. Tomorrow will be different challenge after he went off course a couple of times during qualifying, and will be starting 18th.

The two drivers battling for Rookie of the Year honors are set up to have an epic duel tomorrow. Christian Lundgaard has a five-point lead over David Malukas but things will quickly change as soon as the green flag waves. Malukas just barely missed the Fast Six and will start 7th while Lundgaard qualified 16th today.

The stage is set for the season finale at Laguna Seca, where five drivers will have a shot at the championship. It has been a wild and unpredictable season with plenty of twists and turns along the way. A final 30-minute warmup session at Noon ET will offer teams and drivers one last chance to dial in their race machines. Coverage for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey begins at 2:40 PM ET on NBC.