His fingers were red and his tongue was burning. Will Power's stomach was empty three hours after he crossed under the checkered flag. Chris Owens, the photographer who volunteered his favorite snack, gave the Australian a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, which he quickly devoured before our interview. He was trying to put out the fire in his mouth with water. The comical scene was a perfect example of the fascinating personality of the driver. Gotta love the new and hungry champ, @12WillPower, who was sorted with flaming hot Cheetos by ace #IndyCar shooter @ChrisOwens500 before our interview. pic.twitter.com/MM6ah8sz4u Power has become one of the sport's most enduring gifts because of its silly exterior and ferocious intensity inside. While most major racing teams go to great lengths to tame their drivers' public persona, his Team Penske handlers surrendered, raising the white flag to that notion. You can get everything from jokes that can never be repeated, to discussions about alien life, to explorations into the inner workings of his mind, if you spend 15 minutes with the champ. - Watch Formula One and the W Series all season long on ESPN
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
The magic is found in power's eccentricities. Power's curiosity and extroversion allow him to stay fresh and search for new limits.
Power is 41 years old. The 24 full-time drivers who spent eight months and 17 races trying and failing to prevent him from earning his second Indy title were delighted with the way he treated them.
Power's latest title is a celebration of his hunger and power after eight years. It's a reminder that he's come a long way since leaving his hometown of Toowoomba to pursue open-wheel glory. Will Power is a guy who was never expected to reach the top of the sport.
Power would represent a group of homespun sponsors through Team Australia in the former Champ Car series. There was nothing to suggest that he was ready to be the fastest driver in the history of the series.
After an unremarkable debut in the Indy Series in 2008, Power went into the off-season with a decision to make. His life would change a lot thanks to the IRS.
Power was drafted in as a short-term substitute by Roger Penske while Castroneves was on trial for tax evasion. Power stood on the podium three times and won a race in Canada.
Power's home has been his home for 13 years since he heard about the series.
Penske said that he showed them what he had. It was the next phase of Power's career that was most relevant to the season that just ended.
Over the course of three seasons, Power amassed 14 wins and 21 poles, more than any other driver. His approach to racing spoke to his feast or famine approach.
Power was defeated by Franchitti in 2010 and 2011; the Scot used a strategy of consistency to make Power powerless by the end of the season. Franchitti won when possible, accepted defeat when it wasn't, and watched as his points lead over Power grew. Ryan Hunter-Reay was crowned in 2012 after applying the same formula.
There was a lot of Ricky Bobby in Power. "If you ain't first, you're last" is what the character says if he wasn't first.
The flaw in Power's approach was reinforced when Castroneves replaced him. It was the Brazilian's efficient scoring at the other rounds that mattered more than Power's three victories. Power needed a wakeup call after finishing fourth in the championship.
The points-first formula that had been used against him wasEmbracing the points-first formula that had been used against him He'd capture three wins and four poles, but that wasn't the important part: Power made peace with finishing second or third or fourth and ran away to win his first title by a large margin over Castroneves.
It was certain that Power would march to two or three more titles in a row after the code was cracked. That never happened.
His fleeting grasp of the formula gave way to mechanical failures and crashes. Even worse, new teammates Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden won three titles for Penske during that time.
If Power wanted to avoid spending the rest of his days as a one-and-done champion, he would have to do some things.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) September 13, 2022"That sounds surreal."
Listen to the radio communication from @Team_Penske as @12WillPower secured the championship at @WeatherTechRcwy.#INDYCAR // #FirestoneGP pic.twitter.com/mOsvwo37UW
When Palou won the title, Power thought, "You've just got to accept you're not gonna win every race, you're not gonna get every pole, and not dwell on it." That is a big change for me." It made me feel better.
For whatever reason, Palou triggered a return to the mindset Power lost in the intervening years when he consistently scored points. He has one win and nine podiums to his credit, which is similar to what Castroneves has done, with one win and nine podiums to his credit.
Power was proud to say that this year was more consistent than the previous one.
Power was given flowers by an old rival after the Sunday race.
"Dario told me that I was doing to the young guys what he was doing to me," Power said. I'm still able to be extremely fast, even though I've still got the speed. Consistency is a great combination.
I have to dig deeper. You lose that thing. You lose some of the fire in the belly as you age. It can make you slow. You need to dig deep to keep that. I think getting older has toned me down a little.
The last note from Power could be the key to his success.
Spending all those years trying to get the winning mindset back was frustrating and futile. Power has accepted who he is now and is a two-time champion, rather than continuing the fight to rediscover what he once was.
He said that it had evolved over a long time. That is where I am right now, through all those experiences. You will never improve if you don't learn from them. You're not going to. It blows your mind that there have been drivers who spent their entire careers crashing.
They haven't thought about what area in their mind they can't back off. That is something that can happen. At times, you feel it in your own body. "Why did I do that?" Go back to the right mindset after reflecting. I've had enough of those things.
After finishing his bag of Cheetos, Power put his newfound status as an older and wiser champion in terms that would make Dave Grohl proud.
He said it was gratifying. It's funnier that I hadn't won one yet, but it's definitely not as big of a relief. As you get older, you enjoy the journey more. The fun part of it is that you enjoy the whole process of what you're doing. The title came out of it. I am not happy.
I worked hard at something and got the most out of it, and left nothing on the table for the rest of the year. When you learn a song, you really understand it. The craft is what it is. The craft is something I enjoy.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
