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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Will Power felt like a rookie all over Saturday.
After crashing in Friday's Indianapolis 500 practice, the 27-year-old Australian spent the night watching a crew frantically repair his wrecked car. When he climbed back into the cockpit Saturday morning with the winds howling on Indy's 2.5-mile oval, Power's nerves were frayed, his confidence was waning and he felt uncomfortable.
But he still had to drive.
"I went out and I just came straight back in and said, 'Guys, I can't do it. Sorry, I feel too nervous,' " said Power, the 2006 Champ Car rookie of the year. "I got back in there and did a run where I was flat and got a little confidence back. It's hard to explain."
Neither Power nor E.J. Viso should have any trouble telling their stories now.
The two Indy rookies overcame any lingering doubts and posted fast enough four-lap qualifying averages Saturday to put themselves in the 33-car starting field for next week's race.
Power's average of 221.136 mph was good enough to earn the 23rd starting spot, the middle of the eighth row. More important, it should be good enough to hold up on Sunday's traditional Bump Day when non-qualified drivers can knock the slower cars out of the field.
Viso wasn't quite as fast as Power. He'll start 26th, the middle of the ninth row, after going 220.356. He, too, should avoid getting bumped.
Given the circumstances, and the trepidation that sunk in Friday night and Saturday morning, it was enough to satisfy Power.
"The wind makes it really difficult," he said. "The last lap there, I started pushing in turn two toward the wall; turn into three and suddenly have a massive moment. You've got to run the car conservatively. That's what we tried to do today."
Things went a bit easier for Viso, a 23-year-old Venezuelan and a former test driver in Formula One.
No, his crash in the third turn Friday wasn't as big a hit as Power's, but it still damaged the rear wing of the No. 33 car and sent his team scrambling to make sure it was ready to go on the third of four qualifying days.
Viso, too, spent extra time in the garage, but the daring driver who former Indy winner Dan Wheldon joked was the craziest driver on the track, didn't fret.
