{"id":132396,"date":"2025-09-10T09:07:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/132396\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T09:07:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:07:14","slug":"i-was-ped-off-the-logic-for-a-shock-indycar-split","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/132396\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I was p***ed off’ – The logic for a shock IndyCar split"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will Power is an Andretti driver, and few saw it coming.<\/p>\n

After 17 years at Penske, Power took the decision to leave and now everyone knows why he made that decision – because Colton Herta\u2019s move to F2 opened up his seat at Andretti.<\/p>\n

Power has discussed the move in more detail, including an incredibly frank and forthcoming assessment of how things ended at Penske, his dealings with the team in the final year of his contract and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s just the right time,\u201d Power told the Ask Off Track Podcast, which featured Power, TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss and Herta.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew in my gut, when you get to my age, you know when it’s time to make a change, and that was my feeling from the outset.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Power\u2019s Penske doubts started\"\"<\/p>\n

In terms of a timeline, ultimately Power didn\u2019t make the final decision to leave Penske until around the time he broke the team\u2019s win drought at Portland in August, after a full season of everyone knowing he was coming to the end of his then-current contract.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had permission from Roger Penske to chat to other teams – he wonders if that was because Penske was evaluating him, his replacement or both – and Andretti didn\u2019t start to seriously explore a future without F2-bound Herta until June, almost a month after Power had been given that permission.<\/p>\n

But the foundational elements of Power\u2019s decision to leave go even further back, to the year before. Power admitted that if Penske had offered him a deal in May, he would have taken it, but 2024 still clearly impacted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started way back in ’24,\u201d Power explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, when I signed my last contract, I did go back to Tim Cindric (then in charge of Penske\u2019s IndyCar operation) and say, \u2018Hey, I would like to do three years\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was around about in conversation, like, we’ll talk at the end of ’24 and if you’re still performing, still doing well, we’ll keep going.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I won three races in ’24. I was the only driver that went into the last race with a shot to win the championship against Palou. So at that point, I was like, \u2018Well, I’m sure they’re going to speak to me in the off season\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat never happened. They never actually said a word.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I was pissed off going into May about it. I was pissed off going into the season about it. I was pissed off that ‘you’re not even going to say anything’. That’s true.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoger wasn’t aware when I said that to him, something along the lines of that was even the case. So, yeah, maybe I should have just called Roger.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut yeah, I just thought what driver in the field wouldn’t be signed after winning three races, the champion won two. That’s Palou. I won three. Like, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

It does feel a bit as though Penske couldn\u2019t make up its mind over if Power was worth committing to for the long haul. Power says after winning at Portland – that was just last month remember – he says \u201cI did get a text from Roger after that race, it didn’t confirm anything, just kind of said, ‘Oh, this might help your situation for next year’.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Power pointed out to the media, hilariously around that time, the two-time champion and Indy 500 winner said any teams wondering if he was good enough should \u201cjust go back to last year and you’ll f**king know”.<\/a><\/p>\n

Eventually, after the dust had settled after Portland Penske offered Power a flight to Detroit to discuss his future, and they \u201cdid offer me something and I just said, look, I think it’s the right time for me to leave\u201d.<\/p>\n

Clearly, Power holds no grudges, calling Penske and \u201camazing team\u201d and says he will be \u201cforever grateful for what Roger has done for me\u201d.<\/p>\n

This impassioned declaration did come with more fascinating insight about Power\u2019s loyalty to Penske.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very loyal all the way through,\u201d Power said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever entertained another team. I had teams call me, offer me more money. I just didn’t even [entertain] it. And the deals I did, it’s hardly any negotiating. I almost asked them what they thought was fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was sort of relationship I had. So it was very good. And so that’s how it should be, both parties have got to be very happy with the situation. And it was always that at Penske.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without being prompted to, he did give his take on who would likely get his seat next year. \u201cI’m guessing it’ll be Malukas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Inspired by Towriss\"\"<\/p>\n

There are a few elements to Power\u2019s desire to switch to Andretti, but it\u2019s clear the CEO of the company that runs the IndyCar team, Dan Towriss, is a big draw for Power.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I ever talked to Dan, I just thought that he’s a very intelligent guy,\u201d says Power.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was very aware of what needed to change within his team, which is, sometimes unusual, I’d say, for a guy in his position, who is not there day to day.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he really understood, Hey, I know these have things have got to change at that team. And was very determined to make all happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Towriss claims Power came up to him at Road America and said ‘I want to drive for you’.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear Towriss was as impressed with Power as vice versa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think I appreciated just how intense his work ethic is, and how much of a technician he is, and how detailed he is,\u201d said Towriss.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo as I got to know him a little bit more as a race car driver, I was just like, I want this guy on my team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Towriss also confirmed this is a multi-year deal, a detail absent from the official announcement information.<\/p>\n

What does Power expect\"\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an implied understanding that the restructuring Power says Towriss wants to do means this team isn\u2019t the finished product, and that\u2019s fair. While its drivers haven\u2019t been mistake free or always consistent, this team can be guilty of shooting itself in the foot with pit, strategy and reliability issues too.<\/p>\n

But Power also feels he has something to prove.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ll tell you what’s left to prove, is that you could be incredibly competitive in your 40s,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can still win races and championships, and your performance does not drop off.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what he is most looking forward too, predictably one of the answers was driving Andretti\u2019s somewhat dominant street course car that has some picking Power as a favourite for pole in the 2026 season opener at St Petersburg already!<\/p>\n

The other is an intriguing notion that he is keen to feel a Honda engine for the first time in this IndyCar rules cycle.<\/p>\n

With what is believed to be more power lower down and different drivability feeling and settings, it will be fascinating to chart Power\u2019s feedback next year after so long in Chevrolet-powered equipment.<\/p>\n

How many more years does he have in IndyCar?\"\"<\/p>\n

When asked how long he could race on, the 44-year old said \u201clet\u2019s check back in in three years\u201d. Is that a hint at how long his Andretti contract runs for?<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say five years, you can still be very competitive, as long as you don’t slacken off in any way,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a constantly changing game, and you’ve got to keep updating.\u201d<\/p>\n

As long as Power is performing, his record and experience will make him a vital cog in any team. He continues to defy time through his ability and work ethic.<\/p>\n

Eventually, time will catch up with him, but clearly it’s finding it difficult to match Power\u2019s prodigious pace\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Will Power is an Andretti driver, and few saw it coming. After 17 years at Penske, Power took…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132397,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,806,805,803,804,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-132396","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-motor","11":"tag-motor-sports","12":"tag-motosport","13":"tag-motosports","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}