Grand Prix of Long Beach: Will Power’s qualifying struggles continue

LONG BEACH — Will Power had the fastest NTT IndyCar practice time Friday. Penske teammate Jose Newgarden was sixth.

However, neither qualified well Saturday at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach after being eliminated in the first round of knockout qualifying.

There are two qualifying groups. The top six in each of the first two rounds advance to the top 12, then it goes to the Fast Six, which battle for pole position.

Power was seventh in the first round, Newgarden was eighth. They qualified 13th and 15th, respectively.

“It’s hard to have a good out lap, then you got a gap and let people go and then people stop at the hairpin,” Power said in a trackside interview. “But no excuses, man. I mean, we’re quick in practice. Every single practice this year, we’ve been fast. Every single one. And we haven’t gotten a top 12 yet (in the season’s first three races), so you can make as many excuses as you want, we just gotta get it done when it counts on the soft tires.

“And maybe we should have just run two sets. It’s hard to do that when you’re in the top three in practice.”

Power won here in 2008 and 2012. Newgarden won the 2022 race.

Penske did have one solid qualifier in Scott McLaughlin, who will start sixth Sunday.

MICHAELIAN APPRECIATIVE

Jim Michaelian, the longtime CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, took over that position in 2001 from Chris Pook after having been with the company since its 1975 inception.

The event is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and one could say Michaelian is more than a little appreciative of what’s transpired the past half century.

“Well, I think the event itself and its growth and correspondingly what’s happening with the development of the city simultaneously has been a remarkable achievement for both the event and for the city,” he said. “And I’m delighted to have been a participant in that progress over the last 50 years.

“As we sit here today, we obviously can look around and see the changes that have been made and more importantly we look forward to what’s going to succeed here through the future for both the city and the event.”

RESERVED TICKETS GONE

It was announced Saturday morning that reserved tickets for Saturday and Sunday were sold out for the third consecutive year.

There are still general admission tickets available and can be purchased through gplb.com or at ticket booth locations around the circuit.

DIXON’S MONIKER

Scott Dixon, a two-time winner of the Grand Prix of Long Beach – in 2015 and last year – is called “The Iceman.” Based on his cool demeanor that comes with a killer instinct on the track – he has six NTT IndyCar series titles and last year was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America – it fits.

He believes he was given that nickname in the early 2000s. But he said he was being called something else at one point.

“I’ve been called many things. I think I was originally called ‘The Phantom’ because I would never turn out for stuff,” Dixon said, laughing.