Will Power “powered” all day through the back end of the 27-car field to finish sixth at The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. (Photo Credit: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
THERMAL, Calif. — It was a memorable day for two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion Will Power, who finished sixth in Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR Series INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Thermal Club after starting in 21st place after climbing 15 positions in the race under green.
The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske entry made a strong recovery on Sunday after being involved in an early crash during the season-opening race at St. Petersburg on March 2.
Team Penske struggled to put together a solid qualification lap in Saturday’s session for all three of the organization’s entries, Power ultimately rolled off from the 11th row in 21st place alongside the No. 90 Prema Racing entry of Callum Ilott.
As the green flag waved for 65 laps around The Thermal Club circuit, Power got to work as he slowly but surely began to carve through the field around the 17-turn, 3.067-mile-long road course.
Power had found himself inside the top 15 within the first 16 laps of the race, filing in one second behind the sophomore driver for Arrow McLaren, Nolan Siegel.
On Lap 22, Power made a daring three-wide move exiting Turn 14, navigating around Siegel as Power slowly progressed towards the top 10.
Power had finally surpassed both six-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion Scott Dixon and defending Indianapolis 500 winner and Penske teammate Josef Newgarden, breaking into the top 10 with 26 laps remaining in the race. The Australian driver had gained 12 positions—more than any other driver in the field during the event.
Power serviced his No. 12 for the final time on lap 46, throwing on Firestone red tires as most of the leaders made their last and most crucial pit stops of the race.
Power navigated the 17-turn course with speed and precision at The Thermal Club on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
As pit stops came to a close, the 42-time NTT INDYCAR Series winner had recycled back into the 12th position, settling all over the rear bumper of Marcus Armstrong before passing him back on Lap 48.
As the laps continued to wind down in Southern California, the Australian climbed to eighth place, engaging in battles with both Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist on track.
As the battle for the lead at the front intensified between Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward, Power put pressure on Rossi and overtook him to claim seventh place with a daring move to the outside as they entered Turn 7. With just five laps remaining, Power began to catch up to Rosenqvist, filling his rearview mirror.
With two laps remaining, Power made his final move on Marcus Armstrong, overcoming a six-second deficit to the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing entry and sliding into sixth place behind Rosenqvist as the field took the white flag.
“We didn’t get any yellows, so it was pure pace. Our guys used a great strategy, and we used our speed and was really patient and methodical through the field. We were all pretty disappointed in qualifying, I thought we should’ve been in the top 10 at least. That’s racing and that’s a good day, you look back on those good days to help you win a championship.”
The No. 12 Team Penske crew prioritized saving an extra set of Firestone red tires, which helped Power navigate through the field.
“The extra set of (Firestone) red tires helped us big time. It was cool because, at St. Petersburg, we didn’t have that luxury because the (Firestone) green tires were so soft, you couldn’t even use it in the race, and for today’s race, it was the preferred tire.”
Power and the Team Penske crew made progress on Sunday by improving their placement to 15th in the points standings. The series keeps it in the state of California for the third round of the season with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13.
