Will Power headed a Team Penske 1-2-3 to win the IndyCar race at Road America ahead of Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin.
The drought is over for Will Power. Power earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory since June 2022 at Detroit – a span of 34 races – to lead a podium sweep Sunday by Team Penske at the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America presented by AMR. Power had won at least one race for 16 consecutive seasons from 2007-22 before going winless in 2023.
Two-time series champion Power, who started fifth, drove his No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet to a 3.2609-second victory over teammate Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, 8.0148 seconds behind Power. Power’s 42nd career victory, tying him for fourth with Michael Andretti for all-time INDYCAR SERIES wins, created one of the more emotional, cathartic victory lanes this season in the series.
Power was embraced tearfully by his wife, Liz, who Power cared for during her serious illness last year, and his son, Beau, among other team members and friends. This was the first podium sweep by a team in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since Andretti Global drivers Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay took the top three spots in September 2020 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Team Penske’s last podium sweep came in September 2017 at Sonoma Raceway with Simon Pagenaud, Newgarden and Power finishing in that respective order. Power also took the championship lead by five points over Alex Palou, who finished fourth in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda of Andretti Global.
The race started in chaotic fashion on Lap 1 when NTT P1 Award winner Linus Lundqvist’s No. 8 American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was hit from behind into a spin in Turn 1 by the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of teammate Marcus Armstrong. Newgarden narrowly escaped that incident, as the accordion effect of that fracas forced his nose to hit the rear of front row starter Colton Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian, sending Herta’s car into a spin.
Kirkwood took the lead after that incident, with McLaughlin right behind. McLaughlin passed Kirkwood in Turn 1 for the lead on Lap 4 and stayed there until Lap 16, when Newgarden took the top spot after McLaughlin’s first pit stop. By that point, Power had crept into the top five, and tire tactics began to unfold on the leaders’ respective pit boxes.
Newgarden completed the first 17 laps of the 55-lap race on Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, while McLaughlin and Power stayed on Firestone primary tires for their first two stops. INDYCAR rules state drivers must use both tire compounds for at least two laps in each road or street course race. Alternate, red-sidewall tires had more speed but less durability.
So, it appeared Newgarden was in good shape to drive to victory since he already used his alternate tires early in the race, while his two teammates had to run a stint with the alternate tires in the second half of the race. The pivotal point came on the final pit stops by the Penske lead trio. McLaughlin came to pit road first, shedding his alternate tires for primaries at the end of Lap 42. Newgarden pitted one lap later, staying with a final set of primary tires. He exited pit road well ahead of McLaughlin, as the “overcut” strategy worked.
Power waited until the end of Lap 44 to replace his alternate tires with a fresh set of primary Firestones. The deepest of the “overcuts” prevailed, as Power exited pit lane ahead of Newgarden. Two-time series champion Newgarden made one final attempt to pass Newgarden at the start of Lap 46, but he couldn’t finish the move. Power then cycled to the lead on Lap 49 as slower drivers on alternate pit strategies made their final stops, and he was never challenged again.
Results: https://x.com/MsportXtra/status/1799917427657965821
[Note: The story is as per press release]
