Will Power makes surprising admission about racing on IndyCar's ovals

Will Power is a seasoned veteran of the sport, having made his debut in 2005, who knows the nooks and crannies of IndyCar inside out. With such vast expertise, the Team Penske driver talked about how pole position was often not the best place to start for oval races and shared how he tends to avoid getting the pole at such circuits.

The Australian driver has had a career spanning almost two decades in the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States. In this time, Power secured the record for most pole positions, 70, and overtook Mario Andretti's tally of 67 poles.

With Will Power having the most expertise of starting at the front of the field in IndyCar, the 44-year-old made a surprising admission about how pole position was not always the best position to start in IndyCar. The Aussie staed that starting at the front of the field was way better at road courses than ovals, and said, via IndyCar:

"I think you put yourself in a great position if you win poles. I just wasn't heavily focused on that. I really wasn’t. In some respects, I didn't want to get poles on ovals because I think it kind of in some ways hurts you a little bit at times, just being out front in nice clean air. The car feels great, then you get put back some spots, and it takes you another sort of stint to get your head around a car in dirty air. So, there's some good and bad in that.

“For sure on road courses, qualifying at the very front is a big deal. But it's hard to get poles these days. It really is. No one is pumping out multi poles in a year anymore. It's very difficult."

With May approaching fast, Power will get three chances to redeem himself, as he has not had great results so far this season.

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Will Power has not had the greatest of starts to his 2025 campaign

Will Power at the INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Will Power's 2025 campaign is crucial, as he is on the last leg of his contract with Team Penske. Moreover, no seats are available at other top teams, making his 2025 season even more important for him.

However, Power's start to the season has not been one that he could be proud of. Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden have bagged a pole position and a podium, respectively, but the Aussie driver is yet to achieve any of those feats.

The 44-year-old retired from the season opener on lap 1 and got knocked out in Round 1 qualifying at the following two rounds. This makes his case for securing a contract extension even worse, and he would hope to return to winning ways to bend the scales in his favor.