Will Power was on track for a runner-up finish in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, but late-race cautions and a challenging restart dropped him to fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
Power was running second on the primary pit strategy before the Lap 67 caution triggered by Callum Ilott’s crash. The yellow flag shuffled the field, as Santino Ferrucci, Kyffin Simpson, and Marcus Armstrong had already pit and cycled ahead. Power exited pit lane behind race winner Kyle Kirkwood but rejoined the race in fifth.
By Lap 77, the running order was Ferrucci, Kirkwood, Simpson, Power, and Colton Herta. Power made swift moves to get around Simpson and Ferrucci just before another major incident on Lap 83 when Louis Foster suffered a mechanical failure entering Turn 3, colliding with Felix Rosenqvist in a frightening crash. Both drivers were evaluated and released from the infield care center.
The race was red-flagged with Power sitting in second, but that moment turned out to be his undoing. On the restart with 11 laps to go, his car struggled on cold tires, and he lost positions to Ferrucci and Herta, ultimately settling for fourth.
“My car was very tough on the restart,” Power said. “We were as good as them once our tires were warmed up but struggled before. It was almost like I’m driving on snow.”
While Power acknowledged he likely didn’t have the pace to challenge Kirkwood for the win, he believes he could have held second without the late cautions.
Despite the disappointing finish, the result marked a significant personal milestone for Power, earning his 140th career top-five finish, moving him past Michael Andretti (139) and tying him with Al Unser for sixth on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES list.
“A little disappointed I didn’t get a podium, but obviously results really matter for me at the moment,” Power said.
