Will Power wins pole position for Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

Reporting from Sonoma, Calif. — 

A year ago, Will Power was looking forward to a strong run in the IndyCar race here at Infineon Raceway, only to have his weekend cut short when “I ended up getting taken away in a helicopter.”

The driver suffered a broken back in a practice crash while driving part time for Roger Penske’s team. The accident not only ended Power’s season, he feared it might harm his chances of obtaining a full-time ride with Penske this year.

But Penske gave him the ride anyway and Power, after months of rehabilitation, took full advantage and is back at Infineon in top form. The 29-year-old Australian won the first two races of the Izod IndyCar Series season this year and has a series-high four victories overall.

He’s gunning for a fifth win after capturing the pole position Saturday for this year’s Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sunday with a lap of 108.337 mph on the 2.3-mile, 12-turn Infineon course. It was Power’s eighth pole in 13 races this season.

Power’s teammate Helio Castroneves, who won the Sonoma race in 2008, qualified second and Dario Franchitti, the reigning series champ and the defending Sonoma winner, was third.

Danica Patrick struggled in qualifying and starts 23rd in the 25-car field.

By winning the pole, Power also gained one additional championship point, and he now leads the title standings by 42 points over Franchitti and by 83 points over Franchitti teammate Scott Dixon.

“I’m very happy to get pole here after what happened last year,” Power said.

After his accident, Power recuperated at his Indianapolis home while wearing a brace for his back. At first, “I couldn’t sit up for more than 15 minutes because of the pressure on the spine,” he said. “I started walking probably within a couple of weeks with a walker.”

He started running again by Thanksgiving and in January got back into his race car for his first test drive since the crash. “I wasn’t sure if I would be as good as I used to be,” Power recalled. “But as soon as I got in the car I was pretty sure nothing had changed.”

Power came to Team Penske as an accomplished racer on curvy road and street courses. Power formerly drove in the Champ Car World Series, which was absorbed by the IndyCar series in early 2008, and that year he won the final Champ Car race on the streets of Long Beach.

“Will is showing incredible technique on the road courses, and I don’t think it’s going to be any different” in Sunday’s race, Castroneves said. Franchitti agreed, saying it “will be very tough to beat Will for the championship.”

But Power has yet to win an IndyCar race on an oval track, where Franchitti, Dixon and Castroneves excel, and after Sunday the last four IndyCar races of the season are on ovals. “I need to win on an oval if I want to win the championship,” Power said.

In the meantime, he’s enjoying his run at the title but said it’s “also a little stressful because it’s my first time having a real shot at the championship. You don’t want to make a mistake.”

james.peltz@latimes.com