Will Power qualified for the 110th Indianapolis 500 with a four‑lap run of 230.279 mph and will start from the inside of Row 7 when the race runs Sunday, May 24th.
Those numbers sit against a career that has rarely looked ordinary: Power spent 17 years with Team Penske, won IndyCar series titles in 2014 and 2022 and took the Indianapolis 500 in 2018. He leaves Penske with the most wins in that team’s history at 42 victories; WISH‑TV lists him fourth on the all‑time wins list with 45 career triumphs.
Power’s arrival at Andretti Global in September 2025 was framed as a straight choice. He told reporters at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 7 that he had examined “what Andretti has and their ability, resources, and people and engineers,” and that “it was just an easy decision for me. I’m enjoying the process.” He called Mario Andretti the “epitome of true racing,” said it was an honor to wear the Andretti name and described his transition as “really good,” adding there was “no animosity from where I came from or anything like that” and that he was “very grateful to Penske for the career that I had.”
The immediate results this season have been mixed. Power has not won a race in 2026, sits 14th in the standings, finished third at Arlington and has made contact during five race weekends. Andretti’s three‑car lineup pairs Power with Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson; Kirkwood sits second in the championship behind 2025 Indy 500 winner Alex Palou. Speedcafe reported that Power and Ericsson qualified 19th and 17th fastest respectively after rolling out from 10th and 13th in the qualifying order, and that Kirkwood ended up 25th after running 23rd in the order.
That contrast — a decorated veteran in a midpack starting slot — is the tension of Power’s weekend. He has repeatedly pushed back on the idea that grid position at Indianapolis is determinative. “If it’s a hot day, I think you can start anywhere,” he said, and later: “Yes, I don’t think it matters where you start. You absolutely could start last and end up in the front.” He also pointed to the strength of Andretti as a reason for optimism: “Just watch Kyle. He’s obviously been the strongest guy out there in practice, just watching him chop through the field,” and, of his own machines, “Marcus and I also have good cars. Yeah, confident that we can be right out in front at the end of this race.” Ericsson echoed that tone, saying, “Like these guys have said, we had good practice last week,” and voicing “high confidence” that Andretti would be competitive.
Power has also stressed the learning curve inside Andretti. He said working with team principal Ron Ruzewski — in his first year at Andretti after 20 years with Penske — has helped him adjust to new procedures and people. That familiarity with both the old and the new is part of why he described the move as easy: he told reporters he was “very fortunate to drive for Roger (Penske) and to work with him and that whole team,” while saying he is studying how Andretti operates alongside Ruzewski.
The sharper question now is whether Andretti’s infrastructure and Power’s experience can turn a mid‑pack starting spot into a contender on race day. He has the resume — two championships, an Indianapolis 500 win and more than four dozen career victories — and he remains bullish about the unpredictability of the 500. If the season’s early contacts and lack of wins are a concern, Power believes history and circumstance still work in his favor: “You can’t predict when a yellow may fall,” he said, “You can certainly drive to the front from there.”
So Power arrives at Indianapolis no longer wearing Penske blue but still carrying a simple confidence: that experience, a deep team and the chaotic math of the 500 can combine to put him back where he belongs — up front by the checkered flag.
