Tag: Will Power

It’s Been a Week

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The IndyCar series is not going quietly into its winter hibernation quietly. Five major stories broke between Tuesday and Wednesday. Here is a recap of all that happened.

Rinus VeeKay announced that he had declined an renewal offer from Dale Coyne Racing. VeeKay had a solid year in car 18, finishing 14th in points. He had two top fives and seven top 10s for an entry that in 2024 finished 25th in the standings with several different drivers and missed the Indianapolis 500.

I don’t think VeeKay would have left if there was not something better awaiting him. Speculation is that he will replace David malukas in car4 at A. j. Foyt Racing. But firs twe need to hear that Malukas will be somewhere else next year.

The VeeKay news served as Tuesday’s appetizer. Shortly thereafter, Will Power announced he was leaving Team Penske after 17 years. There will likely never be another driver spending 17 years with the same team, let alone the same sponsor. The outpouring of love and respect from fans and the paddock for Power was great to see. It took me several years to warm up to him, but I came to respect him as a person and admire him as a driver.

Power is a generational talent along with the likes of Scott Dixon. Dixon grabbed more of the spotlight because of his numerous wins and championships, but Power belongs in the same conversation. It is hard to argue against 45 race wins and 71 poles.

Colton Herta grabbed the spotlight next when Cadillac F1 named him as their test driver beginning in 2026. Herta will also drive full time in F2 in order to gain the Superlicense points he needs to drive in F1. I always enjoyed watching Herta in IndyCar, and his absence leaves a huge talent void on the grid. Herta is pursuing his dream to drive in F1,and I hope he gets the opportunity in a coupleof years.

Andretti Global wasted little time replacing Herta, signing Will Power to a multi year deal. Power gives the team a second Indianapolis 500 winner, and Power’s addition actually makes the team stronger. Power wiull push Kyle Kirkwood to new heights.

Yesterday morning IndyCar and Green Savoree Promotions held a news conference to introduce the new home of the former Toronto race in Markham, Ontario, Markham is a suburb of Toronto, scheduled for August 14-16, 2026. Exhibition Place is not available because of the World Cup taking place in June and July. The track had been getting squeezed by development, and I wasn’t sure how much longer IndyCar would be able to race there.

The venue has a five year deal with the series. It will feature another two sided pit lane, the third one for street courses. Detroit and the new race at Arlington, Texas also use that set up.

The track layout of the 2.12 mile, 12 turn circuit is more expansive than the two other relatively new circuits at Detroit and Texas.

The schedule as of today:

3/1: St. Petersburg

3/15: Arlington

4/19: Long Beach

5/9: Sonsio Grand Prix

5/24: Indy 500

5/31: Detroit

8/16: Markham

Ten more dates need to be determined. I expect at least two more venues new to the recent era schedule.

Power Joins Andretti

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Andretti G;obal Photo

Will Power has a new home at Andretti Global. Power had been with Team Penske since 2009. That relationship started with a one race deal to replace Helio Castroneves. After 17 years, 42 wins including the 2018 Indianapolis 500, and 71 pole positions, Power embarks on a new IndyCar adventure.

The new driver of car 26, replacing Colton Herta who was announced earlier today as a test driver for Cadillac F1, immediately makes Andretti a strong title contender for 2026, and strengthens the Honda driver lineup.

It will take me a couple of races next year to remember that power is not in car 12, and Herta is not in the 26.

Below is the official press release from Andretti Global:

INDIANAPOLIS (September 3, 2025) – Andretti Global, a racing team under the TWG Motorsports umbrella, announced today that two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power will join the team starting in 2026. Power will pilot the No. 26 Andretti Honda as Colton Herta transitions to serve as a Test Driver for the Cadillac Formula 1® Team.

The INDYCAR veteran brings over 20 years of record-breaking open-wheel experience to the Andretti organization, holding the series’ record for most pole positions (71) and ranking fourth on the all-time INDYCAR win list with 45 career victories. In over 300 starts, Power has led over 5,000 laps and currently sits in fourth on both the all-time INDYCAR podium (108) and top five (142) lists. The Australian cemented his place in motorsports history with his 2018 win at the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 and two INDYCAR Championship titles in 2014 and 2022.

