Will Power ended a 34-race drought by winning his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race since June 2022 in Detroit. This achievement occurred at the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America, where Power led a complete podium for Team Penske. The victory marks the 42nd of his career, tying him with Michael Andretti on the all-time series win list.
Power, a two-time series champion, started from the fifth position and drove his Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet to a 3.2609-second victory over teammate Josef Newgarden. Scott McLaughlin completed the podium, finishing in third place.
This victory was especially emotional for Power, who celebrated with his wife Liz and son Beau. Power highlighted the hard work of the team to achieve this victory, mentioning the personal difficulties he faced last year while caring for his wife during her illness.
The last time a team achieved a complete podium in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES was in September 2020, when Andretti Global drivers Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi, and Ryan Hunter-Reay took the top three spots at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Team Penske's last complete podium was in September 2017 at Sonoma Raceway.
In the championship standings, Power now leads by five points over Alex Palou, who finished fourth in the race. Kyle Kirkwood completed the top five.
The race started chaotically with an incident on the first lap involving several drivers, including NTT P1 Award winner Linus Lundqvist and his teammate Marcus Armstrong. Despite this, Newgarden managed to avoid the initial crash and continued competing.
Tire strategies played a crucial role in the development of the race. Newgarden started on Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, while Power and McLaughlin used primary tires. Pit stops and tire management were decisive in the second half of the race.
In the final pit stops, Power replaced his alternate tires with a new set of primary tires and came out ahead of Newgarden. Despite a last attempt by Newgarden to regain the position, Power maintained his lead until the end.
The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES event is the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, which will take place on Sunday, June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
| Position | Driver | Engine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will Power | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Josef Newgarden | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Alex Palou | Honda |
| 5 | Kyle Kirkwood | Honda |
| 6 | Colton Herta | Honda |
| 7 | Romain Grosjean | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Pato O'Ward | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Honda |
| 10 | Graham Rahal | Honda |
| 11 | Christian Lundgaard | Honda |
| 12 | Linus Lundqvist | Honda |
| 13 | Theo Pourchaire | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Felix Rosenqvist | Honda |
| 15 | Santino Ferrucci | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Honda |
| 17 | Sting Ray Robb | Chevrolet |
| 18 | Alexander Rossi | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Helio Castroneves | Honda |
| 20 | Christian Rasmussen | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Scott Dixon | Honda |
| 22 | Luca Ghiotto | Honda |
| 23 | Nolan Siegel | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Rinus VeeKay | Chevrolet |
| 25 | Jack Harvey | Honda |
| 26 | Marcus Armstrong | Honda |
| 27 | Kyffin Simpson | Honda |
2024-07-07
12:00
2024-07-13
12:00
2024-07-14
12:00
