Will Power broke the track record and is joined by Dario Franchitti on row one for the Sao Paulo Indy 300. Power now has won the last two poles at Sao Paulo and two poles this season as he looks to win his third straight race this season. Scott Dixon will start third after having an off in the Firestone Fast Six and he will be followed by the Andretti Autosport teammates James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay and the Dale Coyne Racing entry of Justin Wilson. The Brazilians did not fair well, as only Tony Kanaan made it in to the top 12 but starts 12th. Barrichello, Castroneves an Beatriz will start 13th, 20th and 21st respectively. Simon Pagenaud starts from the 17th positions. He has yet to show the speed he had at the first three races but, unlike the first three races where he had raced on all those tracks in either ALMS, ChampCar or IndyCar previously, this is his first race on the streets of Sao Paulo. Different from Long Beach is instead of a who's-who of drivers with 10 grid spot penalties for engine changes, only the Honda of Takuma Sato was issued a penalty for an engine change. He did not take part in qualifying and will start from the 26th position.
If there is one thing about Sao Paulo it is you can't rule anyone out after qualifying. Rain is always a possibility and can give someone starting mid pack or in the back a great opportunity to steal a victory. Honda seems to be on the same page with Chevrolet after their turbo update, although the true litmus test will be a dry race. Honda and Chevrolet split the Firestone Fast Six at three apiece and the Top 12 at six apiece. Expect Sao Paulo to wide open once again this year and don't be shocked if it rains. This has been a great start to the season with so far three exciting races and a fourth that is expected to be just as unpredictable as the three before it, all of this as we head into the month of May and teams prepare for the Indianapolis 500. You can catch IndyCar 36 at 10:30 am, highlighting Ryan Hunter-Reay's weekend at Long Beach. Pre-race coverage for the IndyCar races begins at 11:00 am and green flag will be around 11:45 am.
