With the IndyCar season finale nearly here, Will Power is hoping to keep a historic win streak alive.
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In 2007, George W. Bush was in the middle of his second term as President of the United States. Apple released the first iPhone. The Departed won the Oscar for Best Picture. The Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears to become Super Bowl champions. A gallon of gas averaged $3.38. And Will Power won his first Indy-style race, claiming the checkered flag in Champ Car's season-opening Vegas Grand Prix.
Since gaining that initial victory on April 8, 2007, in just his second full year in Champ Car, Power has forged one of the most successful careers in American open wheel racing. Between his two victories in Champ Car, and 39 others in the unified IndyCar Series after Champ Car's merger with the Indy Racing League,
Power has become IndyCar's all-time leader in pole positions. He has also amassed 41 victories in his open wheel career, including IndyCar championships in 2014 and 2022 and the 2018 Indianapolis 500. He ranks fifth all-time in career victories behind only legends such as A.J. Foyt (67), Mario Andretti (52) and Michael Andretti (42); and rival Scott Dixon (55).
Throughout his career, Power has won at least one IndyCar race every year since that maiden victory more than 16 years ago, but with just one race remaining in the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season—this Sunday at Laguna Seca—Power's long winning streak is under attack.
The defending series champion, Power hasn't had a terrible year; driving for Team Penske, he sits 7th in the points standings, won two poles, finished in the top-five five times and has 10 top 10 finishes. It just hasn't been a season that has reached the lofty standards that Power usually attains. The Toowoomba, Australia, native's best finish so far this year has been a pair of second places at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and the Hy-Vee One Step 250 at Iowa Speedway.
Yet Power surely isn't about to give up the final chance to extend his consecutive winning season streak to 17. Since the 2022 IndyCar Series season finale at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca last September, track officials have repaved the 2.2 mile natural terrain road course. IndyCar held a special test session for all teams on Thursday to get accustomed to the new track surface. Not surprisingly, lap times were considerably quicker than previous years, and nine drivers eclipsed with Helio Castroneves' track record set in 2000.
The quickest in the test session? Will Power—who edged Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Christian Lundgaard by just 0.0327 of a second, serving notice that his impressive win streak still has a pulse.
