IndyCar driver Power finds redemption in Indianapolis
Will Power spent this week seeking redemption.
He found it in a familiar spot — on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.
Just six days after enduring one of the most frustrating races of his career, Power took an early lead, pulled away from the field and held on for his first IndyCar win of the season, beating Romain Grosjean to the yard of bricks by 1.1142 seconds.
“Big relief, big relief, especially for my guys on the team,” Power said. “I just told myself, ‘I’m getting this bloody restart, there’s no way I’m giving this race away.’ “
It was a milestone trip to victory lane, too.
His 40th career win broke a tie with Al Unser for fifth on the series’ alltime list, and Power tied Kyle Busch’s speedway record with his sixth win at the Brickyard. Power has won five times on the road course and also was the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner.
And the Australian, who started second, desperately needed this one.
Last weekend at Nashville, Power finished 14th, squeezing one teammate,
Simon Pagenaud, into a wall early in the race and later colliding with another teammate, Scott McLaughlin.
“Certainly, the incident with McLaughlin was not good,” Power said. “I didn’t see Roger (Penske) after the race. I thought, ‘I need to win a race before I speak to him again.’ Fortunately, I did that.”
It came with some consternation.
After building a 9.5-second lead midway through the race, Power got hung up in traffic as Grosjean and Colton Herta chased him. Both closed to fewer than four seconds when the first of two late cautions came out because points leader Alex Palou of Spain appeared to blow an engine.
That bunched up the lead pack and gave both cars a chance to pass. Herta never got close on the restart on Lap 71.
“I don’t really think we had anything for Power or Grosjean, so we’re happy with third,” Herta said.
Instead, Power started pulling away again only to see another yellow come out.
This time, Power got a huge jump, and with Grosjean out of the extra pushto-pass boost, nobody got close to the 2014 series champ.
“I thought it was a good fight,” said Grosjean, who finished second for the second straight time on Indy’s road course. “He went early and we just couldn’t quite keep up with him.”
American Alexander Rossi was fourth and Mexico’s Pato O’Ward, the pole-winner, finished fifth — well behind Power, who led 56 of 85 laps and finally got to celebrate.
“Roger loves when you win, let me tell you,” he said. “He loves it.”
NASCAR Xfinity
Austin Cindric took the lead early in the third stage at Indianapolis and held on Saturday for his NASCAR Xfinity Seriesleading sixth victory of the season.
He beat pole-winner AJ Allmendinger by 2.108 seconds. Justin Haley was third.
It’s Cindric’s first victory at the Brickyard — and the second straight in 3 1/2 hours for Team Penske. Will Power won the IndyCar race earlier Saturday on the track’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
“I can’t even begin to put into words what it means to win at Indianapolis,”
Cindric said.
Cindric, the son of Tim Cindric, Penske’s president, will try to make it three in a row when the Brickyard 200 is held on the same course Sunday.
It sure didn’t come easily for Cindric.
By qualifying second, like Power, he avoided getting involved in the chaotic first-lap start that sent multiple cars spinning and colliding through the turn. One car’s tires actually left the track before safely coming down.
Cindric, the points leader and defending series champ, has 13 Xfinity wins — all since 2019.
NHRA
Brittany Force took the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel qualifying for the fourth consecutive event and sixth time this year Saturday at the Menards NHRA Nationals in Topeka, Kan.
Winless this season, Force had a 3.716-second run at 329.42 mph at Heartland Motorsports Park.
J.R. Todd kept the top spot in Funny Car with his Friday night pass of 3.884 at 332.67 in a Toyota Camry. Troy Coughlin Jr. was fastest in Pro Stock with a 6.600 at 205.07 in a Chevrolet Camaro.