IndyCar observers couldn’t help but wonder if Will Power's win last week at Portland, his 45th for the organization, impressed team owner Roger Penske enough to ensure Power a seat for 2026.
Veteran racer Graham Rahal endorsed Power, saying he’d be an asset at Rahal Letterman Lanigan.
Rahal also remarked that like the rest of the paddock, he isn’t sure if Power officially is “on the market,” as he put it.
Paul Tracy, the 2003 CART series champion and former driver for IndyCar kingpin Roger Penske, asked the million-dollar question regarding Will Power’s contract status: “What the hell are they thinking at Team Penske?”
Power, who has slogged on all season long in the final year of his contract amid chatter that rival David Malukas and possibly others were eyeing his opportunity, won the NTT IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Portland last Sunday in Oregon. And he did it in bold style, fending off insistent challengers Christian Lundgaard and four-time champion Alex Palou.
Former racer and current FOX broadcaster James Hinchcliffe marveled at Power’s grit in the final laps of the race during the most recent Off Track with Hinch & Rossi podcast: “Will Power, Christian Lundgaard, Alex Palou, all on different fuel levels, different life tires and ran with a blanket over them for the last 20 laps.
"And the pressure that Will was under, keeping those guys behind, managing the traffic in front, having to burn his push-to-pass to pass lapped cars that then immediately pulled out of the way for the other two. It was a distinct disadvantage to be leading, in some ways. But he held it together, and it was a brilliant drive from start to finish and a very well-deserved win.”
IndyCar observers couldn’t help but wonder if that victory, Power’s 45th for the organization, impressed Penske enough to ensure the two-time champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner would remain with the decorated three-car team.
Power flipped the narrative briefly, saying, “Maybe it’s my decision.”
Still, with two more races left on the schedule, the curiosity continues. Alexander Rossi asked Hinchcliffe, “Could you imagine being Team Penske right now?” Then he said, “Maybe that's an unfair question, because none of us really has any clue as to what is happening behind the scenes. But let's just say the rumors are ultimately true, that Will doesn't really have a spot there next year... Will's looking for a ride... all these sort of things that seem to be the reality that at least the outsider knows or has been privy to.
“But he is by far, hands-down, your best guy—not just this year, but the past couple of years. He has been the benchmark at that team, and his frustration and some of his quotes are so warranted,” Rossi said. “And it's like any driver in this series—and this is referring to last year—who's won three races and had two poles and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, would have a contract.”
Power made his point: “I won three races last year. If you're a team, if you're waiting on me to know if I'm good enough, I don't know what you're thinking.”
Veteran racer Graham Rahal endorsed Power, saying he’d be an asset at Rahal Letterman Lanigan. However, he remarked that like the rest of the paddock, he isn’t sure if Power officially is “on the market,” as he put it. “I have a lot of respect for Willy. I love Will,” he said. “But the reality is I'm not even so sure he's actually—is he available or is he not, you know? I mean you hear both sides, so we'll see what happens.”
Rossi called it “a wild scenario” that Power is in the position he’s in. He said, “That doesn't mean he is not going to have a job next year, doesn't mean he's not going to have a great job next year. But it's a very weird kind of situation that's presented itself. From my understanding, this isn't a scenario where it's like, ‘Oh, he's not being re-signed because he's demanding some absurd amount of money.’
"This isn't a money sort of holdup that is preventing this. It's purely—there's an ideology shift, and Will's just not a part of that. And for him to understand that, accept that, and then still perform like he just did is phenomenal to me.”
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