Power will join confirmed teammates Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson to complete the 2026 Andretti INDYCAR lineup.

JILL GREGORY, COO, TWG MOTORSPORTS AND PRESIDENT, ANDRETTI GLOBAL

“First, I want to thank Colton Herta for all the great memories and success he brought to Andretti Global during his time with the team. We’re incredibly proud of him and wish him the best in his new F1 journey.

“We couldn’t think of a better driver than Will Power to fill Colton’s shoes here at Andretti and take the wheel of the No. 26 Honda. Will is a fierce competitor whose record speaks for itself. Additionally, he’s a great personality and we feel he’ll be a strong fit for the team culturally as well.”

WILL POWER, DRIVER, ANDRETTI GLOBAL

“I just want to say how excited I am to be joining Andretti Global. I can’t thank Dan [Towriss], Jill [Gregory] and the team enough for this opportunity. Colton is someone that I’ve been massively impressed with for a while. He has a lot of natural ability, and I think he’s going to do a great job over in Europe. I’m excited to watch him and will work to step in and do everyone on the 26 team proud.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting all the Andretti team and getting to work in 2026. They have some very smart people, and I know it will be enjoyable to get to winning. I’m also looking forward to driving for Honda. They’ve been a tough competitor, and I look forward to working with the entire HRC team. Also, I have tremendous respect for Kyle [Kirkwood] and Marcus [Ericsson]. I’ve had some great battles racing against them, and I think we’re going to make a great combination as teammates. This is a whole new chapter for me. I have to say that sometimes a change of scenery and a fresh start is very energizing. I can’t wait.”

Power Outage Ends

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There was a race at Portland, but all the talk centers on two things- Team Penske ‘s first win of the season after a 15-race winless streak, and Alex Palou’s fourth series title. before I give my thougths on the race, let’s talk about Power and Palou,

Will Power won for the second straight year at Portland, his first win since that 2024 Portland race. It has been a difficult year for Team Penske as a whole, and today provided some balm for their wounds.

Questions still surround power’s status with the team for 2026 despite Power having the team’s only victory, being the only Penske driver in the top 10, and having the most top five finishes on the team.

Of the three current drivers, based on this year’s results, Power is the one who most deserves to return.

Alex Palou is once again the IndyCar season champion, retaining his title he has held since 2023. Palou finished third today. His closest competitor, Pato O’Ward, had a power issue just after his first pit stop. O’Ward rejoined the race, but was 10 laps down.

Palou remains unflappable, even with his big off track excursion near the end of the race. He joins Ted Horn (1946-48) and Dario Franchitti (2009-2011) as three in a row champions.

Palou is a generational talent. He also won the Indianapolis 500 this year, along with seven other races. He still has a chance to join A. J. Foyt abd Al Unser, Sr. as winners of 10 races in a season.

The Race

Some quick thoughts on the race.

Power took command early when the leaders pitted during the third caution period on lap 16. He held the lead except for pit cycles the rest of the day, building a lead that sometimes grew to more than five seconds.

Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou made the last stint exciting as the top three cars were together on track. Lapped traffic kept Lundgaard and Palou close to Power.

Three early cautions, the last of which ended on lap19, dulled what had been some good action between yellows. Cars began to get strung out, but there were still some passing in the back.

Great Drives

Graham Rahal finished fourth, led 10 laps, and stayed close to the front after starting 22nd.

Callum Ilott grabbed another sixth place for PREMA, coning from 24th on the grid.

Alexander Rossi earned his first top five with ECR.

Race Control

Christian Rasmussen had no action taken for punting Conor Daly hard into the wall, yet Scott Dixon received a drive through for lightly tapping and spinning Josef Newgarden on lap 85. If Dixon deserved a drive through, what should have been the penalty for Rasmussen? This was Rasmussen’s first incident this season.

After Newgarden’s spin, he sat facing oncoming traffic in turn1 for several seconds, with no yellow. He waited until Power passed him to restart his car. I will grant that Newgarden was off the racing line, but with all the craziness that turn causes, maybe Race Control should err on the side of safety?

