IndyCar's Will Power Taking the High Road to Victory Lane

Unfortunately lost in the hoopla accompanying NASCAR's annual visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend was one of the best story lines in motorsports getting even better.

In only his fifth start of the season -- in a car and with a pit crew that he can't even fully claim his own -- Australian Will Power dominated the field to win the IndyCar race at Edmonton, Alberta, on Sunday.

You don't have to be an open-wheel fan to appreciate what Power's accomplished with great opportunity and sparing chance.

He started the season as a fill-in for Helio Castroneves but in four sporadic starts since in a third Team Penske car, Power has earned more points than four drivers who have competed the full 11 races to date. He sits only 48 points out of 10th place entering Saturday's race at the high speed Kentucky Speedway oval.

"He's done so well with the uncertainty of this, we hesitated to tell him the whole plan,'' joked Penske Racing President Tim Cindric.

Power's talent and ability to adjust was never more obvious than at the Long Beach Grand Prix race weekend in April, when Castroneves was found not guilty of tax evasion charges and cleared to race. Castroneves flew from Miami to Southern California for qualifying and to reward his loyalty, Penske generously fielded another entry for Power, the defending Long Beach winner.

As per his contract, Power immediately relinquished the seat of Castroneves' No. 3 racer then he jumped into the untested No. 12 Verizon-sponsored Penske car, won the pole position and finished runner-up in the race. Not once did he complain about his fate or the uncertainty that awaited.

The attitude earned Power a handful of additional starts to be spread out over the remaining six months of the season. In three races he's competed in since Long Beach, Power has had a fifth place, a third place and now the victory on Sunday. He is scheduled to run three of the remaining six races -- Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, then the Sonoma, Calif., road course and the season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The whole plan is still a work in progress, but Power's enjoying the working model. And so is mighty Team Penske whose other drivers, fellow Australian Ryan Briscoe and Castroneves, are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the championship.



"We knew there would be uncertainty until Helio's trail was decided and in a good way, we've continued this uncertainty with a third car,'' Cindric said in an interview with FanHouse Thursday. "It could have been very black and white, but Will has handled things so well that even though contractually we had no obligation whatsoever beyond paying him what we owed him, we felt he deserved to run Indianapolis for us.

"As we got to know him better, spend time with him, it's evident he's our kind of guy and we'll see where it goes.''

Power, a quiet and intense 28-year old from rural Toowoomba, Australia -- located outside Brisbane -- made a name for himself racing in the British F3 championship and earned a test with the Minardi Formula One team.

He's been highly regarded his entire career yet even considering the unusual circumstances, Power never had a second thought about signing in a part-time capacity with the legendary Penske operation.

After winning the 2006 Rookie of the Year honors in the Champ Car Series, Power was an odds-on favorite to challenge for the 2008 championship. As luck would have it, 2008 was the year America's two open-wheel racing series unified after a bitter and devastating 13-year split.

Suddenly Power went from Champ Car contender to IndyCar rookie. He posted six top-10s last year with the "transition" Team Australia racing operation but was without a job as many Champ Car teams struggled to find proper funding.

"I came out expecting to win the championship in 2008 and suddenly there was no series and I was in a position I thought, this could finish my career,'' Power said Thursday.

"Looking at it, this [Penske] is a place I wanted to be at anyway and I figured if anytime my career was at a crossroads, it was now.

"I knew the situation and there was a chance I wouldn't even get to do one race [with Penske], but I wanted to get my foot in the door and show that I was fast, consistent and worked hard at my job.

"Really it was an easy decision and I'm very happy I did it.''

His sixth place while substituting for Castroneves at the season-opener in St. Petersburg is his lowest finish of the year. At Indianapolis, he led laps and was a serious threat to win before a late race problem in the pits, and still he finished fifth in only his second start at the treacherous track.

At that point, Penske's motives to field a car for Power weren't merely charitable. Power had proven his loyalty and unflinching team-first attitude, but he also performed. And ultimately that's what Team Penske is all about.

His three top-five efforts since -- including Sunday's win -- are even more impressive because Power is in a third car with a part-time pit crew that includes IndyCar shop personnel and some people borrowed from Penske's Grand-Am Series team.

This ability to adapt and succeed has proven something even to Power. He's more spontaneous than even he knew he could be.

"It goes against my nature really,'' Power said with a laugh. "But it has really opened my eyes and now I realize that you don't have to have everything perfect to win a race. It's been a good experience to learn about myself.

"It is key in not just racing, but life in general. Hardly ever is everything perfect in life, and motorsports magnifies that even more.''

"Last year I had a bad year with mechanical problems and stress and I was a bit negative,'' Power allowed. "This year I've made it a point to be happy, not to always be thinking about what's going to happen.

"I'm just enjoying every race and not thinking, 'is this my last ride?'

Certainly that doesn't look to be the case whether it's with Penske or another team that's watched Power's impressive run.

Power's No. 12 car has been sponsored by Penske Truck Rental since Indy but Cindric said the team is actively looking for a sponsor for Power. It's a tough challenge even for a proven commodity in this tough economy.

"The audition's over,'' Cindric said.

"We're not helping Will out of the goodness of our heart anymore. It's business now. As long as we think there's the potential we'll keep in him in a car, we will.

"We still think there's s chance to make that happen [for 2010 season] whether part-time or full-time.

"We tell Will to take it one race at a time. And he's sure made the most of it.''