FORT WORTH, Texas – NTT IndyCar Series driver Will Power has an optimistic outlook for this Saturday’s DXC Technology 600 race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Power, who drives the Verizon Chevrolet for Team Penske, is a two-time winner at Texas and became the first Australian driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 in 2018.
“That was a very proud moment for me, something I have been trying for a long time,” Power said. Actually, I was over the moon when I won that race. It was a big achievement in my mind.”
Power, who won the 2014 Indycar Series championship, said he is looking forward to returning to Texas this weekend and likes his chances of winning for a third time at TMS.
“I am very much looking forward to this year,” Power said. “I think we will be contenders and have a fast car. We will see what happens here this week and we will get a real indication of how we stack up.”
Power, is currently ranked sixth in the point standings. After eight starts this season he has earned three poles and has five top-10 finishes.
“It has been incredibly competitive,” Power said. “It has been the toughest season I have competed in during my career I would say. I am kind of disappointed with the beginning of my season. We should have had a couple better results.”
The race this weekend marks the second race in Texas this season for Power. At the IndyCar race in March at the Circuit of The Americas, Power started on the pole and was on pace to win the race. He led the first 45 laps of the race before a mechanical issue knocked him out of the event.
“We had a gearbox failure, which was a big kick in the guts,” Power said. “We have had some reasonable results I would say. Just reasonable results, nothing stellar.”
This is Power’s 15th season to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series. The last 11 years have been with Team Penske. He has a career 35 wins and 54 poles. He has won at least one race each season for the past 12 consecutive years dating back to 2007. Nine of those seasons he has recorded multiple wins.
“I have to be honest I was actually quite disappointed in my career,” Power said. “Up until I won the Indy 500 that was the one thing that would make me satisfied. With the history of a championship and the 500, I look at some of the potential and the championships that I let go. And yes as far as wins and all that goes and when you look at the stats for the last 10 years, it has been a great career.
“As a competitive person you are never satisfied. You keep working away and you try to get the most out of it. I think I’m at the point of my career where I am really enjoying the racing and realizing that I can’t race forever and I try to have as much fun as I can and get the most out of it. So there is no regrets at the end.”
There have been six different winners during the first eight races of the season. Power said one of the reasons why the season has been so competitive is because of the strong rookie field.
“The rookies this year have been amazing,” Power said. “It’s just crazy the amount of talent and whoever wins the Rookie of the Year this year really has achieved something special because you’re racing against good guys. I can’t pick a bad rookie. They’re all capable of winning races. One already got a pole and one’s already won a race. It’s a tough rookie field and it’s great to see.”
Power said he is hoping to rebound after last weekend’s doubleheader race at Belle Isle in Detroit. The two-time winner at Belle Isle had mixed results at the road course this past weekend.
In the first race on Saturday he saw a strong run slip away when he left his pit on Lap 19 without the right-front tire secured. The tire fell off the car, which forced Power to limp around the track on three wheels until he could pit for a new tire and front wing. He ended up finishing 18th.
“We’ve made a lot of little mistakes this year, some with strategy and some on me making a mistake in qualifying; we just need to do a better job and we have an opportunity to do that tomorrow,” Power said. “It just seems like one of those seasons where things don’t go your way, but I’ve had it the other way before too. We have really fast Verizon Chevys so I know it can turn around quickly.”
In the second race on Sunday, Power recovered from gearbox damage sustained in a five-car incident on Lap 1 that stalled his car on course on the Lap 5 to finish third.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Power said. “It was an amazing day. I definitely thought we were done. I couldn’t shift and then, obviously, I tried to reset it and then I stalled. But just a great recovery. I haven’t been satisfied with a race since Gateway (a win in August 2018), and this is the first time I’ve been satisfied with a race (since).”
Power is hoping that his first win of the season comes this weekend at Texas, a track where he has amassed some impressive career stats. He has 11 starts, two wins (2011 and 2017) and three poles.
“I am looking forward to it,” Power said. “I had a bad result last year because we had a radio issue and ended up in the wall, so I want to go back there and go for the win. Cool event, big track, cool Victory Lane and there is a lot of history there. It’s kind of a home race me because my wife’s family is down there So I am really looking forward to it.”
