Power wins INDYCAR Grand Prix from pole for 30th career victory

Will Power used the backdrop of iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway to move past a pair of Team Penske greats in the Indy car record book.

Driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Power dominated today's INDYCAR Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course to collect win No. 30 in his 13-year Indy car career. The milestone victory pushed the 36-year-old Power ahead of current teammate Helio Castroneves and retired Team Penske legend Rick Mears for sole possession of 11th place on the all-time list.

Power, making his 175th career start, led 61 of the 85 laps in the caution-free race and cruised across the finish line 5.283 seconds ahead of Scott Dixon in the No. 9 NTT Data Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing. Power has now won at least one race in 11 straight seasons and becomes the fifth different driver to win in as many Verizon IndyCar Series races this season.

"It feels really good to finally have a good day," Power said. "Everyone on this team has been working really hard. We should have had a couple of wins by now.

"I think that is (win) No. 30; that is a good number. I want to make it 31 by the end of this month."

Power owned the INDYCAR Grand Prix weekend. He was fastest in every practice session, earned the pole position Friday with a track-record lap in Verizon P1 Award qualifying and set a race record speed average of 120.813 mph. Amassing the maximum possible points, Power advanced two positions into fifth in the standings in his quest for a second series championship.

"After (morning) warmup, I was thinking, 'Wow, I've actually been quickest in every session. Yeah, it would be amazing to win the race.'

"It's funny, momentum, once your whole team and crew believes that you have a shot at winning races - which we have had all year - but when you execute it, it definitely gives them confidence. It's just good (to) get a win and very, very good for everyone."

Dixon made his 275th career start and extended his consecutive starts streak to 212 races, breaking a tie for the second-longest all-time run with Jimmy Vasser. Only Dixon's current teammate Tony Kanaan - who started his 270th straight race today - has run more Indy car races consecutively.

"I think today we got the most out of it," said Dixon, the four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion. "The car was pretty strong, we had good pace, but we just couldn't hold on to the rears. I think the Honda was just too much for the (Firestone alternate) red tires for the most part.

"Good points for everybody on the NTT Data car, great day for Honda. Obviously not a win, but very close."

Ryan Hunter-Reay moved from eighth on the starting grid to finish a season-best third in the No. 28 DHL Honda. It marked the 100th top-10 finish of the Andretti Autosport driver's career and gave the 36-year-old American a feeling of momentum heading into Indianapolis 500 competition that starts with practice on Monday.

"It's certainly a nice feeling," said Hunter-Reay, the 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series and 2014 Indianapolis 500 champion. "This group isn't happy if we're not on the top step (of the podium), but we've had a lot of bad luck this year, a lot of misfortune. It's been a frustrating start to the year, but we kept our heads down and today we came home with a solid result.

"This is nice to roll into the next two weeks, preparing for the biggest race in the world."

Power became the third straight pole sitter to win the INDYCAR Grand Prix. He did so in 2015 and Simon Pagenaud followed suit last year.

Pagenaud, the reigning series champion, finished fourth in the No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet to retain the points lead after five of 17 races. Pagenaud now has 191 points to Dixon's 181. Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden (152), Castroneves (149) and Power (145) hold the third through fifth spots, respectively.

Next up on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule is the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Practice for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" begins Monday. Two days of qualifying are set for May 20-21, with the 200-lap race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval scheduled for May 28 (11 a.m. ET, ABC and Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network).

Schmidt doesn't beat Andretti but wins with opportunity to race again

Sam Schmidt didn't win his race today against Mario Andretti, but he accomplished something else: he felt normal again.

Paralyzed from the neck down in a crash during an Indy car test session in 2000, Schmidt dueled with Andretti in specially modified Chevrolet Corvettes around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The result? Schmidt felt like a racer again. He felt like himself.

"It feels normal," Schmidt said. "The first time in 17 years I've felt normal. There are so many things I haven't been able to teach my kids to do - to throw a football, to drive a stick shift. To be able to come back and do this kind of stuff makes up for it a little bit."

Schmidt, the co-owner of Verizon IndyCar Series team Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, has been instrumental in the development and advancement of semi-autonomous motorcar (SAM) technology. Along with Arrow Electronics, the team's primary sponsor for James Hinchcliffe's No. 5 Honda that competes in the Verizon IndyCar Series, he's tested various forms of the cars, which use head movements and inhalation and exhalation to steer, propel and brake.

