Will Power emerged victorious at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, claiming his first-ever win at the track in the second IndyCar Series race of the weekend. Power managed to hold off Alex Palou by a narrow margin of 0.3915 seconds, with Scott McLaughlin finishing in third place.
Power, who led an impressive 50 laps out of the 250-lap race, showcased his prowess at the 0.875-mile oval where he has previously clinched seven poles. Despite his speed, Power had only secured five podium finishes in his 18 starts at the track. Notably, he had finished 18th in Saturday's race after starting in fourth position.
This victory marked Power's 43rd career IndyCar win and his first triumph on an oval since his win at Pocono in 2019. The win also completed a Team Penske sweep of the doubleheader weekend, following Scott McLaughlin's win in Saturday's race. Team Penske now boasts nine wins in IndyCar races at the track and has secured three victories at the venue this season.
Starting from the 22nd position on Sunday, Power made a remarkable ascent to second place during the initial round of pit stops. He eventually claimed the lead after a swift second pit stop on lap 206, which was nearly a second faster than Palou's stop.
The concerns regarding the partial repaving in the turns that occurred in May persisted throughout the weekend, potentially turning the oval into a one-groove track. The top 10 drivers saw minimal changes until the first round of pit stops commenced on lap 94, allowing Palou to take the lead.
Palou strategically delayed his pit stop until lap 100, capitalizing on an advantage when a caution was triggered by Agustin Canapino's spin coming out of the pits. Power, on the other hand, opted to pit after the caution, rejoining the race in second place behind Palou.
The race concluded with a dramatic four-car crash on the final lap as Power crossed the finish line. Sting Ray Robb's car flipped twice on the backstretch following a collision with Alexander Rossi's car, involving Kyle Kirkwood and Ed Carpenter in the incident. Robb was promptly taken to the infield care center on a stretcher but signaled his well-being with a thumbs-up as he was transported to an ambulance.
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