Will Power, the greatest overall NTT IndyCar Series driver in Team Penske’s history.
That’s what the coffee table history books will say, in big Times New Roman font when he is brought up. In fact, he deserves a chapter unto himself for what he accomplished for so long in one of the toughest eras in American open-wheel racing.
The stats are staggering from his 17 years with Penske: 45 wins, 65 poles, two championships and the 2018 Indianapolis 500.
Do you know who doesn’t have stats like that? Rick Mears, who has two more Indy 500 wins, and one more championship, but nowhere near that many wins or poles. Helio Castroneves, who won Roger Penske one more Borg-Warner trophy than Power, but never a championship. Al Unser Jr, Paul Tracy, Emerson Fittipaldi, Simon Pagenaud, Sam Hornish Jr., Gil de Ferran, and so on. All those names, but none approach the level of competitiveness and success that Power sustained for Penske for almost two decades.
Power was there so long, he might be able to draw a pension from the team for goodness’ sake. Since 2009, when he was tapped to fill-in for Castroneves during his tax evasion federal trial, Power has been the embodiment of Penske Perfect. His winning, on qualifying or race day, the never-ending competitiveness and ability to just go fast put the team in the hunt for titles almost every year.
It was a career that stands out above all others.
The Beginning
Power’s break into IndyCar seemed to be eroding. Two years with Walker Racing in the Champ Car World Series, then one year with KV Racing during the 2008 merger year earned him some attention in the paddock but no top rides. He amassed three wins, and showed his pole prowess — five in 2007 with Walker — but it was Penske’s need to have someone drive the No. 3 car while Castroneves’ trial concluded.
With no guarantee that the program was going to be long-term, Power was signed to fill-in at the 2009 season opener at St. Petersburg. He qualified sixth and finished there. At the next race at Long Beach, Penske brought a third car for Power if Castroneves was acquitted, which he was. The No. 12 Verizon car was then entered, and Power put it on pole, his first of 65.
A commitment was made by Penske at that point, Power had shown enough. He entered in five more races that season, including the Indy 500. The part-time effort finished the top five four times and Power took his maiden Penske win at Edmonton.
Verizon, the No. 12, and Power were tied together for the next 16 seasons.
Wins But No Titles
Power was the new gun at Team Penske in 2010, and quickly became the top championship contender over the next three years. Castroneves was the elder at the team, but he had been unable to deliver a championship for the Captain. Power went about that immediately.
From 2010 to 2012, the Australian dominated the road and street course circuits. In that span, 13 of his 14 wins were within that discipline, as were 19 of his 21 poles.
There just was one problem, and it was the return of Dario Franchitti. The Scotsma0’sn jump back to IndyCar in 2009 with Chip Ganassi Racing put him right in the crosshairs of Power as he competed for the title. Try as he did in 2010 and 2011, Power could not unseat Franchitti. It was one of the last competitive rivalries in the sport.
In 2010, Power came into the final race with the points lead. But he fell out of the race at Homestead and Franchitti went on to be champion. The next year, Franchitti finished second at the penultimate event, while Power was 19th, but because the World Championship was cancelled after Dan Wheldon‘s fatal crash, that decided the title.
Franchitti took a step back in 2012, winning just once in the new DW12 body kit, but, unfortunately, Power was usurped by another challenger named Ryan Hunter-Reay. At Fontana for the season finale, Power was in the process of overtaking Hunter-Reay, when he spun and crashed, losing another shot at the title. The gap was only three points.
Power had a slow year in 2013, winning three times over the last five races, but was only fourth in the points.
Title Year
Everything aligned in 2014, when Power won Team Penske their first championship since Hornish Jr. in 2006. While he continued to be fast on road and street circuits, his Achilles heel was finally being erased, and that was oval racing. From 2010 to 2014, ovals still made anywhere from more than half to slightly under half of the schedule. In 2010 they were eight of 17.
He had to figure out how to win on those, like Franchitti had done before him, to earn the title. The previous year, he took his maiden full points oval win at Fontana (a Texas win in 2011 was in a unique half-point doubleheader) and through 2014 he showed more comfort on that type of track.
Power won his first title by 62 points, on the back of three wins, four other podiums and four poles.
Respect Me
Between 2015 and 2017, Power stayed in it, finishing third, second, and fifth in the points. Teammate Pagenaud crushed the field in 2016, winning the title by 127 points over Power, who had missed the first race of the season due to what was initially diagnosed as a concussion but was later deemed just a sinus infection.
With at least one Astor Trophy in hand, Power tried to accomplish the ultimate oval victory at Indianapolis, but The Speedway was unkind to him. After his initial 2009 entry with Penske, he didn’t match that fifth place until 2015, when a teammate bested him for the triumph.
Juan Pablo Montoya was in his second year with Team Penske in a return to IndyCar racing. During a late run to the finish, Power and Montoya were tied up in a historic battle, swapping the lead four times with Scott Dixon over the last 13 laps. Montoya overtook Power, and try as he might, the Aussie wasn’t able to get back around his teammate over the last three laps.
The next two years he wasn’t competitive at IMS. He languished. Questions arose if his time at Penske was up, as the Captain wants Indy 500 winners. If you can’t do that, then you have to move on.
Then 2018 happened. With a brand new aero body, that made passing more difficult than the previous two kit eras, Power stayed up in the top five from his third starting position. The name of the game was track position, and as long as he didn’t lose it, he was fine.
At halfway, he led for the first time, then retook the spot over the remaining 250 miles. When challenger Ed Carpenter decided to save fuel, instead of challenging Power, he allowed the Penske crew to dictate the run to the finish. Late yellows messed the running order, and a slew of cars tried to stretch it to the end, but none made it.
On lap 196, Power took the lead, and held on for his first Indy 500 victory, offering one of the best radio soundbites in motorsports history as he crossed the line.
The win kept his Penske career going.
Hanging In There
New blood arrived at Penske in 2017, with Josef Newgarden replacing Montoya. The pairing worked quickly, as he won the title in his first year and then again in 2019. Power was now shuffled back, still earning top-five marks in the championship, but not winning as much. He won eight times compared to Newgarden’s 11, and experienced his worst year in 2021, claiming one victory and a ninth in the championship.
His performance at Indy wasn’t reaching the levels needed either, with one top five after 2018.
With how his 2021 had gone, his title in 2022 seemed more surprising. Unlike his 2014 crown, this one was all about consistency, just one race win, but eight podiums, three other top fives. He beat Newgarden by 16 points, earning his second title in what has basically become a gap-year in Alex Palou’s reign.
The Ride To The End
Power didn’t defend his championship in 2023 as he experienced personal struggles as his wife fought health complications. This no doubt impacted his performance, and he went winless for the first time since 2008. The writing had to be on the wall for his future at Penske.
He rebounded in 2024, with three victories and had a seatbelt not come undone at Nashville or had his teammate Newgarden not led a slow field to the line at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway that caused a pileup, Power might be a three-time champion. He finished fourth, but was within reach of Palou at the finale.
His final year at Penske wasn’t on the level of his early domination, but he took one pole at Gateway — something he did become exceptional at, starting up front on ovals — and his last victory at Portland.
Now he heads into his next racing season with a new business address, and if the stars align and he gets a ride, it will be a different number and sponsor for the first time since 2008. Regardless of how the negotiations went between him and Penske, the fact will always remain the same until someone beats him:
He is the greatest overall IndyCar driver in Team Penske history.
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and frequent editions of Inside IndyCar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.