Known for being from Australia, Will Power considers Texas his second home as wife Elizabeth is from around the area. So going into this weekend’s race, it’s no secret that a win at Texas could be special for the Powers.
Power carries a lot of momentum into Texas Motor Speedway this weekend following a successful weekend in Detroit that saw him pick up a win and now sit atop the IndyCar point standings for the first time since 2012. He has also been quick so far this season with podium finishes the majority of the weekends.
The only snag in this perfect scenario – Power isn’t known for being great on ovals.
When you look at Will Power’s statistics in the IndyCar Series, they show that the bulk of his success has come on the road and street courses. It is on those courses where Power can dominate for laps on end and find speed that leave you baffled compared to his competitors.
However, when it comes to ovals, Power is known for being inside the top 10 on most cases – but not race contending material. Texas is one of the tracks where the trend is a little different for Power, though, as he won the race in 2011 and won the pole for last year’s event. What makes it different? Perhaps he has found his groove on the high banks with the high speeds versus some of the smaller ovals that Indy goes to.
Either way, heading into this weekend with four straight top eight finishes in his last four starts lead many to believe that despite the previous trends, Power may surprise this weekend. One thing is certian, the driver of the No. 12 Verizon Dallara-Chevrolet wants to improve upon the eighth place finish from last year.
“My teammate absolutely destroyed the field last year,” Power said, speaking of teammate Helio Castroneves. “No excuses on the car front. That is just confidence on ovals. It’s a very light downforce we run now, and you’re lifting. Yeah, we just got to turn up there, see what we got, try to have a good weekend.”
