Power gives Penske, Chevrolet win in the final Belle Isle IndyCar race

Will Power had victory within reach on Belle Isle a year ago until a late red-flag led to an electrical malfunction that ruined his race.

In his mind, the Detroit Grand Prix owed him one.

And when Power gets his mind set on something, there's no holding him back.

Power charged from 16th to the win Sunday to close out the Belle Isle era with a Team Penske victory that returned the Australian to the IndyCar points lead.

Power passed teammate and pole-sitter Josef Newgarden on lap 14 and never looked back, leading 55 of the 70 laps as he found himself in “the zone.”

“It's hard to get to that place. I used to be there a lot often when I was younger,” said the 41-year-old. “It's just one of those zones where everything's clicking so well, you're 100% in the middle, it's that flow state.

“Hard to explain. But I would get in that state for qualifying often, pump out some pretty ridiculous laps. That was the race for me. In a really good spot.”

Power held off Alexander Rossi in the closing laps — extending Rossi's losing streak to nearly three years — for his first win of the season. All three Team Penske drivers have a win through seven IndyCar races this season.

Power controlled the first race of the Belle Isle doubleheader a year ago until a late caution brought out the red, and then his car couldn't start for the finish. He went from potential victory to a 20thplace finish and has not let it go in the year since.

This year's Belle Isle finale was only one IndyCar race. The event will return to its original downtown street course layout in 2023.

The Power victory was a celebration for Chevrolet, the race sponsor, and its headquarters loom over the Belle Isle course. It gave Chevrolet its 100th win since it returned to IndyCar competition in 2012, and Power said he owns 26 of those victories — including an Indianapolis 500 win and an IndyCar championship.

And it was, of course, a celebration for team owner Roger Penske, a longtime Detroit resident and promoter of the race. Team Penske picked up a second victory less than 90 minutes later when Joey Logano won the inaugural NASCAR Cup race in St. Louis.