His fingers were stained reddish orange and his tongue was burning.
Three hours after crossing under the checkered flag in Monterey, California, on Sunday, newly crowned IndyCar champion Will Power‘s stomach was empty. Thanks to a quick assist from IndyCar photographer Chris Owens, who volunteered his favorite snack, the Australian was satiated, hastily munching his way through a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in the media center before our interview. Moments later, he was frantically grasping for a bottle of water to douse the fire raging in his mouth.
The comical scene was a perfect encapsulation of IndyCar’s most fascinating personality.
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
— Marshall Pruett (@marshallpruett) September 12, 2022
Downright silly outside of the car and frequently overcome with ferocious intensity in it, Power has become one of the sport’s most enduring gifts. While most major racing teams go to great lengths to tame their drivers’ public personas, his Team Penske handlers surrendered, raising the white flag to that notion many moons ago.
Spend 15 minutes with IndyCar’s 2022 champion, and you could get everything from jokes that can never be repeated, existential discussions about alien life, unwavering honesty — occasionally at his team’s expense — explorations into the inner workings of his mind, reviews of YouTube documentaries he’s recently discovered and debates on the world’s greatest drummers.
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Power’s eccentricities are where the magic is found. His mercurial talent also emanates from that place; his boundless curiosity and extroversion allows Power to stay fresh, continue searching for new limits to surpass with the throttle pedal and steering wheel.
At 41, Power hasn’t softened with age. He took delight in humbling his younger teammates and the rest of the 24 full-time drivers who spent eight months and 17 races trying and failing to prevent him from earning his second IndyCar title.
Taken eight years after his first, Power’s latest championship is a celebration of his hunger and staying power. It’s also a reminder of how far he’s come since leaving his hometown of Toowoomba nearly…
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