'Just funny.' Will Power delivers Team Penske breakthrough IndyCar win despite unknown future with team

Indianapolis Star

14 hours ago

PORTLAND, Ore. — A year ago, Will Power sat at this very stage and was resolute that at 43 years old, with series season highs of three wins, seven podiums and Team Penske's most recent IndyCar title, he wasn't about to be pushed out of the sport as he approached what would be the final year on his current contract in 2025.
And yet, 12 months later with just two races remaining on that deal, as Team Penske's only race-winner this season, and its leader in points, podiums and top-5s not only this year but since the start of 2022, that future remains as uncertain as ever.
This week, Power revealed the deadline for which news will be known as to whether Team Penske's 17-year veteran with two championships and an Indy 500 victory to his credit — sometime around the Aug. 31 season finale — but even in the wake of his victory Sunday at Portland International Raceway, Power spoke every bit like a driver somewhat fed up with the lack of clarity, given the resume he can lay out for Roger Penske at the board room table.
'I won three races last year. If you're a team, and you're waiting on me to know if I'm good enough, I don't know what you're thinking,' a resolute Power said Sunday, having leapt to sixth in points with two races to go, just 56 points back of where he finished a year ago (fourth) despite a pair of blown engines, a tire failure while in the lead at Gateway and a Lap 1 crash at St. Pete that, admittedly, was a calamity of his own making.
'If you're actually waiting, 'I'm not sure this guy is good enough,' just go back to last year, and you'll (expletive) know.'
When asked directly whether he felt capturing the team's first win of 2025 and his present place in the points had earned him another stint at his longtime home, Power answered as politically correct as he could, but was clearly miffed and seemed to give an answer that was genuine.
'I have no clue. I don't know. Nothing else to say, man," he said. "I don't know.
'(Winning) is a nice feeling. Done it many times before. Just funny that it comes at this time of the year. It's going to be interesting, man. Obviously, I don't know what the future holds, but I think this was just very nice.'
Asked in a different manner, with a reporter curious whether he can now feel as if he's firmly put the ball in Penske's court, having finally captured a win this year, something he said two months ago would be a key box to be able to tick in the midst of negotiations, Power offered this rather interesting quip: 'I don't know, man. Maybe it's my decision?'
Without question, his demand runs wide throughout the paddock, with virtually no Silly Season yet for 2026, beyond Arrow McLaren and Andretti Global declaring that seats of theirs that appeared to be in some level of question would see no changes heading into 2026.
Insider: When will Will Power learn his IndyCar future? Team Penske legend expects to have to wait til finale
Elsewhere, Meyer Shank Racing notably has yet to come to terms on a new deal to secure Marcus Armstrong's services beyond the end of this season (Armstrong, for what it's worth, is on loan from Chip Ganassi Racing, so it's unclear exactly which party may be doing the direct negotiating with the young Kiwi driver who sits ninth in points). Rahal Letterman Lanigan is also known to be a potential landing spot, should the team trigger unique terms in its multi-year deal with Devlin DeFrancesco that could lead to the sides parting ways after just one season. Multiple sources in the paddock believe there are mechanisms, too, that could hold onto much-needed funding for the No. 30 that could make continuing to fund that ride in DeFrancesco's absence easier than originally believed.
'We've been very fortunate the last 17 years that Will has had the consistency and a solid home at Penske,' Will's wife Liz told IndyStar post-race Sunday when asked what the months of uncertainty had been like to experience. 'This has been the longest — and really the first time. We've never gone through this before like this.
'After May, seeing Will going through this rollercoaster of the emotions, it's been more melancholy. Not mad; just disappointed because, as he's said, 'I've been loyal,' and we haven't gotten a lot of answers, and it's been hard to watch him go through that. But on the flipside, it's been a fun experience for us …'
Fun?
'Well, just because you see there's interest in Will. There's a lot of interest in Will. (Other teams outside Penske) see his worth. I think he's handling this, in whatever which way it goes, so we'll see what happens at the last race.'
Explainer: Why is Team Penske considering replacing Will Power when he's been its best driver this year?
In his first public news conference as the president of Team Penske's IndyCar and sportscar programs, Jonathan Diuguid wasn't prepared to offer any concrete resolution to Power's future beyond the season finale Aug. 31 at Nashville Superspeedway.
'Will's future is about 30 minutes old from winning a race,' Diuguid said. 'His future's definitely bright. He did an amazing job today. We're looking forward to the last two races of the season.'
When pressed by IndyStar why the team's longest-tenured driver, who holds the team's top championship position, its first win in 2025 and its most recent championship, among other notable metrics in Power's and manager Oriol Servia's corner at the negotiating table, doesn't yet have that future with the team set in place, Diuguid declined to elaborate further.
'I'm not going to discuss that today. I'm going to focus on the win, the team performance,' Diuguid said. 'Like you mentioned before, winning can do a lot of things. It's very positive for our program. We're going to reap all the benefits of that as we head to Milwaukee.'