Will Power wins the Kohler Grand Prix Sunday in IndyCar’s return to Road America.
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Australian pole sitter Will Power won his second consecutive IndyCar race on Sunday, defeating Brazil’s Tony Kanaan by 0.7429sec at the Grand Prix of Road America.
Will Power has bolted his Team Penske Chevrolet on to pole position at Road American after fending off Scott Dixon by less than two-tenths of a second to continue his resignation of his 2016 campaign.
“We were a lap short, but I think he had three push to pass’s, which gives us extra power and we only had one”.
Tony Kanaan starts third at the four-plus mile road course in Wisconsin.
Power has a fast auto, “but I don’t think he was like anywhere stronger”, Kanaan said. “I want to come back next week and do it again here, We need more events like this … places that (people) can camp and bring their families”. There are seven races to go and we’re still in it. There could be a 100-poiint swing in the last race (at Sonoma, Calif., which has double points). A good first stint got us up near Pagenaud.
Track officials said the race weekend broke an attendance record but they did not yet have a specific number. If I didn’t have that, TK [Kanaan] had a really good shot at getting me – he was very quick and he was on reds [soft alternate tires] too.
“We wasted an opportunity for the championship”, Pagenaud said, “but Dixon didn’t have much luck either”.
Now Power has won twice in the past three weeks, adding the victory at Road America to his triumph at Detroit on June 5.
Power got acclimated quickly, and his No. 12 Chevy seemed to get better after each practice.
“Finally back to my normal fitness level, just the way I do things”, Power said.
Lead changes: 4 among 3 drivers. Maybe the best auto doesn’t win.
The two drivers laid down some of the smoothest laps of the day as they played a game of cat and mouse all the way to the finish.
Expanding on this topic, Power admitted that his early-season fitness struggles had taken their toll on his qualifying and race results. “I spent a lot of time there as a kid when my dad was racing, and I still love going there”. Ryan Hunter-Reay 5. Helio Castroneves 6. (14) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 50, Running 8. Josef Newgarden (-92) and Kanaan (-95) are also still within striking distance of Pagenaud.
Lehigh Valley native Marco Andretti finished 12th. James Hinchcliffe 15. Alexander Rossi 16. Other Formula 1 drivers have found success around the Green Hell of the West, Jackie Oliver, Brian Redman, Vern Schuppan, Hector Rebaque, Danny Sulliva, Mario Andretti and his son Michael, Jacques Villeneuve Sr and his son, Emerson Fittipaldi and his son Christian, Alex Zanardi, Cristiano de Matta, and Sebastien Bourdais have all found themselves in victory lane in Road America.
With series leader Simon Pagenaud fading to 13th place in the final few laps, Power closed to within 81 points in the standings with seven races left.
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Rookie driver Conor Daly skidded off the track at turn one of the 40th lap, forcing a the yellow flag.
