ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) — Will Power ended a two-year victory drought by leading Team Penske’s domination at Road America on Sunday.
Power hadn’t won an IndyCar race since the Detroit Grand Prix on June 5, 2022. Power went on to win the points championship that season, and his victory Sunday put him atop the points standings this year as well.
“Massively special, massively special,” Power said.
The 43-year-old Australian won for the 42nd time on the series to tie Michael Andretti for fourth place. They trail A.J. Foyt (67), Scott Dixon (58) and Mario Andretti (52).
Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden finished second and Scott McLaughlin was third to give Team Penske a sweep of the podium — its first since 2017.
Newgarden had his second-place finish in a backup car one day after spinning off the track and crashing the side of his Chevrolet into a barrier during the final stages of qualifying Saturday.
After a rainy Saturday caused a wet track for much of the qualifying rounds, conditions were ideal for Sunday’s race.
It was a disappointing day for Dixon, who entered Sunday with the points lead after winning the Detroit Grand Prix. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was 21st, the first time he’s finished out of the top 15 this season.
The day didn’t start well for Chip Ganassi Racing, either
The race had barely started when a crash between teammates resulted in a caution. On the opening lap, the nose of Marcus Armstrong’s Honda hit the back of pole sitter Linus Lundqvist’s car, causing both vehicles to spin. Lundqvist ended up finishing 11th.
Five laps later, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson spun off course and hit a tire barrier after getting hit by Christian Rasmussen of Ed Carpenter Racing. Simpson was examined at the medical unit before getting released, but the incident knocked him out of the race.
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