The Penske years of Will Power
Australia’s Will Power is one of the most successful veterans in IndyCar history and his career at Penske will have a lasting legacy.
Having cut his teeth as an Australian Formula Ford champion and also raced in Europe, Power began his American dream in 2006, representing Team Australia in the Champ Car series.
Two years later his IndyCar journey began and with two championships and an Indianapolis 500 success, he has risen to the top.
With a total of 45 wins, only the likes of AJ Foyt, Scott Dixon and Mario Andretti sit above him on the list of all-time victories.
2009 – 19th
Image: IndyCar
Power’s Team Penske journey started all the way back in 2009, but under interesting circumstances.
The Aussie was announced as the replacement for Helio Castroneves, who was dealing with federal tax evasion charges.
But these were settled during the season and ensured Power only got to compete ion seven of the 17 races.
But a victory at Rexall Speedway in Canada proved he was a star of the future.
2010 – 2nd
Image: Michael L. Levitt
Power was promoted to a full-time seat with Verizon backing for 2010 and celebrated it in style.
He wasted no time in announcing himself with by becoming the first driver to win the first two races of a season since 2001.
A record eight poles and five wins saw him fight for the title, but his assault ended in heartbreak after crashing out whilst lapping a backmarker on Lap 143 of 200.
Eighth place was enough for Franchitti to steal the crown by five points.
2011 – 2nd
Image: Phillip Abbott.LAT/Honda
Determined to go one better, Power soared to further heights in 2011 as he took six wins.
But again a challenging time in the last completed race proved costly as a 19th place following contact with a rookie in the pits saw him again fall short to Franchitti.
Infamously, he was fined $28,000 for raising two middle fingers to race officials in an emotional outburst.
The chance to fight for the crown was denied in tragic circumstances.
Power was involved in the horrific 15-car crash that claimed the life of Brit Dan Wheldon.
The race was called off with much more important things than the IndyCar title to worry about.
2012 – 2nd
Image: IndyCar
For the third straight season, Power had to be the runner-up.
A hat-trick of wins in the first four races at Alabama gave him a fast start, and he held a solid 36-point advantage with just two races left.
That was slashed to 17 points by Ryan Hunter-Ray ahead of the Auto Club finale, and a spin on Lap 55 consigned him to second yet again.
2013 – 4th
Image: IndyCar
Having burst out of the gates in recent years, Power had a slightly slower start to 2013 and only took one podium across the first 14 races.
But once the dam wall was busted at Sonoma, the Team Penske star was back to his best.
Power powered home with back-to-back wins to end on a high note and the success provided a springboard for what was to come.
2014 – 1st
Image: IndyCar
Fuelled by the recent close calls, Power was full of hunger in 2024 and started perfectly with success at St Petersburg.
He carried on his momentum by not dropping out of the top 10 across the first eight races, which also included a victory at Detroit.
With the prospect of a breakthrough title, Power resumed his consistency by not falling from the top 10 across the last six races.
A win in Milwaukee was the cherry on top, and after three straight runner-up finishes, Power broke down in tears when he finally hoisted the Astor Challenge Cup.
2015 – 3rd
Image: IndyCar
With the #1 on his car, Power fought hard during his title defence, but things did not go his way.
Victory at Texas proved to be his only success of the year, but it was a story of what could have been.
Having taken six poles, bad luck and incidents saw many results go begging.
Despite the setbacks, Power was still consistent enough to stay in the top three of the title race.
The highlight of the year was falling agonisingly a tenth short of Indianapolis 500 victory to teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.
2016 – 2nd
Image: IndyCar
The 2016 season could not have gotten off to a tougher start as Power was forced to miss the season opener on medical grounds.
The assessors believed he was suffering from a concussion, but that proved not to be the race.
Despite the setback, Power rallied with four wins across an impressive six-race stretch where he did not finish lower than second propelled him into championship consideration.
Sadly, contact in the penultimate race and mechanical dramas in the finale meant he was a distant second to Simon Pagenaud.
2017 – 5th
Photo: LAT
For the first time ever, Power finished a full campaign with Team Penske outside of the top four.
The Aussie suffered a tough start, having to wait until the fourth race to finish in the top 10.
But he still turned plenty of heads, taking five poles and converting them into three wins at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Texas and Pocono.
2018 – 3rd
Photo by Michael L. Levitt / LAT Images
Power got the second of his major career breakthroughs in 2018.
After an up-and-down start to the season, Power hit top gear at Indianapolis.
Following a repeat success in the Grand Prix, the Aussie went all the way to win the 102nd Indianapolis 500.
After hitting the lead just four laps from home, he emerged 3s clear of Ed Carpenter.
He was he first and remains the only Australian to win the Borg-Warner Trophy.
A further win at Gateway amid a strong run home saw Power secure a solid third.
2019 – 5th
Photo: LAT
Power had a slow start to the season, but improved as the year went on.
Two wins in the final four races at Pocono and Portland ensured he carried on his streak of getting at least one win for more than a decade.
2020 – 5th
Photo: LAT
The COVID-disrupted season followed a near-identical pattern as Power eased into his work.
He only finished in the top 10 twice across the first eight races before rediscovering his form.
Two wins late in the year again secured fifth in the championship.
2021 – 9th
Image: Motorsport Images
It is impressive in itself that a ninth-place finish that contained a win was Power’s least successful season.
But that was the case in 2021 as he struggled throughout the season.
Power was nearly bumped from the Indianapolis 500, qualifying 32nd.
He got caught up in incidents and blamed IndyCar for losing a win in Detroit when his ECU overheated.
Eventually, the breakthrough success arrived at the Indianapolis Road Course, which snapped a 315-day winless streak.
2022 – 1st
Photo by Michael L. Levitt / LAT Images
Power rebounded brilliantly in 2022, not only being a regular winner but soaring to a second title.
The key to the crown was consistency, with only one win arriving at Detroit.
He finished outside of the top six in just four of the 16 races, which ensured he held off Josef Newgarden by 16 points despite his teammate winning five races.
His fourth pole of the year at Gateway also secured the all-time record (above).
2023 – 7th
Unfortunately, the title defence did not go to plan for Power as his stunning run of 16 straight winning seasons came to an end.
He took three podiums at Alabama, Detroit, Mid-Ohio and Iowa, but struggled with consistency and ended up seventh.
2024 – 4th
Image: LAT
Power was fully charged again in 2024, not only ending his winless run, but being Alex Palou’s nearest challenger for much of the season.
After snapping his two-year winless streak at Road America, the Aussie secured another breakthrough by getting his first oval win since 2019 at Iowa.
He completed the year with another win at Portland and was in the hunt for another crown, but two disappointing races to end saw him slip to fourth.
2025 – 9th
Image: Penske Entertainment
In the final year of his contract Power did not have his best year, but still had his moments.
Following an opening race DNF, he found some form with a consistent run of results until disaster at Indianapolis.
Power was one of two Penske cars to be disqualified from qualifying with illegally modified attenuators.
It was a tough day and he ended up 16th, but things got better as the year went on.
Power returned to Victory Lane after a year away with an emotion-fuelled drive at Portland.
Had another shot at victory in the finale, but a mistake in the pits dashed those hopes and there were plenty of tears in the paddock post race, suggesting the marathon run with Penske may be coming to an end.
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