Will Power broke through for his first victory of the IndyCar season, edging Alexander Rossi to take the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Australian led 55 of 70 laps and beat Rossi by 1.0027 seconds at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Rossi charged hard to narrow the gap on the final lap before coming up just short.
Power was driving on alternate tires on his No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet for the final 20 laps in a strategic attempt to gain grip.
“I just drove it as straight as I could,” Power said. “I never put any slip (angle) into it. I was just driving it really straight and really nice on the brakes, on the throttle. I knew that if I could keep a reasonable gap until the end, we’d be OK.”
Power led last year’s Detroit Grand Prix for much of the way before his car failed to restart after a red flag due to an overheated engine control unit.
“It’s redemption from last year,” Power said. “I was just waiting for something to happen on those last 10 laps but just stayed laser-focused.”
It was the 41st IndyCar win of the 41-year-old’s career and his first since August 2021.
Scott Dixon of New Zealand finished third, 7.1239 seconds behind. Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward of Mexico rounded out the top five.
Jimmie Johnson took 22nd place out of 26 drivers.
–Field Level Media
