Will Power on pole for Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Sun., 2:30 pm ET, NBCSN) - MotorSportsTalk

Verizon IndyCar Series championship leader Will Power will have the opportunity to continue his good start to 2014 from the pole position in tomorrow’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra).

The Team Penske driver’s time of 1:08.3120 in the Firestone Fast Six was enough to give him his first pole of the season. It bears noting that he won the first of his two Barber victories from the pole back in 2011.

“[Winning] is the only thing that counts for us, and a part of trying to win here is getting the pole,” he told the IMS Radio Network. “It definitely makes our job easier.

“…It’s going to be a tough race. When it goes green, these temperatures are going to be very physical. There will be a lot of traffic and a lot of marbles so we’ll do everything we can to get the win.”

Starting alongside him up front will be Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe, who secured his second consecutive front-row start thanks to his FF6 lap of 1:08.3409.

“This is a tough track to pass on and tires are going to be at a premium, so having a good starting spot is huge,” Hinchcliffe said.

Additionally, all four of the Andretti drivers will be starting within the Top 10 positions on the grid. Defending Barber champion Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified third, while rookie Carlos Munoz will go off seventh, and Marco Andretti shall begin from ninth.

However, an interesting subplot may be taking shape along Row 2 as Hunter-Reay will be joined there by Josef Newgarden, who qualified fourth.

Hunter-Reay and Newgarden’s contact two weeks ago during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach set off a major multi-car incident that also collected Hinchcliffe and several other drivers.

That said, Newgarden maintained that he’s moved on from the incident.

“When I looked at it, it was a sad opportunity that had happened,” he said in the post-qualifying presser. “Immediately, I wanted to go to the next one, like I think any racer would. I want to be up front again. You don’t just want one opportunity to finish well in a race.

“[It’s] no big deal. It’s racing. It happens. We’re here now and it’s turning the page for everybody.”

Scott Dixon, who has finished runner-up in each of the four IndyCar races at Barber, will be on the inside of Row 3 and flanked by Helio Castroneves, the series’ inaugural winner at this track back in 2010.

Among the key names that will have to start from the back after failing to advance out of the group stages are Justin Wilson (16th), Long Beach winner Mike Conway (21st), and Tony Kanaan (23rd and last in the field).

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES – HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA
Qualifying Results
—
1. 12-Will Power
2. 27-James Hinchcliffe
3. 28-Ryan Hunter-Reay
4. 67-Josef Newgarden
5. 9-Scott Dixon
6. 3-Helio Castroneves
ELIMINATED IN ROUND TWO
7. 34-Carlos Munoz (rookie)
8. 2-Juan Pablo Montoya
9. 25-Marco Andretti
10. 77-Simon Pagenaud
11. 7-Mikhail Aleshin (rookie)
12. 11-Sebastien Bourdais (penalized for interference; lost 2 fastest laps)
ELIMINATED IN ROUND ONE
13. 17-Sebastian Saavedra
14. 14-Takuma Sato
15. 18-Carlos Huertas (rookie)
16. 19-Justin Wilson
17. 83-Charlie Kimball
18. 15-Graham Rahal
19. 16-Oriol Servia
20. 8-Ryan Briscoe
21. 20-Mike Conway
22. 98-Jack Hawksworth (rookie)
23. 10-Tony Kanaan

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”