Will Power has expressed excitement ahead of qualifying for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, after Penske enjoyed a productive day of practice.
While many drivers struggled significantly with setup and balance issues, including championship leader Sebastien Bourdais and Long Beach race winner James Hinchcliffe, the Penske drivers wasted no time in rising to the top of the classification.
In the opening practice session reigning champion Simon Pagenaud managed to end proceedings fastest as the Chevrolet-powered Penske team locked-out the top four positions.
Although Marco Andretti managed to disrupt Penske’s dominance in the second practice session, the outfit were still extremely competitive will Power, Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves all just behind Andretti.
"I'm pretty excited about qualifying at Barber after the two practice sessions,” enthused Power, who has won the race on two occasions.
“We had podium finishes in both sessions and we're feeling strong.
“The Chevy has performed really well and we think we have the machine to help us make a strong showing in qualifying.”
Despite Chevrolet’s recent lack of success on race day this season, the manufacturer has still secured pole position with Penske at the opening two race weekends at St. Petersburg and Long Beach.
With Chevrolet and Penske in particular looking likely to be a strong contender for pole position once again, the big question is whether they can translate such one-lap dominance into race victory.
Although Penske were the fastest Chevrolet-powered team during practice, other Chevrolet-powered teams such as A.J. Foyt Racing were also encouraged after the two sessions.
"We made a lot of progress compared to the test,” explained Carlos Munoz, who ended both sessions just outside the top ten.
“We are much more competitive.
“Everyone is really close to each other in the lap times but I feel really competitive."
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