Auto Racing: Penalty lifts Power to pole over Castroneves

Will Power of Australia, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske stands on pit lane prior to qualifying for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway on June 22, 2013 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Australia’s Will Power will start on the pole in Sunday’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 after Brazil’s Helio Castroneves, who won the spot, was penalized 10 grid spots Saturday for an improper engine switch.

Castroneves, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, led all 50 laps in the qualifying heat that was to have decided the top 10 starting spots in Sunday’s 250-lap feature over the .875-mile oval course.

It was the first qualifying triumph in 14 months for Castroneves and his 38th career IndyCar pole, but officials ruled after the race his Penske team had switched engines before the motor had gone the minimum 2,000 miles.

As a result, Castroneves will start 11th while his Penske teammate Power starts on the inside of the front row with Canada’s James Hinchcliffe on the outside and Americans Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter in row two.

Carpenter replaced New Zealand’s Scott Dixon, who was also dropped back for an engine switch violation.

Despite the penalty, Castroneves took nine pole bonus points to stretch his season points lead to 308-283 over reigning season points champion Ryan Hunter-Reay of the United States.

Hunter-Reay, the defending Iowa race champion who won last week’s IndyCar race at Milwaukee, will start 14th.

In qualifying, Castroneves set a one-lap track record of 17.3324 seconds (185.687 mph), breaking the mark of 17.4908 set by Aussie Ryan Briscoe in the 2008 race. Dixon held the old qualifying mark of 17.6468.