From Queensland Formula Ford to the 2018 Indianapolis 500, the career of an Australian-American driver built on road courses and pole positions.
Will Power is an Australian-American driver who won the IndyCar Series title in 2014 and 2022. He also won the 2018 Indianapolis 500 and holds the all-time record for pole positions in the series, with 71 starts from the front row.
Will Power is an Australian-born racing driver who has spent most of his IndyCar career with Team Penske and later Andretti Global. He won the series championship in 2014 and 2022, and he added the 2018 Indianapolis 500 to his record. Power's route from Queensland Formula Ford to the top of American open-wheel racing is one of the more notable journeys of his era.
Who is Will Power?
Will Power, full name William Steven Power, was born on 1 March 1981 in Toowoomba, Queensland. He races in the IndyCar Series for Andretti Global, and his record includes 45 wins, 71 pole positions and 113 podiums, the most poles in series history.
Power is both Australian and American, having become a United States citizen in 2019. He is the son of open-wheel racer Bob Power and grew up in Queensland. He is married to Liz Cannon, whom he met during his Champ Car years, when she joined Walker Racing as a receptionist.
His brother Damien is a stand-up comedian, and Power plays the drums, often at charity events organised by IndyCar.
Australian by birth, American by citizenship, and the most prolific pole-setter in IndyCar history.
How did Power start racing?
He started out in a Datsun 1200 at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland. In 1999 he moved into a family-owned Swift in the Queensland Formula Ford Championship, and in 2000 he ran a full campaign and won the title in that car. The following year he raced a Stealth RF95 and finished second in the national series.In 2002 he moved into Formula Holden with Ralt Australia, driving a Reynard. He won the Australian Drivers' Championship by more than 50 points, taking seven wins and three poles. Mid-season he also drove a Dallara-Toyota for Cooltemp Racing in Australian Formula 3, missing that title by a handful of points to James Manderson.
What did the European and A1 years bring?
Power headed to Europe in 2003 and raced in the British Formula 3 Championship, first for Diamond Racing and then for Fortec. In 2004 he ran a full campaign with Alan Docking Racing, finishing ninth with five podiums. That year he also tested a Minardi Formula One car in Italy.
In 2005 he competed in the World Series by Renault with Carlin Motorsport. He won two races, scored four podiums and started five times from the front row, and he ended the season seventh even though he left early for Champ Car. He also drove for Australia in A1 Grand Prix, finishing second behind Team Brazil at Brands Hatch.
How did Champ Car change his career?
In late 2005 Power joined Team Australia at the Surfers Paradise round of Champ Car and signed a multi-year deal that began in Mexico City. In 2006 he had nine top-ten finishes, won the rookie of the year award and finished sixth in the championship. His first Champ Car podium came in Mexico at the season finale.
At his home round that year, Surfers Paradise, he took his first Champ Car pole. Contact in the pit lane with Paul Tracy, followed by an aggressive move from Sebastien Bourdais, bent his steering arm, and he fell to the back and finished twelfth, one lap down.
On 8 April 2007 he won his first Champ Car race at the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix on the streets of Las Vegas, becoming the first Australian to win in the series. Three months later at Toronto, in rain and near-zero visibility, he went from fourth to first in fourteen laps and cruised to victory. He finished fourth in the 2007 standings after further podiums at Long Beach, Mont-Tremblant and Mexico City, and poles at Houston, Edmonton, Surfers Paradise and Mexico City.
How did the IndyCar merger shape his move?
The merger of Champ Car and IndyCar left Power's future uncertain. His Walker Racing team did not make the switch because it could not find sponsorship, so he signed with KV Racing Technology for 2008. He won the final Champ Car race at Long Beach that year, which also gave him his first IndyCar Series win.
In 2008 IndyCar he scored two top-five finishes and placed twelfth in the standings, behind teammate Oriol Servia. At Surfers Paradise, a non-points event, he took pole and then crashed out while leading.
How did 2009 bring him a Penske seat?
Team Penske announced on 13 January 2009 that Power would replace Helio Castroneves in the No. 3 car while Castroneves faced federal tax evasion charges. Power finished sixth at St. Petersburg. Castroneves was then acquitted, but Roger Penske had spare cars ready, and from Long Beach Power ran the No. 12 entry instead.
At Long Beach he took a dominant pole, setting it with a last-minute effort, and finished second after leading 16 laps. He then placed fifth at the Indianapolis 500 after a pit crew error on the final stop cost him a shot at the win while he was running second. He kept the seat for the rest of the year and took his first IndyCar race win at the Rexall Edmonton Indy.
His season ended at Sonoma. In practice, Nelson Philippe spun on the blind crest of turn three, and Power, following E. J. Viso, had nowhere to go and crashed into the stationary car. Power suffered two fractured vertebrae and was hospitalised with a concussion, and he missed the rest of the year.
Why was 2010 so dominant?
Power joined Team Penske full-time for 2010 with backing from Verizon Wireless. He opened the season with wins at Brazil and St. Petersburg, the first driver since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2001 to win the first two races of a year. He then won five races, all on road courses, and set a record eight poles.
