IZOD IndyCar Series championship points leader Will Power earned the pole for the Grand Prix of Baltimore for the second consecutive year, and with the bonus point takes a 37-point lead over Ryan Hunter-Reay into the penultimate race of the season.Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, posted a series track-qualifying record lap of 1 minute, 17.5921 seconds on the 2.04-mile, 13-turn temporary street circuit in the second of three rounds. He topped the Firestone Fast Six shootout with a lap of 1:17.9750.Hunter-Reay, driving the No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car for Andretti Autosport, qualified 13th. He was seventh on the time sheet when a red flag for a contact ended the 15-minute first-round session early, and only the top six advance to the next round."Starting from the pole it is a lot easier to control your own destiny," said Power, who claimed his fifth pole of the season. "We'll focus on the job at hand and think about this race and doing the best we can - the best I can and the best that the team can.  Over the last few weeks we've done what we needed to do and we want to continue. "This track is physical, but it is the same for everyone.  It's going to be a good show for the Baltimore fans and we'll be plenty busy in the cars.  We'll be looking forward not back, that's for sure."Mike Conway qualified a season-high second in the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing, but he'll incur a 10-grid spot penalty for an unapproved Honda engine change. Scott Dixon, who will make his 200th Indy car start, qualified third in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car and Sebastien Bourdais advanced to the Firestone Fast Six for the second consecutive race and qualified fourth in the No. 7 TrueCar Dragon Racing car.Four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, driving the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, and James Hinchcliffe in the No. 27 Team GoDaddy.com car also reached the Firestone Fast Six.Also on the street circuit, Tristan Vautier claimed the pole for the Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of Baltimore.All three of Vautier's victories have come from the pole, and that's exactly what he needs again in the penultimate race of the season. Vautier moved to six points of series championship front-runner Esteban Guerrieri by earning a bonus point for his fifth Sunoco Pole Award with a qualifying track-record lap of 1 minute, 23.6893 seconds.Guerrieri will start alongside his Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammate on the front row.DAY 2 NOTEBOOK:INDYCAR and Grand Prix of Baltimore officials worked overnight to complete an asphalt chicane on the Pratt Street straightaway in the same location as tire chicane. In addition, curbing was removed at Turn 5 to widen the course.***IZOD IndyCar Series officials have penalized #83 Kimball 10 grid positions for an unapproved engine change following first practice. With the penalty, the following cars will have grid penalties for Sunday's race: #14 Conway (fitting sixth engine at Baltimore); #15 Sato (fitting seventh engine at Baltimore); #67 Junqueira (fitting sixth engine at Baltimore) #78 De Silvestro (carry-over for fitting seventh engine at Sonoma) and #83 Kimball (unapproved engine change).***OriolServia hadn't picked up a baseball in, oh, 10 years before this week.Then he got serious about throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. If anything, not to embarrass himself. So he practiced by soft-tossing.A far-sighted umpire would have called it a strike on the outside corner."Wasn't that confident," he said, adding that he wanted grip on the ball like the Firestone tires on his No. 22 Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car with WIX Filters as the primary sponsor this weekend on the temporary street circuit.Last year, Servia said he should be Baltimore's favorite driver because his name, Oriol, means Oriole in Spanish."Ever since I arrived in this country, people say, 'Oh, Oriol, like the cookie,' and I always say, 'No, Oriol, like the bird, like the Baltimore Orioles.' "An IMS Productions crew is shadowing Servia this weekend for the next episode of "INDYCAR 36."***Jillian Unitas, 22, granddaughter of former Baltimore Colts quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas, is the media manager for the Grand Prix."I've never wanted to disappoint my last name, so I put a lot of pressure on myself," said Unitas, who graduated from Flagler College (Fla.) in June with a degree in communications and an eye on a career in sports marketing. "I know my name opens doors, but I want to be judged not for what my grandfather did, but for the work I put forth."I'm just trying to make a path for myself, and to work off my own merit."***Helio Castroneves will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium when the IZOD IndyCar Series returns to Southern California for the Sept. 15 race at Auto Club Speedway. ... Tony Kanaan, who finished third at Baltimore last year, is tied for the lead in the A.J. Foyt Oval Trophy standings with Ryan Hunter-Reay (who holds the tie-breaker with two wins). The championship will be determined at Auto Club Speedway on Sept. 15.

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES POLE QUALIFYING:At noon, the ambient temperature was 86 degrees with a relative humidity of 59 percent. Skies were fair. The track temperature was 101 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.12:05 p.m. - GREEN. Segment 1. Group 1.12:15 p.m. - RED FLAG. #38 Rahal makes contact with the barrier at the exit to the chicane on the Pratt Street straightaway. Driver climbs from the car without assistance from the Holmatro Safety Team. Rahal will lose his two fastest laps for causing the red flag.12:19 p.m. - CHECKERED. Advancing to Segment 2 are: #11 Kanaan #9 Dixon, #67 Junqueira, #20 Carpenter, #14 Conway and #83 Kimball.12:25 p.m. - GREEN. Segment 1. Group 2.12:39 p.m. -- #77 Pagenaud, who was sixth, brushes the wall exiting chicane and is slow on course with a damaged left rear.12:40 p.m. - CHECKERED. Advancing to Segment 2 are: #12 Power, #7 Bourdais, #10 Franchitti, #18 Wilson, #27 Hinchcliffe and #77 Pagenaud.12:51 p.m. - GREEN. Segment 2.1 p.m. - RED FLAG. #18 Wilson makes contact with barrier at the exit of the chicane. Driver climbs from the car without assistance. Wilson, who was second at the time of the contact, will lose his two fastest laps for causing the red flag. CHECKERED. Advancing to Firestone Fast Six are: #12 Power, #9 Dixon, #7 Bourdais, #27 Hinchcliffe, #14 Conway and #10 Franchitti.At 1 p.m., the ambient temperature was 88 degrees with a relative humidity of 57 percent. Skies were fair. The track temperature was 109 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.1:11 p.m. - GREEN. Firestone Fast Six.1:23 p.m. - CHECKERED. Following the checkered flag, #14 Conway makes contact with the barrier at the exit of the chicane on the Pratt Street chicane. Car comes to rest on the frontstretch. Driver climbs from the car with assistance from the Holmatro Safety Team.***Crew from #77 Pagenaud was utilizing parts from #98 Tagliani to repair the left rear suspension of the car before Segment 2 began. The teams had a technical partnership in 2011 at the Indianapolis 500.***IZOD INDYCAR SERIES POLE QUALIFYING NOTES: This Will Power's fifth pole of the season and the 29th of his Indy car career, tying Dario Franchitti for eighth on the all-time list. Power also won poles at St. Pete, Brazil, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma Power started on pole at Baltimore last year and went on to win race. Mike Conway qualified second, matching his best career Indy car qualifying result. He was also second at Barber in 2010. Scott Dixon qualified third, his seventh top-five qualifying effort of the season. Sebastien Bourdais qualified fourth, his fifth top-10 qualifying in his last six starts. Dario Franchitti qualified fifth, his ninth top-five qualifying effort of the season.