Saturday, July 5, 2014

Power Cracks 223 MPH in Second Practice

Will Power continued the record pace at Pocono Raceway in second practice setting a time of 40.2959 seconds, 223.348 MPH, more than two miles an hour faster than the track record. Carlos Muñoz kept up Andretti Autosport's pace, ending second fastest at 223.007 MPH. Fastest from first practice, Tony Kanaan was third in the second session but picked up his speed to 222.528 MPH. Graham Rahal was a surprise fourth fastest at 222.317 MPH with Hélio Castroneves rounding out the top five.

Mikhail Aleshin continued his success from first practice, ending up sixth in the second session. Takuma Sato was seventh ahead of Ryan Briscoe and Juan Pablo Montoya. Marco Andretti and James Hinchcliffe rounded out the top ten after both had the identical fastest lap, 40.6575 seconds, 221.361 MPH. The top eleven drivers from second practice all ran faster than the track record set by Marco Andretti last year.

Ed Carpenter was twelfth fastest in second practice at 220.819 MPH. Charlie Kimball was thirteenth ahead of Ryan Hunter-Reay with Simon Pagenaud rounding out the top fifteen. Pagenaud was followed by fellow Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais. Defending Pocono winner Scott Dixon was seventeenth fastest. Honda drivers Josef Newgarden, Jack Hawksworth and Justin Wilson rounded out the top twenty. Hawksworth suffered an accident in turn one during the session. The Brit may have to go to a backup car.

For the second consecutive session Sebastián Saavedra and Carlos Huertas rounded out the session. One second covered the top nineteen drivers in the second session with 1.5766 seconds covering the field.

Qualifying will take place at 5:00 p.m. ET.