INDIANAPOLIS — Will Power has 18 victories since moving to America, where he’s one of the most decorated drivers in open-wheel racing.
But his résumé has some glaring holes: He’s never won an Indianapolis 500, and he’s never won a championship.
“I’d just love to win something, just one time win something of significance,” he said Thursday. “I’m so sick of it.”
The most dominant driver in IndyCar the last three seasons isn’t content with his results. And make no mistake, they are quite impressive.
In 44 starts since joining Penske Racing, Power has 15 wins, 20 poles, 24 podiums and has led at least one lap in 34 races.
“You think about his record with Penske Racing over the last three years, and he’s won almost one out of every three races he’s been in, and he’s been on the podium almost two-thirds of the time,” Penske said. “It really establishes him, from the road racing perspective at least, as the top driver out there right now.”
But Power wants more — a lot more — and his chance to cross the Indy 500 off his list comes Sunday, when he’ll start fifth. He goes into the race as IndyCar’s points leader, and has won the last three races of the season. Penske, meanwhile, is a perfect 4-0 in races and 5-0 in qualifying.
So this might just be the year for Power to finally break through. But the Australian can be his own worst enemy. His intensity at the race track is at an unbelievable level, and Thursday he said: “I find it very hard to relax. I’m always anxious. I’m always intense. Even just sitting here right now, I’m anxious.”
It has cost him at times, and everyone around him is aware of that vulnerability.
“He does four things in life: He sleeps, he eats, he drives race cars and he worries. Those are the four things he spends the most time doing in life,” Penske president Tim Cindric said. “But his success comes down to his dedication to what he does.”
