WILL POWER
NO. 12 VERIZON 5G DALLARA/CHEVROLET
START – 16TH
FINISH – 6TH
POINTS – 7TH (-174)
RACE RUNDOWN: Will Power overcame a tough qualifying result to earn a strong sixth-place finish in Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) road course. Power took the green flag Saturday from the 16th starting position after all three Team Penske cars struggled to find consistent speed in Friday’s qualifying session on the 2.439-mile road course. Starting on black primary Firestone Firehawk racing tires in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet, Power withstood an eventful opening lap as multiple cars were involved in an accident that caused a full-course caution. The Verizon 5G Chevy endured a bumpy ride on the curbing in Turn 5 just before the caution period but there was no damage to the car and Power was able to continue. After running as high as 15th following the race restart, Power brought the No. 12 Chevrolet to pit lane for its first service of the day, taking on four alternate compound Firestone tires and fuel on Lap 15. Power continued to advance in the running order following the stop and by Lap 34 of the 85-lap race he had the Verizon Chevy positioned inside the top 10. After welcoming another set of red sidewall alternate tires during a Lap 37 pit stop, Power rejoined the race in 20th-place. Within seven laps, Power moved back inside the top 10 as he ran behind teammate Scott McLaughlin. The Verizon Chevy made its final stop of the race on Lap 61 as the No. 12 crew equipped the car with four sticker alternate tires and fuel. Power moved into the eighth position with 22 laps left, once again running right behind McLaughlin. Despite feeling a vibration on the No. 12 Chevy, Power continued his march forward, as he passed McLaughlin for seventh place with 17 laps remaining. From there, Power set his sights on series leader Alex Palou. With just three laps left, Power got by Palou to claim sixth place as he continued to run strong to the checkered flag. The result marked the ninth top-six finish among 15 career starts on the IMS road course for the two-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion.
POWER’S THOUGHTS: “It was a good comeback for the Verizon 5G Chevy team. Just needed track position. I feel like we were the quickest car out there. It was track position, simply. Every time we got behind someone, we were faster than them, every time we’d go by and left them. Just need to work at qualifying here. It’s very hard to get it right.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
