Will Power facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Will Power
Power at the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Nationality	Australian
Born	William Steven Power (1981-03-01) 1 March 1981 (age 44) Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Awards	2006 Champ Car Rookie of the Year
IndyCar Series career
302 races run over 17 years
Team(s)	No. 12 (Team Penske)
Best finish	1st (2014, 2022)
First race	2008 Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 (Homestead)
Last race	2024 Music City Grand Prix (Nashville Superspeedway)
First win	2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach)
Last win	2024 Grand Prix of Portland (Portland)
Wins Podiums Poles 42 99 64
Champ Car career
30 races run over 3 years
Years active	2005–2007
Team(s)	No. 5 (Team Australia)
Best finish	4th (2007)
First race	2005 Lexmark Indy 300 (Surfers Paradise)
Last race	2007 Gran Premio Tecate (Mexico City)
First win	2007 Las Vegas Grand Prix (Las Vegas)
Last win	2007 Steelback Grand Prix (Toronto)
Wins Podiums Poles 2 6 6
Previous series
1999–2000 2000–01 2002 2002 2003–04 2005 2005–06	Queensland Formula Ford Australian Formula Ford Australian Formula 3 Australian Drivers' Championship British Formula Three World Series by Renault A1 Grand Prix
Championship titles
2000 2002 2010–2012, 2014, 2015 2014, 2022 2018	Queensland Formula Ford Australian Drivers' Championship IndyCar Series – Road Course Trophy IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Winner

William Steven Power (born March 1, 1981) is an Australian race car driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series for Team Penske. Will Power won the famous 2018 Indianapolis 500 race. He also won the IndyCar Championship twice, in 2014 and 2022. Power is one of the most successful drivers in Indy car racing history. He is currently fourth all-time in wins and first all-time in pole positions.

Will Power's Early Racing Career

Starting in Australia

Will Power was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. His father, Bob Power, was also a race car driver. Will started racing at local tracks in Australia. In 1999, he began driving in the Queensland Formula Ford Championship. He won races even with an older family-owned car.

In 2000, Power won his first championship title in Queensland Formula Ford. He also competed in the Australian Formula Ford Championship, finishing seventh. The next year, he finished second in the Australian series.

After Formula Ford, Power moved to Formula Holden in 2002. He quickly became a champion, winning the 2002 Australian Drivers' Championship. He won 7 races and earned 3 pole positions. Later that year, he also raced in the Australian Formula 3 Championship. He nearly won that championship too, showing his great talent.

Racing in Europe

In 2003, Will Power moved to Europe to race in the British Formula 3 Championship. He showed his skill by finishing second in a race at Thruxton. In 2004, he raced a full season and earned five podium finishes.

He even got to test a Minardi Formula One car in 2004. This was a big step for him. In 2005, he competed in the World Series by Renault. He was very competitive, winning two races and getting on the podium four times. He also raced for A1 Team Australia in the 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix season, helping Australia finish second in one race.

Champ Car Success

Power testing for what would be the final season of Champ Car in 2007.

In late 2005, Power joined the Champ Car series with Team Australia. He signed a multi-year contract to race for them. In 2006, he raced full-time and did very well. He had nine top-ten finishes and strong qualifying results. He earned his first Champ Car podium finish in Mexico. He also won the "rookie of the year" award and finished 6th in the championship.

In 2006, Power got his first pole position in Champ Car at his home race in Australia. On April 8, 2007, Power won his first Champ Car race at the Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas. He started from pole position and led most of the race. This made him the first Australian to win in the series.

On July 8, 2007, he won again at the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto. It was raining heavily, but Power drove very aggressively. He moved from fourth place to first in just 14 laps. He passed top drivers like Sébastien Bourdais to take the lead and win easily. Power finished fourth in the 2007 championship standings. He had podium finishes at Long Beach, Mont-Tremblant, and Mexico City. He also earned pole positions at Houston, Edmonton, Surfers Paradise, and Mexico City.

IndyCar Racing Highlights

Starting in IndyCar (2008-2009)

In 2008, Champ Car and the IRL merged. Power joined KV Racing Technology. He won the final Champ Car race at Long Beach in 2008. This win also counted as his first IndyCar Series victory. He finished 12th overall in the championship.

In 2009, Power got a chance to drive for Team Penske. He filled in for another driver and showed great speed. He earned a pole position at Long Beach and finished second. He also finished fifth in the 2009 Indianapolis 500. Power later won his first IndyCar race for Team Penske at the Rexall Edmonton Indy. His season ended early due to an accident during practice in Sonoma. He suffered fractured vertebrae and missed the rest of the season.

