Will Power, Team Penske
The cast: Race engineer – David Faustino. Race strategist – Tim Cindric. Chief mechanic – Matt Jonsson.
Twitter: @12WillPower, @Team_Penske
The car: No. 12 Chevrolet, Verizon primary sponsor
The driver: Will Power turned 33 on March 1. … From Toowoomba, Australia, he resides in North Carolina with his wife, Liz. They met while he was driving for Walker Racing and she was the team’s publicist. … Following his championship season, Power has received the keys to the city in his hometown in Australia and residence of Mooresville, N.C. … He placed second in his division last weekend in the SKUSA SuperNationals karting race in Las Vegas for the second consecutive year. … He plays the drums, and recently jammed with a band playing outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before the New Orleans Saints’ game.
Season finish: Power finished first in the Verizon IndyCar Series standings, earning his first series title. He had finished second in 2010, ’11 and ’12 and placed fourth in 2013. … He outdistanced Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves by 62 points over the 18 races.
The gist: Power was either first or second in the standings throughout the season. … He’s won 24 of his 139 Indy car starts since 2005 with Team Australia in Champ Car (Australia, Mexico City) and has placed in the top five in 62 races. … Power moved past Sebastien Bourdais and Dario Franchitti to sixth on the all-time list with 36 poles. … Completed his fifth full season with Team Penske.
Season stats: Power tied for most wins (three) and led the field by earning four Verizon P1 Awards. … He started with season with a victory in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – marking his third consecutive race win bridging the 2013-14 seasons – and finished in the top five in five of the next seven races, including a victory at Belle Isle and three runner-up spots. … Overall, he posted seven podium finishes and 15 in the top 10. … He led the series in laps completed (2,394 of 2,395; missing a sweep in Houston 1) and races led (11 for field-high 623 laps). … Led 229 of 250 laps in winning from pole at Milwaukee. … He’s been running at the finish in the past 25 races.
Year over year: 2013 best qualifying first at St. Petersburg, Texas and Auto Club Speedway (4.3 average), best finish first at Sonoma, Houston 2 and Auto Club Speedway (11.0 average). 2014 best qualifying first at Barber, Texas, Milwaukee and Sonoma (8.4 average), best finish of first at St. Petersburg, Belle Isle 1 and Milwaukee (6.4 average).
Video: Will Power reviews his season
He said it: “It’s amazing. This has been a dream of mine since I came to America to race and make my home. After the years of coming so close – so bloody close – you try not to let doubt creep into your mind. Speed was never an issue for us this year, there were just some things I needed to correct. To win a championship for Roger (Penske), Verizon, Chevrolet and everyone who makes this team go is such a great feeling. I am not satisfied, though. The desire and passion is still there to win more. I feel that we can do it.”
The chart (below): Looking at how Power finished relative to his qualifying position:
Click to download the hi-res infographic
