Will Power dominates to win IndyCar thriller under caution
Will Power was victorious in a crash-filled Rain Guard 600 Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway.
Power absolutely dominated on the 1.5-mile oval, leading 180 of the 248 total laps.
With four laps remaining, Takuma Sato ran in trouble. Driving the same car he won the Indianapolis 500 in two weeks ago, Sato dove underneath Scott Dixon to make a pass on the frontstretch, but clipped the infield grass and made hard contact with Dixon.
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The incident sent them both spinning. Both cars receives heavy damage while also collecting Conor Daly in the process.
"It was very intense," Power said of the wild race after climbing from his No. 12 Team Penske car in Victory Lane. "Phenomenal job by the guys. I'm so stoked to win since my wife is from Texas. You don't understand how good that feels."
The win was Power's 31st of his career and second of the season following winning the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in May.
Power is now fifth in the points standings, 40 points behind leader Dixon.
But points were the last thing on Power's mind after earning a special victory in his wife's home state.
"I'm so stoked to win, so I really don't care about the rest," Power added.
Power finished ahead of Tony Kanaan, who other drivers blamed for an earlier nine-car crash that led to a nearly 31-minute red flag.
"I guess I'm getting blamed for everything," said Kanaan after the race. "It's a shame. It's not the way I drive. I don't like to crash people."
Despite all the close calls, Kanaan survived the carnage to finish second. Simon Pagenaud, Graham Rahal and Gabby Chaves rounded out the top five. Marco Andretti finished sixth, the only other driver to complete the full race distance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