Schmidt uses a breathing tube to accelerate and brake, and a special camera mounted to his helmet to steer. He's previously tested it on the IMS oval, the Long Beach street course, the Sonoma road course and the course used for the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb. But this was the first time he'd raced the car against someone in like equipment.

"It was great," Schmidt said. "It was weird. (After) 17 years, driving down the straightaway 130 miles an hour side-by-side was fantastic, and doing it with Mario Andretti was great."

Andretti, whose 52 Indy wins rank second all time, agreed.

"Now I can sleep tonight," Andretti said. "I tell you, this one really had me going. I had to shut off all my natural senses because, obviously, you just need all the practice you can get. And they gave me every opportunity, but still, I really wasn't too sure. I didn't know how much I could trust myself. I'm just thankful the cars are coming in with all the fenders on."

Schmidt may not have won the race, but he still felt like a winner. He even performed a celebratory tire burnout at the end of the front straight.

'Wimpy Kid' star Silverstone feels thrill of INDYCAR first-hand

When "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" star Alicia Silverstone waved the green flag to start the INDYCAR Grand Prix, she already had first-hand knowledge about the skills of the drivers she watched speed by under the Indianapolis Motor Speedway flag stand.

A few hours before, Silverstone, who plays the matriarch of the Heffley family in the most recent installment of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film series, and co-star Tom Everett Scott took thrill rides on the road course in the INDYCAR Experience custom two-seater. Silverstone rode with racing legend Mario Andretti.

"I'm shaking a bit and I screamed the whole way," Silverstone said after she got out of the passenger seat.

After the experience, Silverstone asked herself why racers love their jobs so much.

"Why would you want to do that? It's really intense," she said. "But what skill. When he stopped - whoa! - you think you're crashing! I kind of can't process it. It's daredevil. It takes massive skill."

Silverstone, Scott, 11-year-old Jason Drucker, who plays Greg Heffley (the main character in the "Wimpy Kid" series), film director David Bowers and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" author Jeff Kinney were in Indianapolis to promote the May 19 release of the movie. A red-carpet screening was held outdoors Friday night at Pagoda Plaza inside the track.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a natural fit for the screening because, as Scott explained, "In the movie, the destination is Indiana."

Director Bowers added, "The movie's called 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul.' So many families make the long haul across country to come to the Indianapolis 500. We thought it would be great to have a family event here where so many families have made road trips themselves."

Also attending the INDYCAR Grand Prix were: David Letterman, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing co-owner and retired late-night talk-show host; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who issued the command for drivers to start their engines; and retired Colts linebacker Robert Mathis, the team's all-time sack leader who served as the celebrity pace car driver to start the race.

Mazda Road to Indy race recap

Two drivers completed weekend victory sweeps in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires development ladder races today.

Oliver Askew of Cape Motorsports won for the second straight day on the IMS road course and for the fifth time in six Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda races this season. Victor Franzoni (Juncos Racing) captured his second race of the weekend in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. Askew and Franzoni lead their respective championships.

In Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires, the top level of the Mazda Road to Indy sanctioned by INDYCAR, Kyle Kaiser of Juncos Racing drove to victory a day after Nico Jamin of Andretti Autosport won the first race of the weekend. With today's win, Kaiser took over the championship lead by 13 points over Jamin.

INDYCAR Grand Prix race results
Results Saturday of the INDYCAR Grand Prix Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, aero kit-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) Will Power, Chevrolet, 85, Running
2. (4) Scott Dixon, Honda, 85, Running
3. (8) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 85, Running
4. (7) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 85, Running
5. (2) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 85, Running
6. (20) Graham Rahal, Honda, 85, Running
7. (14) Max Chilton, Honda, 85, Running
8. (9) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 85, Running
9. (16) Spencer Pigot, Chevrolet, 85, Running
10. (5) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 85, Running
11. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 85, Running
12. (22) Takuma Sato, Honda, 85, Running
13. (10) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 85, Running
14. (21) JR Hildebrand, Chevrolet, 84, Running
15. (18) Carlos Munoz, Chevrolet, 84, Running
16. (11) Marco Andretti, Honda, 84, Running
17. (15) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 84, Running
18. (17) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 84, Running
19. (13) Ed Jones, Honda, 84, Running
20. (12) Tony Kanaan, Honda, 83, