After earning the Verizon P1 Award for the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest, Will Power said he left some speed on the historic Milwaukee Mile. He used all the horsepower the Chevrolet engine could muster Aug. 17 to dominate the 250-lap race and take command of the Verizon IndyCar Series championship.
Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, turned away challenges by Tony Kanaan and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya to win by 2.7949 seconds over Montoya. Kanaan finished third and Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon placed fourth. Josef Newgarden, who was running third when he had to pit for fuel on Lap 237, rebounded to finish fifth.
It was the first victory at Milwaukee, the first on a short oval and the first on an oval since Auto Club Speedway last October for Power, who swept the bonus points for winning the pole and leading the most laps. He also earned a point for leading a lap. Power came into the 16th of 18 races with a four-point lead over Helio Castroneves and heads to the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 24 with a 39-point advantage over his teammate.
“Oh, man, I love winning on ovals,” Power said as he crossed the finish line.
There are six contenders for the title, which will be decided for the ninth consecutive year in the MAVTV 500 finale Aug. 30 at Auto Club Speedway.
“It’s a perfect way to start this three-race chase,” added Power, who led 229 laps.
