ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ The result of Saturday's IndyCar qualifying was expected: Will Power won the pole at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
But how Power earned his 55th career pole (second all time to Mario Andretti) was a little surprising.
Team Penske wasn't quick during practice Friday and didn't find the top-end speed until Saturday afternoon's three rounds of qualifying.
"The car wasn't perfect until the fast six," said Power, a two-time Grand Prix winner.
Even then, Power's No. 12 Chevrolet was at a disadvantage; Penske teammate Josef Newgarden had fresher, faster tires.
"The one time I needed to get the lap perfect, I didn't do that," Newgarden said.
Power, as usual, did, which is why he'll lead the field into the first turn, again.
Newgarden will start second in an all-Penske front row.
Chip Ganassi Racing swept the second row with rookie Felix Rosenqvist and reigning series champion Scott Dixon, and Andretti Autosport filled out Row 3 with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi.
The first rounds of qualifying were surprising in part because of who failed to advance. Two-time defending Grand Prix winner (and St. Petersburg resident) Sebastien Bourdais didn't move to the second round after an incident-filled first session. He'll start 18th.
Marco Andretti and former series champion Simon Pagenaud didn't advance to the second round, either. It looked as if Dixon would join them at the back of the field, but he took the final spot in the second round after Takuma Sato received a penalty.
Former Grand Prix winners James Hinchcliffe and Graham Rahal will start ninth and 10th. Rookie Colton Herta lost his spot in the fast six for impeding Charlie Kimball's progress; he'll instead start 11th.
"Pretty mad, but rules are rules, and we broke them," Herta said.
