Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA
Special feature

Captain's Corner: Will Power on "cat and mouse game" of Indy 500

As part of Motorsport.com’s content partnership with Team Penske, we will provide fans with exclusive content each week from the organization’s drivers, crew members and staff throughout the 2017 season.

Roger Penske

Roger Penske

Scott R LePage / Motorsport Images

Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske Chevrolet, Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet, Helio Castroneves, Team Penske Chevrolet
Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet

This week, Penske’s IndyCar Series driver, Will Power, offers a first-person diary talking about starting the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Starting off the month of May with a win in the Indy Grand Prix means everything, but how it affects the success level for the #12 Verizon Chevrolet team for the Indianapolis 500 probably won’t be that much on the technical/mechanical side. 

After the bad luck we had at the start of the season, getting a win was great for the team in terms of morale. We’ve had great cars at all the races, but we had some unfortunate circumstances that got us in a bit of a hole. Our run at Phoenix was good and pretty much set the stage for the Indy Grand Prix. Now, the whole team is in a good place, mentally, after the tough start.

It was great to go out and take care of business like we did in the Indy Grand Prix. To be the fastest in every session really speaks to the level of commitment in this team. As a group, we never got down on ourselves with the tough times at the beginning. We went through them last year, too, but were able to get into the championship hunt at the end. 

One thing I learned last year was not to put so much urgency on making up the ground in one race. That’s hard to do. It’s a process, and if we just go about our business and limit the mistakes, then we really should be there at the end.

Indianapolis is synonymous with May. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the great tracks in the world. What the 500 brings to this city and region is special. There’s so much history and so much continuity. Sure, there have been changes, but the track is the same and so many of the fans really identify with this race. It’s a feeling in the air. Even now, a couple of weeks before the race, people are showing up at the race track to watch practice and are very excited.

Because the two races and everything about them is so different, using the Grand Prix as a predictor is not the best measuring stick. But, it certainly beats not winning and heading into the 500 with another thing hanging around our necks. 

We all are super-excited to get practice underway for the 500. I don’t think we’ll learn where everyone else is until later in the week, but we’ll learn plenty about our car. How it runs in traffic is such a key component here and that’s difficult to simulate. I think having five cars here for Team Penske will be advantageous. We’ll be able to create some traffic scenarios if other drivers or teams are not comfortable with it or if we’re not comfortable being in that situation with them. 

It really is a cat-and-mouse game all the way through the month. There are things we need to learn but there are things that we don’t want to divulge until we have to. That’s part of racing in Indy. It’s been that way for many years now and it really adds to the excitement and anticipation. 

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Alonso: Dealing with high winds at 220mph around Indy “tricky”
Next article Hunter-Reay happy to help Alonso at Indy until race starts

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA