INDIANAPOLIS — Will Power’s fifth finish inside the top four positions in as many races has given the 2014 IndyCar Series champion the points lead after a third-place finish Saturday (May 14) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Power started on pole position but was gobbled up by Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward when the quartet got to turn 7 on the race’s opening lap. Power got by Newgarden with a small bump going into turn 10 but would lose that position to Felix Rosenqvist the next lap after the chicane on the backstretch.
Soon after, the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet went to pit road with half the field as the track gradually dried and slick tires became the strategic choice.
After hovering near fifth place for much of the race, Power and his team had a decision to make under caution for Jimmie Johnson’s stalled car.
Much of the field pitted on lap 59 and put on slick tires, feeling the rain was not intense enough to warrant a switch to rain tires. Two laps later, however, much of the field came back down pit road, Power included, for wet weather tires as the rain intensified.
That proved to be the correct call. Scott McLaughlin, O’Ward and Romain Grosjean stayed on the slick tires and fell through the order as the race progressed toward the end of the two-hour time window.
Meanwhile, the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner kept his car on track to finish third behind Colton Herta and Simon Pagenaud. Power’s result gives him a 14-point lead in the championship over Palou, who finished 18th.
“It’s not that good to think about points,” Power said. “But sometimes you have to be smart about it if you’re — you know Palou is going to be the guy and, obviously, Newgarden as well. It’s just one of those days where if you can finish in the top six, you’re going to get a good chunk of points on those guys.”
Power leapfrogged Palou, McLaughlin and Newgarden in the standings. McLaughlin fell from second to third after…
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