Australia's Will Power has won pole position at Sonoma Raceway in California, putting the overall IndyCar championship leader in prime position for his series title chase.
Power broke his own track record in qualifying, turning a lap in 1:17.2393 on the street circuit on Saturday.
It's a big weekend for Power as it's the second last event of the championship and he has won four of his 36 career poles at the winding Sonoma circuit beside San Francisco Bay, along with three race victories in the past four years.
Josef Newgarden matched his career-best qualifying performance by finishing second fastest, with New Zealand's Scott Dixon third.
While Power's Team Penske Chevrolet performed as well as expected, his two closest rivals for the championship had disappointments.
Helio Castroneves, who trails teammate Power by 40 points, finished sixth. Simon Pagenaud, who sits third, qualified in 15th place.
Qualifying is particularly important at Sonoma. No driver starting outside the top five has won the race since IndyCar arrived at the track in 2005.
The 12 turns on the 3.84km road course make any passing difficult, particularly when swirling winds hit the north end of San Francisco Bay.
"It's definitely less pressure starting up front, just for the fact that you're not in and amongst the action," Power said.
"I feel it is a very track position race. It has been in the past. Unless something strange happens with strategy, it's (about) putting ourselves in the best possible position to win the race."
Castroneves aims to stay in contention going into next Saturday's season-ending oval race at Fontana, California, which pays double the normal points.
"We know we have a very good car, and hopefully we'll have a good race," said Castroneves. "You have to be aggressive in a way that puts you in position going to the last race to win the championship."
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