Power’s Penske Future Still a Mystery After Portland Win
(Photo by Jame Black/Penske Entertainment)
By Dennis Krause
It’s been a talking point for more than half the year. Team Penske driver Will Power’s contract expires at the end of the season and the 2-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion still has no idea if he will be retained or cut loose after 17 seasons with the team.
Power drove a masterful race, Sunday, at Portland International Raceway, holding off Christian Lundgaard and now 4-time series champion Alex Palou to claim the first win of the season for Penske. But will it be good enough for Power to keep his job?
“I have no clue. I don't know. Yeah, nothing else to say, man. I don't know,” said the season’s highest performing Team Penske driver.
“It's what we expect at that team. To me it was business as normal honestly. I've been in that position so many times in my career. I'm driving the best I ever have. Simple as that. I'm not slowing down. I am not slower, I am faster. My toolbox is still big as far as understanding the cars, race craft, all that.
“Yeah, that's me. I guess I'm different to some people. I never stop working at it. It's a passion. I love it. That's why I'm still winning.”
Paddock rumors have A.J. Foyt Racing’s David Malukas filling Power’s seat in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet in ’26. Penske and Foyt share a technical alliance. When asked about Power’s future with Penske, team president Jonathan Diuguid was tight lipped.
“Will's future is about 30 minutes old from winning a race. His future's definitely bright. He did an amazing job today. Looking forward to the last two races of the season.”
As far as what needs to be hashed out for whether or not Power is back at Penske next season, Diuguid clearly wasn’t going to go into it.
“Look, I'm not going to discuss that today,” said Diuguid. “I'm going to focus on the win, the team performance. Winning can do a lot of things. It's very positive for our program. We're going to reap all the benefits of that as we head to Milwaukee.”
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
Unsure of what his future holds, Power said his Portland win couldn’t hurt his chances of staying at Team Penske, or possibly with a different team in ’26.
“It's probably good on both fronts. I won three races last year. If you're a team, if you're waiting on me to know if I'm good enough, I don't know what you're thinking. If you're actually waiting, I'm not sure if this guy is good enough, just go back to last year and you'll f****** know..
Despite the uncertainty, Power’s confidence in his ability to win remains intact.
“It's like flowing the way it normally does for me. Been in the top six the last three races, in qualifying. Obviously strategy didn't play out at Laguna. I got taken out at Toronto.
“I go into every weekend, I feel like we have a chance to win as a team and as a driver. If everything goes right, we'll be in the hunt. That goes for the last two races, as well.”
Those final two races, at the Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway, are both short ovals, tracks that Team Penske has traditionally been strong at, according to Power, who won at Milwaukee in 2014.
“Yeah, the next two tracks, particularly the next track, is very good for us. Certainly I feel like we'll have three cars that can win next weekend or next week in Milwaukee.”
It’s possible Poweer could win one or both of those races. No matter what happens, does Power feel he’s left everything out there this season and left the decision in someone else’s hands?
“I don't know, man. Maybe it's my decision.”
Stay tuned. With the championship decided, Power’s future will remain a talking point for the remainder of the season.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.