Qualifying for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma was full of drama and laid the groundwork for an exciting final race of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season to take place tomorrow.

Will Power broke his own previous track record to take the pole and the important bonus point.

Group 1 qualifying included three of the six championship contenders: Juan Pablo Montoya, Graham Rahal and Helio Castroneves. All 12 cars took their first laps on the primary black tires, but with less than five minutes remaining in the session, they each entered the pits to change to the alternate, softer compound red tires.

The top six advancing from Group 1 of Round 1 were Simon Pagenaud, Rahal, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Charlie Kimball and Montoya. Castroneves, fifth in the points entering tomorrow's final race, did not advance.

The other three contenders, Scott Dixon, Will Power and Josef Newgarden, went out together in Group 2. Power set a blistering fast time with the black primary tires - nearly as fast as the best laps set in Group 1 by those on the alternate red tires. The drivers came into pit lane to change to the softer red tires later in the 10-minute session, just like in the earlier stages of qualifying.

Advancing to Round 2 from Group 2 were Newgarden, Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Sebastian Saavedra and Carlos Munoz. Power bettered his track record from 2014 with a time of 1:16.750 on the softer red tires.

There was a bit of a delay before the start of Round 2 as Holmatro Safety Team members cleaned up fluid that had been left behind by the No. 41 A.J Foyt Enterprises car of Jack Hawskworth after he ran off at the chicane. The British driver was able to - slowly - bring the No. 41 Honda into pit lane and the session continued without stoppage.

When the green flag flew for Round 2, many of the 12 cars took immediately to the track. All cars came back to pit lane for red tires later in the session for a final attempt to advance to the Firestone Fast Six.

When the checkered flag flew for the session, Power, Hunter-Reay, Pagenaud, Newgarden, Rahal and Montoya advanced. Surprisingly Scott Dixon was not able to advance; all four Chip Ganassi Racing cars advanced to Round 2 but none made it to the Fast Six.

The Fast Six included four of the six eligible championship contenders. The bonus point for winning the pole could be the difference in winning the championship so all were trying to set the fastest lap.

Power and Newgarden set nearly identical times in their first laps. In the closing seconds, though, Team Penske driver and reigning series champion Will Power jumped to the top and took the pole with a new track record of 1:16.2597. He shattered his 2014 track record on black tires, the only one of the Fast Six to finish the session on the primary tires.

The top six on the grid for tomorrow's 85-lap race will be Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Simon Pagenaud, Juan Pablo Montoya and Graham Rahal.

With Power starting from pole in the 16th and final round of the year, Penske cars have started 13 of the 16 races from pole position this season. 

Follow @VAVELIndyCar on Twitter for live tweeting during tomorrow's GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, the final Verizon IndyCar Series race of 2015.


Cathy Shumaker is a writer for the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow her at @cathyshu.

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About the author
Cathy Shumaker
I am a life long race fan who works as a race marshal and as a pit fire worker whenever I can. NASCAR, IndyCar, MotoGP among others. I attend as many races as possible each year. Email me at [email protected]