Power takes Long Beach IndyCar pole in new car

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Nothing seems to slow Will Power down at Long Beach.

Thanks to the return of Helio Castroneves, the Australian driver had to climb out of one of the fastest cars entered in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and jump into a new car that had not turned a wheel on the track.

No matter. Power drove his new Team Penske No. 12 Dallara to the pole position for Sunday’s race.

“I got the (No.) 3 car in pretty good shape on Friday,” explained Power, who was fastest in that car in Friday’s practice. “It was just a matter of transferring everything over (to the new car). Honestly, we hardly made any changes.”

Power was hired over the winter as a replacement for Castroneves while the Brazilian driver faced a federal trial on tax evasion charges. Castroneves was acquitted Friday in Miami on five of the six charges and the jury was hung on a conspiracy charge.

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 2008 IndyCar Series runner-up flew to Long Beach later that day and was back in his No. 3 Saturday morning.

“Will gave me a fast car,” said Castroneves, who qualified eighth before crashing.

Power’s new car was fast enough, holding off 2007 IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti for the top qualifying spot in the 23-car field.

“I was a little worried this morning, but I just saw how these (Penske) guys compare things. To be honest, I wasn’t that worried — and I was right. We ironed out a couple of bugs in the morning and the car was great for qualifying and I’m sure it will be the same tomorrow in the race.”

One big plus for Power is his history on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit in downtown Long Beach.

Racing here the past three years in the now-defunct Champ Car World Series, Power had finishes of ninth, third and first. He qualified second in 2007 and won from fourth last year.

Switching to IndyCars hasn’t slowed him down at all.

“The feel of these cars is pretty similar here, from what I can remember,” Power said. “The Champ Car had a little bit more power. But these cars feel pretty quick around here.”

Asked what it is about this circuit that appeals to him, Power smiled and replied, “It’s a street circuit and I enjoy it.

“I’ve had good cars here over the years and I’ve finished more laps on this track than any other track in the U.S., and I have probably the best average finishing position, as well,” he added.

Franchitti, returning to IndyCar after an aborted attempt to move to NASCAR in 2008, said he thought he might nip Power at the end.

“My last two laps were really good, but I ran out of fuel in turn nine on the first one and I made just a slight little mistake in turn six on the last one,” Franchitti said.

Rookie Raphael Matos was third, followed by E.J. Viso, Justin Wilson and reigning IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, Franchitti’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate.

Castroneves, who had not driven a race car since last October, came away from the crash in qualifying with a headache.

Dr. Mike Olinger, director of medical services for the IRL, said there was no evidence of a concussion but added that Castroneves would be evaluated again Sunday, before the race.

1. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 101.631.

2. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 101.403.

3. (2) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 100.917.

4. (13) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 100.89.

5. (18) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 100.825.

6. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 100.631.

7. (02) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 101.171.

8. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 101.047.

9. (34) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 101.027.

10. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 100.905.

11. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 100.775.

12. (21) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 100.588.