Championship Contender (2010-2012)

Power at the São Paulo Indy 300 in 2010

In 2010, Team Penske signed Power to race full-time. He started the season strong, winning the first two races in Brazil and St. Petersburg. He won five races that year, all on road courses. He also earned a record eight pole positions. Power won the first-ever Mario Andretti Road Course Championship trophy.

Power qualifying for the Indy Japan 300.

In 2011, Power won six races. These included victories at Barber Motorsports Park, São Paulo, and Edmonton. He also won at Infineon Raceway and the first Baltimore Grand Prix. However, his season had some tough moments. He was involved in crashes at Toronto and New Hampshire. His season ended in a large, high-speed crash at the final race in Las Vegas. This accident sadly took the life of driver Dan Wheldon. Power was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra and had surgery. He finished second in the championship for the second year in a row.

In 2012, Power continued to be a top driver. He won three races in a row at Barber, Long Beach, and São Paulo. He led the championship for most of the season. However, he finished second in the standings for the third straight year. This was after an accident in the final race at Fontana. Despite this, he won the Mario Andretti Trophy again as the road course champion.

First Championship Win (2013-2014)

The 2013 season started slowly for Power. He had some crashes and engine problems. But he turned his season around later in the year. He won his first race of 2013 at Sonoma. He also won the second race in Houston and the season finale in Fontana. He finished fourth in the championship standings.

Will Power prepares to practice for the inaugural IndyCar race on the Indianapolis road course.

The 2014 IndyCar Series season was a great year for Power. He won the first race in St. Petersburg. He also won the first race in Detroit, which was special for his team owner, Roger Penske. Power finished second in a dramatic race at Texas. In the final race at Fontana, Power finished ninth, which was enough to win his first IndyCar championship! He was 62 points ahead of his teammate, Hélio Castroneves. Power was very emotional and cried on the championship podium.

Continued Success (2015-2021)

Power won the Verizon P1 Award for taking the pole at the 2015 GoPro Grand Prix.

In 2015, Power had a challenging season but still finished third in the championship. He showed his speed by taking pole position for the final race at Sonoma. He came very close to winning the 2015 Indianapolis 500, finishing second to his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya. Power had won three oval races by the end of 2015, showing he was becoming strong on all types of tracks.

In 2016, Power missed the first race due to a health issue. But he still had a fantastic year, winning four races. These wins included Detroit, Road America, Toronto, and Pocono. He finished second in the championship behind his teammate Simon Pagenaud.

Power won three races in 2017: Indianapolis Grand Prix, Texas, and Pocono. He also earned five pole positions that year. In 2018, Power became a championship contender again. He won the 2018 IndyCar Grand Prix, which was Team Penske's 200th win in the series. On May 27, 2018, Power won the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500, a dream come true for any IndyCar driver. He also won at Gateway.

In 2019, Power continued his winning streak. He won at Pocono Raceway and the Grand Prix of Portland. This extended his streak of winning at least one race per season to ten years. He kept this streak going in the shorter 2020 season, winning two races. In 2021, Power became the longest-serving driver at Team Penske. He won one race at the IMS Road Course, ending a long winless streak. He also earned a pole position at Gateway.

Second Championship and Record Breaking (2022-Present)

Power during the 2023 Indianapolis 500

The 2022 season was a huge comeback year for Will Power. He started strong with five top-five finishes in the first five races. He won his only race of the season at the final Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle. He earned five pole positions that season, including two at the Iowa doubleheader. His fifth pole position broke Mario Andretti's record for the most poles in IndyCar history. Power went into the final race with a lead and won the 2022 IndyCar Series championship, his second title!

The 2023 season was tough for Power. He had only three podium finishes and his streak of winning a race every season ended. However, he bounced back in 2024. He had three second-place finishes early in the season. After the Indianapolis 500, Power won three races. He won at Road America, his first oval win since 2019 at Iowa, and a third win in Portland. He was a main challenger for the championship for most of the season, eventually finishing fourth.

Sports Car Racing

In 2023, Power was set to race in his first sports car racing event, the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona. However, he had to withdraw to care for his wife after her surgery.

Personal Life

Will Power's brother, Damien Power, is a stand-up comedian. In his free time, Will Power enjoys playing the drums. He often plays at charity events organized by IndyCar.

Power married Liz Cannon in 2010. They met when Liz worked for his racing team. Their son was born in December 2016.

Racing Record Summary

† As he was a guest driver, Power was ineligible to score points.

‡ Team standings.

Indianapolis 500 Results

Images for kids

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  Power at Mid-Ohio in 2024

See also

In Spanish: Will Power para niños