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IndyCar points leader Pagenaud on Mid-Ohio pole
- Updated: July 30, 2016
6:23 PM ET
LEXINGTON, Ohio — IndyCar points leader Simon Pagenaud knows Team Penske teammate Will Power is chasing him down so earning the pole at Mid-Ohio Race Sports Car Course was important.
Pagenaud set a course record with a lap at 127.271 mph around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course Saturday to edge Power.
The Frenchman Pagenaud increased his lead to 48 points entering the race Sunday.
“That’s what you need to do to win the championship,” Pagenaud said. “It’s a long season. That’s what we were doing at the beginning of the season to extend the gap.”
It was his sixth pole position of the season and the eighth of his career. He won three of the first five races and had top-three finishes in the other two but has made only one podium in the past six races.
“We’ve been good the whole season,” Pagenaud said. “The pole position shows your strength and speed, but (Sunday) is when the points really matter.”
Pagenaud competed despite a sore back. He was hurt in practice Friday.
“All of a sudden it was like somebody jammed a knife in my back,” he said. “This morning the pain was 10 out of 10.
Power temporarily held the course …
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