SPARTA, Ky. (AP) - Will Power isn't one to pout.
The IndyCar Series points leader bounced back from a late-race pit gaffe at Chicago last week to qualify second for Saturday's Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway, hoping to put some distance between himself and defending series champion Dario Franchitti.
Veteran racer Ed Carpenter captured the first pole of his career by posting an average speed of 217.933 mph at the 1.5-mile oval.
Power's seemingly comfortable lead took a major hit at Chicagoland when he didn't receive enough fuel during a late pit stop, forcing him to head back in with a few laps remaining. The miscue dropped Power to 16th and when Franchitti took the checkered flag, the Australian's advantage had been trimmed to just 23 points with three races remaining.
After admittedly stewing about it on the short drive back to Indianapolis, Power says he was over it by the time he went to bed.
A week later he'll start from the front row for the 11th time this season.
``We're got to have a good finish,'' Power said. ``We can't afford another bad one.''
Not the way Franchitti is driving. Power has joked he hears the theme music from ``Jaws'' every time he sees Franchitti in his rearview mirror. The two-time Indy 500 winner is suddenly larger than ever.
``I'm chasing him as hard as I can,'' said Franchitti, who will start 11th.
And maybe messing with Power's head a little bit too.
Franchitti chastised Power, a road racing ace who is still searching for his first win on an oval for erratic driving in Chicago.
``He was being pretty crazy on Saturday night,'' Franchitti said. ``He was doing some stuff that was really beyond what you would normally consider almost safe at some points. He had three or four accidents; he just didn't hit anything.''
Power politely disagreed, arguing he had to race as aggressively as possible just to keep up at a track that creates pack racing at over 200 mph.
``I just raced like all the other maniacs were racing out there,'' Power said. ``When you go to a track that creates a pack race that requires everyone to race 100 percent throttle all the time, you have to do crazy things to get to the front.''
That doesn't mean Power feels he crossed the line, and Franchitti was quick to point out that Power wasn't the only driver dancing dangerously close to the edge at Chicago.
With hundredths of a second separating the majority of the field, there just isn't a lot of room to move. Although it can make for a compelling product, the drivers don't always enjoy it.
``It can be quite a frustrating type of racing,'' Franchitti said. ``When people pull stupid stuff like they were doing on Saturday night, it can get pretty dangerous too.''
Things might not be much better at Kentucky. Carpenter nearly picked up the first win of his lengthy career at the bumpy circuit last August. He led late before Ryan Briscoe slipped by on the outside to win by .0162 seconds for one of the closest finishes in series history.
Carpenter has spent most of the season watching races from home after Vision Racing closed shop following the 2009 season.
He ran a respectable 17th at Indianapolis before signing a three-race deal to drive the No. 20 car for Panther Racing last month. Carpenter finished 20th at Chicagoland before his surprising run Friday.
The 29-year-old will make his 102nd career start on Saturday. It's an opportunity he isn't taking for granted.
``I'm obviously not ready for my career to be over,'' he said. ``Every time I get in the car for practice, qualifying, racing, I'm trying to maximize all my potential.''
It's something Power has done with aplomb during his breakout season. He's been atop the standings following all but one race this season and won the first-ever road championship by dominating the nine road races on the schedule. He's won five times when forced to turn left and right.
Things haven't been quite so promising when only nudging the wheel left. His best finish on an oval is fifth at Iowa in June. With three ovals to close the season, he needs to get better quickly to hold off Franchitti.
He believes his No. 12 team is up to the challenge. Though not exactly happy with what happened in Chicago, he led 17 laps and ran at the front until the end. Despite Franchitti's suggestions, he's also more than comfortable handling his business in close quarters.
``I think it all has to do with the car,'' he said. ``If the car is good, you're as comfortable as you like. If it's not, you hate it. I don't think it matters how many miles you have done on ovals; if you've got a good car, you're laughing.''
