From the IRL, Ron McQueeney Photo
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.,- Will Power, who has dominated the early portion of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season with his two races victories and a pole start, topped the combined practice (two sessions) time sheet as teams began preparations for the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union.
The Australian recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 11.1856 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car on the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit. Tony Kanaan, who has started sixth and second the first two races in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car for Andretti Autosport, was second (1:11.3011).
Power’s teammate, Helio Castroneves, was third (1:11.3697) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon (1:11.4243) was fourth. Another Andretti Autosport driver, Marco Andretti, was fifth quick (1:11.5446).
Sixteen drivers were within 1 second of the pace-setter, and six teams were represented in the top 10.
Also on April 9, Team PBIR rookie Niall Quinn made a strong first impression by topping the combined practice sessions in Firestone Indy Lights. The Irishman, who recorded a lap of 1:16.8500 in the afternoon session, was followed by series veterans Charlie Kimball and James Hinchcliffe.