Power expects to be cleared for Sonoma test

Power’s car was nudged by Charlie Kimball’s Ganassi-Chevrolet into a side impact with the barrier at the top of the 150mph Esses on Lap 39 of the IndyCar race today at Watkins Glen International. The #12 Penske-Chevrolet made a hard hit, and word was from IndyCar Medical that Power had been checked and released but had not been cleared to drive due to concussion-like symptoms.

However, Power told Motorsport.com that he expected no problem, and would retake the SCAT [Standardized Concussion Assessment Test] tomorrow with Dr. Terry Trammell, IndyCar’s legendary doctor.

“I’m basically OK,” he said. “I just need to get checked out with Dr. Trammell tomorrow. I’ll probably need some muscle relaxers for my neck, but apart from that I feel fine. Pissed off, but fine.”

Power has dropped from 28 points to 43 points behind Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud at the head of the championship table. The title race has now been whittled down to just these two drivers, and should Power prove victorious at Sonoma, it obliges Pagenaud to finish at least fifth.

Aside from KVSH Racing and Sebastien Bourdais, all regular team/driver combos are attending next Thursday's test at Sonoma Raceway, along with three Indy Lights drivers.

“Need to speak with Kimball”

Power said he had not yet talked to Kimball about their collision, but said he intended to.

“I need to speak with him, definitely,” said Power. “I saw him earlier, but it was in front of other people and I didn’t want to get into it.

“I just don’t understand what the guy was thinking. If you look at the replay, it was obvious I was moving left, taking the normal racing line and trying to get a tow from [Carlos] Munoz.

“But Charlie kept going left until he just got my bumper with his front wing. If he had a run on me, why the hell didn’t he move right and draft past me up the inside? It wasn’t like I suddenly moved left and blocked him. I was just taking the racing line.”  

Strategy stymied

Power’s first pitstop, under the first full-course caution, dropped him behind Ganassi’s Tony Kanaan and teammate Pagenaud. Explaining the reason behind making an early second stop, Power said: “We were trying to get clear track, because the train ahead was going slow, but a bunch of other cars pitted early too, and so I was just in more traffic. That defeated the purpose a bit.

“Stopping a lap earlier for the first stop [as did the victorious Scott Dixon, just before Mikhail Aleshin’s shunt brought out the full-course yellow] would have been good! But I fell the right side of that in Toronto, so whatever, man. Goes around, comes around. You can’t win them all.”