Power focused on defending title amid wife’s health fight
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Will Power insisted Friday he is ready to begin his Indycar title defense this weekend even as his wife battles a serious staph infection.
Liz Power was hospitalized in January and underwent back surgery to clean the infection from her spine. Ahead of the first practice of the season, the Australian revealed they made two 911 calls this week because of her health, and Liz was hospitalized overnight Monday.
She’s unable to travel at least until May — Power described her as “somewhat bedridden” — so he will open the season Sunday on the streets of St. Petersburg without his family. The couple’s 6-year-old son, Beau, remained in North Carolina with his mother.
“Seeing Liz struggle sucks. It really does,” Power said. “She’s someone that’s always up and going. It sucks having her not be at the race. I know how much she loves it, and I love having her here and Beau here. It’s lonely.”
Power said doctors are optimistic about the progress of her healing spine but the infection must be controlled.
“It’s going slowly, but it’s headed in the right direction,” he said
Despite the concerns, he said he’s ready to open his 18th season and is able to focus on his job from the moment he gets in the car. Power bagged his second title last season, which began with Liz’s prediction that her husband would rebound from one of the worst years of his career.
“We’ve had friends stay over, and I’ve done my same routine, all the same prep work I would normally do,” Power said. “I’ve been able to get sleep because we have people there. All that’s been good. Still, leaving home without them, it’s sad. You’ve got Facetime and all that stuff, and I’m calling multiple times in the day, but there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Power, who turned 42 this week, is in a contract year with Team Penske. Two years ago at this race, he revealed he’d signed a two-year extension, and said Friday his future with the team “is all in my hands.”
He has said he’d like to race until he’s 45.
“We’re all good and sorted,” he said. “I’m set beyond this year. I know what’s going on after this year.”
Grosjean leads Andretti qualifying sweep
Romain Grosjean opened his third season in Indycar by winning the pole in qualifying on Saturday on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg.
The Frenchman led an all-andretti Autosport front row in qualifying and surged to the second pole of his Indycar career in the waning moments of the session. He beat teammate Colton Herta for the top starting position in Sunday’s race.
His wife and three children raced to pit road, with the kids jumping into their father’s arms in celebration. Grosjean moved to Indycar in 2021 after his nearly fatal fiery crash in a Formula One race ended his European career. He joined Andretti last season but didn’t have the success he expected to achieve with one of Indycar’s top teams.
It’s been an incredible opening weekend for Andretti, which had a difficult 2022, with only two wins among its four drivers. But three of its four cars have been fast all weekend in St. Petersburg and, along with Kyle Kirkwood, the team put three cars into the Fast Six qualifying shootout.
“We’ve done a lot of work, for sure, it’s a pretty good feeling,” team owner Michael Andretti said before the last qualifying group. “We know the competition has done so, too, but so far so good. Feels good to have three in the top six.”
The Andretti group stumbled at the start of the final shootout when Kirkwood crashed to bring out a red flag.
“Sorry, I hit the wall,” Kirkwood radioed.
Kirkwood, in his second Indycar season but first with Andretti, said after he locked his brakes that the wind made his qualifying lap “kind of sketchy.”
“Disappointed, it was less than ideal,” Kirkwood said. “Ultimately, we are in the Fast Six with three cars, happy with that.”
Pato O’ward of Mclaren was the highest-qualifying Chevrolet driver in third and followed by Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing and then Kirkwood, as Honda drivers took four of the top five spots.
Scott Mclaughlin of Team Penske went off course in the Fast Six and qualified sixth in a Chevy.
Marcus Armstrong, a rookie for Chip Ganassi Racing, was the highest qualifier among the newcomers at 13th. The biggest qualifying disappointment was Penske driver Josef Newgarden, who missed out on advancing in qualifying by a tick – under .04 seconds to teammate Will Power.
Newgarden will start 14th and stalked down pit road in anger.