THE POWER MOVE
For sixteen years of his 20-year IndyCar career, Will Power has driven for Team Penske.
Although at a crucial point in his driving career, the record books show outstanding successes with the famous Mooresville-based squad owned by Roger Penske.
His 2018 Indianapolis 500 win is, of course, the jewel, but his other stats are just as impressive.
He has been the IndyCar series champion – twice.
Runner-up – four times.
Third place – twice.
And, through to season 2024, he had never finished lower than ninth place in the series standings. He currently sits inside the top 10 in the 2025 IndyCar Championship.
At 44 years of age, Power is just as focused and hungry as many of the younger drivers chasing IndyCar glory. He is fit and has overcome some extraordinary personal and family issues in recent years.
Speaking to Power in the Team Penske motorhome he was forthright and confident of continuing his journey with Team Penske beyond 2025. But it was his passion and competitive edge that was immediately to the fore.
“I am so ingrained in IndyCar, I haven’t really looked outside of it,” Power said.
“I really enjoy the parity of it, and the competitiveness of the field. It’s not actually the cars or the speed, it is the thrill of the competition that drives me,” he added.
“I've never stopped digging into driving details or trying to improve. That for me is the enjoyment of it, the grind of all that stuff and having something to get up for every day.”
We touched on other future options and challenges, and Power did admit that there was interest in the future at projects like LeMans, but clearly the passion is all directed at Indy Car.
“When I think about it, it is just how enjoyable this field is to race against,” Power said. “You know, in Sports Cars, there is BoP (Balance of Performance), and manufacturers where here it is pure racing. It is up to you and the team to extract as much as you can out of that car,” he added.
The unique racing calendar during Indy month sees the Super Speedway spec Dallara practising early in May, then a flip to the road course for a round of the Championship. Power’s insights into the differences between the two specifications.
“The Super Speedway is very very unforgiving,” he said. “It’s all about confidence and you giving feedback to the team on car set up. You can’t really drive around a problem. You have to be on that knife-edge. Even having a push or understeer here is a big moment. So, the craft in getting it right is so important,” he added.
“But the road course is so much more forgiving. Braking, downshifting and different layouts, which I absolutely love, but the disciplines are just so different,” Power concluded.
Visibly, the cars are so different with tiny front and rear wings on the Super Speedway spec, but more traditional aero packages on road and street courses. But the degree of adjustment is surprising.
“You actually have more adjustments on the Super Speedway set up. You have the weight jacker, including the bars and you have more adjustment on the wings; you can actually change the rear wing at a pit stop,” Power explained. “There is a huge swing. If you think that weight jacker shifts 200lbs cross weight – that is a lot! You have to be on top of that stuff before one tyre gets totally saturated,” Power explained.
Power won the Indy 500 in 2018 but endured several tough seasons after that, including the shortened 2000 COVID-affected Championship. He kept his race win record intact however, by winning at least one race in each of the three years following his Indy triumph.
But it was 2022, which saw him rebound to take the IndyCar Crown for a second time. However, there were dark times ahead when his wife became seriously ill in early 2023. Liz Power experienced a serious staph infection that began in late 2022, leading to emergency spinal surgery in January 2023. The infection caused a high fever (106 degrees) and nearly proved fatal. She required extensive antibiotic treatment and went through an extensive rehabilitation period.
Liz’s health and the welfare of their son Beau took an enormous toll on Power, who even contemplated retirement.
“They kept pumping her full of antibiotics and they didn’t know what was wrong,” Power said in an emotional piece by FOX prior to the running of the Indy 500. “I just never imagined what played out there. Two nurses told her that she flatlined during the night.”
He juggled whether he should have even been racing while his wife was so sick. As 2023 turned to 2024, Liz was recovering, and Will kept racing. Finally, at Road America, Power broke a two-year drought, and Liz and son Beau were there to see it.
“It was like the true beginning of recovery for both of us.” Power said.
So, fast forward again to 2025 and Power now faces a future with perhaps a Team Penske contract extension or having to look for a new role.
“I have thought of it, and it is very tough being at a racetrack when you are not driving,” Power said. “If you had a role that kept you busy, but it’s a tough question. I really don’t know, but it would have to be sonneting to keep me highly involved,” he added.
When asked about another fast race driver from Toowoomba and another Will, he smiled, saying of Will Brown, “It is very cool! To win a Supercars Championship is very difficult,” he said “I have to catch up with him. I don’t really know him that well, but it is a big deal for Toowoomba!”
Whatever the future holds for Will Power, he has carved a place in Indy Car and Indianapolis history as one of our most successful exports.