Will Power
One of the most successful drivers in Team Penske and INDYCAR history, Will Power enters his 20th NTT INDYCAR SERIES (NICS) season in 2024. As a two-time series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, Power has already secured his position among the all-time greats in North America's premier open-wheel racing series. His 41 career victories place him alone in fifth place on INDYCAR's all-time wins list as he begins his 16th season driving for Team Penske. In qualifying, Power has no equal as his 70 career NTT P1 Awards represents the most poles won in INDYCAR history.
An emotionally draining start to 2023 contributed to a challenging NICS season for Power. His wife and biggest supporter, Liz, dealt with a major health scare over the first few months of the year as Power saw his streak of 16 consecutive seasons with at least one race victory come to an end. As his wife's health improved over the course of the season, Power continued to leave his mark on the INDYCAR record books. He won both pole positions for the Iowa Speedway doubleheader weekend to extend his all-time series record and his four podium results on the year helped propel Power to a seventh-place finish in the championship standings.
In 2024, Power returns to the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet team and he will be looking to return to the form that produced his second career NICS title in 2022. The 2022 championship weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will always hold special memories for Power as he broke a tie with racing legend Mario Andretti for the most career INDYCAR pole positions, winning his 68th NTT P1 Award before securing the series title in the season finale. Additionally, Power's victory at Detroit in 2022 extended his streak with at least one win to 16 consecutive seasons.
Power enjoyed a solid season in 2021, as he helped guide the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet team to a race victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, along with one pole position, four podium results and a ninth-place finish in the championship standings. However, it marked the first time Power finished outside the top five in the series standings since 2009, which prompted the determined racer to adopt a different mental approach to each race weekend. This new mindset was met with consistent, championship-winning results the following year.
Overcoming the challenges of a 2020 season that was impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, Power and the No. 12 Chevrolet team claimed seven top-10 finishes and five podium results to end the year ranked fifth in the series standings. It marked the 11th consecutive year that Power produced a top-five championship season. Power posted wins during doubleheader weekends at Mid-Ohio and in the Harvest Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
In 2019, Power and the Verizon Chevrolet team finished fifth in the INDYCAR SERIES standings after generating two wins, three poles and six podium finishes. Power rallied for a late-season championship run by scoring victories at Pocono Raceway and Portland International Raceway to extend his streak of earning at least one win in each season since 2007.
The 2018 season proved to be historic for Power. He captured three wins and four poles to go along with eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He and the No. 12 Verizon team swept the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as they won the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the Speedway's Road Course followed by the biggest victory of Power's career at the Indianapolis 500. The win represented Team Penske's 17th victory in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and Power became the first Australian driver to claim his spot on the legendary Borg-Warner Trophy. Power closed the season ranked third in the final series standings.
Power began his racing career in his native Australia competing in Formula Ford, including a Queensland state championship in 2000 and a runner-up national finish in 2001. He won the Formula Holden championship and placed second in the Australian F3 series in 2002. Power came to the United States in 2006 to compete in the Champ Car World Series and he earned Rookie-of-the-Year honors with Team Australia. He scored his first career INDYCAR win on the streets of Las Vegas in 2007.
Power joined Team Penske in 2009 - initially filling in for Helio Castroneves - and he collected his first victory for the team that season at Edmonton. Injuries suffered in a practice accident at Sonoma Raceway brought an early end to his first season with the team, but Power returned to compete for a full season with Team Penske in 2010 and he has been winning ever since.
After finishing as series runner up for three consecutive seasons, Power captured the 2014 INDYCAR SERIES championship behind three victories, seven podium finishes and four pole positions. With the title-winning performance, Power became the first Australian driver to win the INDYCAR crown and the first to win a major motorsports championship since 1980 when Alan Jones captured the F1 title.
Power and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Charlotte, North Carolina with their young son Beau. Power is an avid fitness enthusiast and amateur drummer. In recent years, the native of Toowoomba, Australia has continued to build on his love of go-kart racing by giving young racers opportunities to hone their skills.
Power Key Accomplishments