His win at Watkins Glen gave Roger Penske his first IndyCar Series victory at the historic track. His five road-course wins earned him the inaugural Mario Andretti Trophy as road course champion for the season.
What were 2011 and 2012 like?
In 2011 Power won six races, at Barber Motorsports Park, Sao Paulo, a Texas doubleheader, Edmonton, Infineon Raceway and the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. At Toronto he touched Dario Franchitti and was then hit by Alex Tagliani. At New Hampshire he made an obscene gesture to officials on live television and was fined $30,000.
His season closed in Las Vegas, where a 15-car crash claimed the life of Dan Wheldon. Power was later diagnosed with a compression fracture in his thoracic vertebrae and had surgery to correct it.
In 2012 he began with a seventh at St. Petersburg, then won three in a row at Barber, Long Beach and Sao Paulo to take the points lead. Ryan Hunter-Reay later won three races in succession to move ahead, and Power regained the lead before a late crash in Fontana. Hunter-Reay finished fourth, enough to win the title. It was the third straight season Power finished second in the standings.
How did 2013 and 2014 go?
In 2013 Power won at Sonoma after Scott Dixon's drive-through penalty handed him the lead, then won at Houston and the Fontana finale. He finished fourth in the standings. In 2014 he won the season opener at St. Petersburg and the first Detroit race, then clinched the title at Fontana, finishing 62 points ahead of Castroneves.
He broke down in tears on the championship podium. It was his first championship.
What happened from 2015 to 2017?
The 2015 season was difficult. Power was taken out in incidents without fault on consecutive ovals, but he still took pole for the double-points finale at Sonoma with a record lap of 1:16.2597, at an average of 181.194 km/h (112.589 mph). A collision with teammate Juan Pablo Montoya ended his title hopes, and he finished third.
In 2016 he was second behind teammate Simon Pagenaud, winning four races at Detroit's Belle Isle, Road America, Toronto and Pocono. He missed the opener at St. Petersburg after a suspected concussion, which later proved to be a sinus or ear infection. In 2017 he finished fifth, winning at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Texas and Pocono, and taking five poles.
What did the 2018 Indianapolis 500 win mean?
Power won the 102nd Indianapolis 500 on 27 May 2018. The result came in a season when he also won the IndyCar Grand Prix, which gave Team Penske its 200th series win, and he went on to win at Gateway.
He was in the title hunt until a late accident at Portland ended his chances. He kept the winning run going in 2019 with wins at Pocono and Portland, then in 2020 with victories at Mid-Ohio and the Harvest Grand Prix. Those results stretched his streak of seasons with at least one win to eleven.
Why was 2021 so difficult?
After Castroneves left for Meyer Shank Racing, Power became the longest-tenured member of Penske's IndyCar team. His 2021 season was hard after he adopted a more aggressive driving style and the team changed crew chiefs. He qualified 32nd for the 105th Indianapolis 500, his lowest start in the race, and he had several wheel-to-wheel contacts with teammates.
At Detroit he led most of the opening race after a red flag, but his car's ECU overheated and blocked a restart, and he finished twentieth. He blamed IndyCar. He later won on the IMS road course, ending a winless run of 315 days and giving Roger Penske his first speedway win since buying the facility. He finished ninth in the championship.
How did 2022 bring the title back?
Power scored top-five finishes in the first five races and won at Belle Isle. He took five poles, including a double pole at Iowa, and the fifth broke Mario Andretti's record for the most poles in IndyCar history. Going into Laguna Seca he held a twenty-point lead, and he won the Astor Cup and the series title.
Career highlights at a glance
| Season | Team | Notable result |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | KV Racing Technology | First IndyCar Series win at Long Beach; twelfth overall |
| 2009 | Team Penske | Edmonton win and a second at Long Beach; Sonoma crash ended the year |
| 2010 | Team Penske | Five wins, a record eight poles and the Mario Andretti Trophy |
| 2014 | Team Penske | First IndyCar championship, 62 points clear |
| 2016 | Team Penske | Second in the points with four wins |
| 2018 | Team Penske | Winner of the 102nd Indianapolis 500 |
| 2022 | Team Penske | Second championship, with a record fifth pole of the year |
| 2024 | Team Penske | Fourth in the points with three wins |
| 2025 | Team Penske | Ninth in the points, his final season with the team |
| 2026 | Andretti Global | Podiums at Arlington, Road America, Portland, Markham and Washington |
Did Power race sports cars?
Power was scheduled to make his sports car debut in 2023 with SunEnergy1 Racing at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Luca Stolz replaced him under two weeks before the race, because Power stepped away to look after his wife after complications from surgery.
He returned to the team, renamed 75 Express, for the 2025 Battle of the Bricks and the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours. There Power finished second in class GTD Pro, driving most of the race with teammate Chaz Mostert. They covered the long caution for fog, which lasted nearly seven hours.
How did the move to Andretti come about?
Power left Team Penske after the 2025 season, ending 17 years with the organisation. The day after his departure was announced, Andretti Global signed him to replace Colton Herta for 2026. He opened the year with a 22nd place at St. Petersburg, then scored a string of podiums and was 10th in the points after the Washington D.C. round.
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