Will Power's Season Gets More Brutal After Big Crash In Shocking Phoenix Qualifying
It has been a tough start for Power and Andretti Global.
IndyCar is back in Phoenix for the first time since 2018, and it delivered a wild qualifying session that saw Will Power's early struggles at Andretti Global continue. Meanwhile, the man who replaced him at Team Penske, David Malukas, took his first career pole.
Phoenix's spot on the calendar makes it the first oval of the season and the second race of a season-opening triple-header, which will wrap up next week with the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington.
That quick turnaround was ideal for any teams and drivers that struggled at the season-opener in St. Petersburg, one of which was Andretti Global's Will Power.
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The 45-year-old Australian's debut weekend with the team was rough to say the least, with a pair of crashes, including one in the race.
On Friday afternoon in Phoenix, Power once again found the wall — and hard — on his qualifying attempt.
Power was a little hobbled after the crash, but he was okay.
Power has gotten some seriously bad luck so far this season, but, fortunately, there's plenty of time to bounce back.
Meanwhile, his replacement in the No. 12, David Malukas, threw down the run of the day for pole, ahead of his teammate Josef Newgarden in P2.
Scott McLaughlin was the slowest of the Team Penskes in qualifying, but he will start a solid P5.
But what was craziest was who split the Penskes: a pair of Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars driven by veteran Graham Rahal and rookie Mick Schumacher.
That was a massive result for RLL as a team and for Rahal, but that Schumacher run is mind-boggling.
Sure, he has raced at high levels around the world and got to do some testing on ovals this offseason, but he led off the entire session and laid down a run that only three drivers could beat.
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Good stuff from the German, whose IndyCar debut was cut short by an early crash in St. Pete.
This is shaping up to be a good one with a mixed-up grid.
You can catch the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday at 3 PM ET on Fox.