SEARS POINT, Calif. -- Simon Pagenaud moved a bit closer to his first IndyCar Series championship on Saturday, when he claimed pole position for the season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
The bonus point that Pagenaud earned for turning the fastest qualifying lap Saturday extended his cushion over Team Penske teammate Will Power to 44 points entering Sunday's 85-lap GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. That means Pagenaud can clinch the IndyCar title by finishing sixth or better.
Power, who had qualified on pole at Sonoma for five of his past six starts at the road course, managed fifth place Saturday. Meanwhile, Pagenaud set a track record of 1 minute, 16.253 seconds in his Dallara-Chevrolet on the way to claiming his series-best seventh pole of the season.
The pole capped a huge day for Pagenaud, the 32-year-old Frenchman who earlier shared the news that Menard's home improvement stores will double their sponsorship commitment to the No. 22 Team Penske car from five to 10 races in 2017.
"It feels great," Pagenaud said after averaging 112.594 mph on his pole lap. "We prepared really well in practice, and the weekend has gone perfect so far. My first lap on the Firestone red tires, I radioed in and said, 'This is going to be really good.'
"I was on the edge, but it was a really good lap. We have to err on the safe side in the race, and finishing second is OK if we win the championship. I'm really proud of my guys, and no matter what happens tomorrow, it's been an incredible season."
Power, the 2014 IndyCar Series champion, is a three-time winner at Sonoma, but he and his crew have been unable to get the handling and braking of the Verizon Chevrolet to his liking this weekend.
"We're just not quite on the pace, and I can't really put my finger on why," Power said. "That's kind of been the story all weekend. We're there, but not quite there.
"Hopefully, the tire strategies will create an opportunity for us to make our way to the front. The last thing we need is a straightforward race, because Simon's going to be pretty tough to beat if that's the case. He's obviously very quick. But IndyCar throws curveballs here and there, so you never know.
"We still need to win the race to win the championship, and Simon needs to have a bad day."
Pagenaud and Power have matched each other with four wins apiece this year, with a difference of just two points. But Power started the season in a 42-point hole to Pagenaud after missing the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg because of concussion symptoms.
Over the summer, the two Penske drivers pulled away from the rest of the field, turning the championship into a two-man battle. Another Penske driver, Helio Castroneves, is tied with defending series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing for third in the standings heading into Sunday's race.
Castroneves will start from the outside of the front row at Sonoma, and Dixon will line up seventh.