Power was behind his Team Penske teammates, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, with only 14 laps left on the 4.014-mile, 14-turn road course.
Both Power and McLaughlin were using the less liked softer tires as they approached the final pit stop, while Newgarden had the better primary tires. McLaughlin was the first to pit on lap 42 out of 55, followed by Newgarden a lap later.
This gave a chance to the 43-year-old Australian, Power, to push hard on his in-lap before pitting on lap 44. The decision was made by the team’s strategist, Ron Ruzewski. Power emerged from the pits ahead of both his teammates, Newgarden and McLaughlin.
After that, Power drove smoothly, securing a win with a 3.2609-second lead over Newgarden. This victory marked a Penske sweep of the podium for the first time since 2017.
“Our cars were great,” said Ruzewski, praising the performance of the Team Penske cars. He highlighted Power’s ability to manage the tires better and execute a quick in-lap.
Reflecting on his race strategy, Power mentioned that he purposely stayed behind his teammates, not wanting to use up his resources to overtake them on the track.
Power also mentioned that he adapted some improvements from Newgarden’s driving style, which helped him drive better.
With this win, Power broke his two-year winless streak and also took the championship lead. He expressed his desire to secure more wins in the season to compete for the championship title.
