McLaughlin beats teammate Power to win first IndyCar pole
By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Scott McLaughlin circled qualifying as the area he had to improve upon in his second season of IndyCar. He nailed it in his first session of the year. McLaughlin beat Team Penske teammate Will Power to win the pole Saturday for the season-opening race through the downtown streets of St. Petersburg. The pole is the first for McLaughlin, who struggled with qualifying last season. His best starting position was fifth on the road course at Indianapolis. Power qualified second to put a pair of Chevrolets from Penske on the front row for Sunday’s start.