Team Penske’s Will Power claimed his 44th career win in IndyCar – his third victory of the season – in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland, allowing him to gain ground on championship leader Alex Palou.
Starting second, Power took the fight to Palou as soon as the green flag waved, the Aussie overtaking poleman Santino Ferrucci entering Turn 1 and remaining in command for the majority of the 110-lap race, only relinquishing the lead during pit stops.
Palou passed Ferrucci for second on Lap 8 and stayed in the runner-up spot for most of the race while Power’s Penske teammate Josef Newgarden completed the podium.
“Very rewarding,” Power said. “I came here determined, so did the whole team. We wanted to get qualifying right and then execute in the race. It’s not a last-ditch effort, but really if Palou finished ahead of us today, it was going to be very difficult.
“We’re going to keep fighting ahead here. A couple of bad races before this, but let’s see if we can get a championship.”
With three races to go – all ovals – Palou holds a 54-point advantage over Power in the standings, setting the stage for a fiercely contested IndyCar championship battle.