That will do it for me today. Thanks for following along this weekend. I will have more on Power and Palou Tuesday. Tomorrow is a long travel day.

Penske Resurgence at WWTR

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Will Power led a team Penske awakening as the team and a partner car took four of the top five sport for tomorrow night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Will Power won his 71st career pole, and his first since September,2023.

Pato O’Ward was the only non-Penske affiliated car in the top five. O’Ward will start third.

“It’s been a while. I’ve been on the front row a few times, but it’s always nice to get a pole. It’s one (championship) point and get to lead the field to the green (flag). It’ll be nice to see nothing in front of me! Good stuff. I’m going to enjoy it for now, then get back to (night) practice,” Power said.

IndyCar will have a practice session at 8:15 pm Eastern time on FS2.

Results:

Day 1- Short but Fast

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IndyCar had just short of three hours of time on the first day of practice for the Indianapolis 500, and drivers made the most of it. Will Power turned the fastest lap at 227.026 miles per hour with teammate Josef Newgarden just behind at 226,971 mph. The third Penske car of Scott McLaughlin was fifth.

Power told me this morning that he was looking forward to getting back on an oval.

From earlier:

Pole Tales: 1955- Hoyt Takes Pole as Others Wait

Series points leader Alex Palou had the third fastest time followed by Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon.

While Marcus Ericsson and Marco Andretti were in the top 10, the Andretti cars of Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood ended the day in 16th and 19th. Kirkwood, however, had the fastest no tow speed.

The PREMA team struggled as expected. Robert Shwartzman ran just six laps and Callum Ilott turned 17 laps.

Tomorrow’s schedule has been modified a bit to accommodate the refresher program for Tony Kanaan, which was supposed to take place today. The refresher session will go from 10 am until noon tomorrow morning, and the regular practice period from noon to 6 pm will follow.

Results

Sebring Test Day 2- Penske Returns to the Top

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Photo- Penske Entertainment

Will Power and Josef Newgarden led the final day of testing at Sebring today, each leading one session. We are just 10 days from the first practice. The following is IndyCar’s summary of the day.

Power, Newgarden Push Penske
to Top of Sebring Test 
 SEBRING, Fla. (Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025) – After an uncharacteristically quiet opening day, Team Penske roared to the top of the overall speed charts Tuesday during the finale of an NTT INDYCAR SERIES Group Test at Sebring International Raceway.Series champions and Indianapolis 500 winners Will Power and Josef Newgarden ended up 1-2 for the fabled team and overall in the two-day test, which served as final preparations for all 27 full-time drivers before the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida (noon ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Power was quickest today and overall with a lap of 52.2549 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Newgarden at 52.3191 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Both laps were completed in the cooler morning session, when seven of the 10 quickest laps of the two-day session were turned.
The field was split into morning and afternoon groups both days on the 1.67-mile “short course” at the historic circuit in Central Florida.

“It’s funny, after a couple days back in the car, you feel right at home, back to the same old stuff, and going through the same old changes and just confirming stuff,” Power said. “I know it so well now, but it always changes. It’s never the same. So, you’ve got to be on your toes, super-tight field.”

Less than eight-tenths of a second separated the entire 27-car field over two days of testing.The results for Team Penske today were a contrast from Monday, when Power was the quickest for the team in seventh at 52.8032, more than four-tenths of a second behind the day’s leader, Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren at 52.3470.
O’Ward’s leading time from Monday still placed him third overall on the combined speed chart. His best lap today was 52.7060 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Marcus Armstrong’s afternoon session-leading time Monday of 52.3675 stood up as fourth overall in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing normally driven by Felix Rosenqvist, who was ill Monday. Rosenqvist was back behind the wheel of the No. 60 machine Tuesday and was ninth overall at 52.5273.

Colton Herta ended up fifth overall with his lap this morning of 52.3818 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global. Nolan Siegel helped Arrow McLaren join Team Penske with two drivers in the top six as he clocked in at sixth overall at 52.4405 with his top lap this morning in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Three-time and two-time defending series champion Alex Palou was seventh overall at 52.4948 with his best lap Monday in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Series newcomer PREMA Racing, which has dominated global junior open-wheel racing, finished its first Group Test on an encouraging note. Series veteran Callum Ilott ended up eighth overall at 52.4998 in the team’s No. 90 Chevrolet.

