Los Angeles (AFP) – Australia’s Will Power won the IndyCar grand prix at Road America on Sunday, ending a two-year victory drought to rise to the top of the season standings.
“Finally!” Power told his Team Penske crew through his radio as he took the chequered flag at the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, 3.2609sec ahead of Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden.
Newgarden was driving a backup car after crashing heavily in qualifying on Saturday.
New Zealand’s Scott McLaughlin rounded out a Penske podium sweep.
Power gained the upper hand on his teammates when he stayed out a lap longer before making his final pit stop, jumping from third to first.
He then held off Newgarden in a sizzling 10-lap dash to the finish, winning for the first time since capturing the Detroit Grand Prix in June of 2022.
“Great strategy,” Power said, heaping praise on his crew.
“Massively special.”
Power had gone 34 races without a victory.
Now with 42 career wins he’s tied with Michael Andretti for fourth on the series all-time win list.
He jumped from third to first in the season standings on 236 points.
Chip Ganassi’s Alex Palou of Spain is second, five points back and Ganassi’s Scott Dixon of New Zealand is in third, 11 points behind Power.
Power’s wife, Liz, and son, Beau, were on hand to celebrate the victory.
Last year, Power said he had considered retiring from racing to take care of his wife as she battled a mysterious, life-threatening infection that settled in her back, leading to high fevers and, eventually, emergency spinal surgery.
After winning his second IndyCar crown in 2022 he didn’t post a top-five finish in 2023, when, he noted Sunday, “I had half my mind at home and half at the track, so it was very hard to perform at a high level.”
© 2024 AFP
