CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Will Power, the consummate company man who won two IndyCar titles and the Indianapolis 500 for Roger Penske, will not return to Team Penske for an 18th season.
The long-expected announcement was finally made Tuesday, two days after the season finale, and nearly a year after speculation began that Power would not be renewed when his contract expired as the team eyed a younger driver. Power turns 45 at the start of next season.
As the season dragged on without any movement from Penske, Power’s departure became more and more obvious. He showed up at the season-opener in March — on his birthday weekend — facing questions about the possibility of 23-year-old David Malukas replacing him at the end of the year. The speculation was never silenced by Team Penske.
After Sunday’s season finale at Nashville Superspeedway, Power was both reflective and grateful for the time he’d had at Penske, where he won 41 races, two championships, the Indy 500 and became IndyCar’s all-time pole-winner with 71.
It’s not clear where Power will go, but the softest landing spot on the grid would be if Colton Herta leaves IndyCar for F2, the Formula 1 feeder system, in an effort to achieve the super license Herta needs to compete for the new Cadillac team in the global series.
That would open a seat at Andretti Global and new owner Dan Towriss, who also owns the Cadillac F1 team, a NASCAR team, and multiple other organizations in various motorsports series, could use a veteran like Power as he attempts to bring the IndyCar program back to the top of the series.
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