A challenging test for Scott Dixon ended with the six-time series champion at 13th overall in the 27-driver field at 52.6120 with his best lap this morning in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.Dixon only turned two laps Monday due to a mechanical problem, and he crashed into the barriers in Turn 6 approximately 15 minutes into the morning session today. His car suffered minor rear damage, and Dixon was unhurt and returned to testing.

Results

Quick Thoughts-Milwaukee Race 1- Pato- monium

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

All of a sudden Indycar oval racing is good again. The gloom and doom following the Iowa doubleheader has vanished like gossamer on windy day.

WWTR had a good race, and this evening’s race also produced a good show. The race ended with Will Power chasing down winner Pato O’Ward. Races always seem more fun when Pato wins. Itb was certainly a poular victory with the fans.

O’Ward, the most popular driver in Indycar and Mexico, dominated the race ince he took the lead, staying at the front for 133 laps. Any other winner would have been overshadowed by third place finisher Conor Daly, who started 25th and gave. Juncos Hollinger Racing their first podium..

O’Ward first took the lead on lap 68, led again from lapo 119-185, and took the lead for good on lap 195. He managed traffic beautifully, keeping Will Power at bay to win by just under two seconds. It was one of O’Ward’s more convincing wins.

Daly- From 25th to 3rd

Juncos Hollinger Racing hired Conor Daly to replace Agustin Canapino for one reason- to get into the Leaders’ Circle. Based on tonight’s result, it looks as if they made the right choice. The 78 is now 21st in entrant point -above the cut line.iiDaly does well on ovals, but tonight was arguably one of the best drives of his career, He started 25th in a car that had not shown except for a few solid qualifying efforts and brought home the team’s first Indycar podium.

Daly admitted in the post race press conference that finances may keep him from keeping htis ride in 2025. JHR would be well served to find a way for Daly to stay. The team has shown improvement this season, and I think Daly could help take another step forward.

Notes

Katherine Legge recovered from a spin and earned a top 20 finish.

Why did the last caution, for debris, require 16 laps?

Power cut Alex Palou’s lead to 43 points as Palou managed a fifth place result. Power shave 11 points from the advantage. Even he cuts 11 points in each of the final two races, Palou still takes his third title.

Power noted in the press conference that Indycar, not NASCAR, should be racing in Mexico.

Results

Power Surge in Portland

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Top photo by Kyle McInnes

Will Power beat pole sitter Santino Ferrucci to the first turn and dominated the Grand Prix of Portland, leading 101 laps on his way to his third victory of the season. Points leader Alex Palou finished second and lost just 12 points to Power in the championship.

“Every win I get now is so special,” Power said in the post race press conference. He said that the series is so competitive now that each win is “a big deal.”

The race itself was static. Besides Ferrucci slipping to eighth at the end, few drivers improved their positions. Scott McLaughlin finished seventh after starting 20th, Pato O’Ward moved from 23rd to 15th, and Alexander Rossi improved go 12th from 18th.

For the first time in recent memory, the field got through turn 1 cleanly, but Scott Dixon was squeezed by Kyle Kirkwood, and then Pietro Fittipaldi hit him, sending Dixon into the Armco and out of the race.. It was the only caution of the afternoon.

Power used pit strategy to extend his lead, only losing the top spot during his stops.

Romain Grosjean spun in turn 1 and took some time to refire his engine. He then turned the car in the right direction right into the path of Christian Rasmussen. Both cars continued, but pitted as they came around.

Notes

Scott Dixon has finished last at two road races this year, yet he sill has an outside chance at the title. Dixon will probably be eliminated after the first race in Milwaukee next Saturday.

Power has led more than 100 laps in the last two races.

Can Alex Palou finally get an oval win in one of the final three races? Should he get the victory, it would pretty much seal his third title. He indicated in the media availability that it is a goal.

The championship is realistically down to just four- Palou, Power, Herta, and McLaughlin. While eight are still mathematically eligible, several will probably be out of the running after next weekend.

I will have some more thoughts tomorrow. Thanks for following along this weekend.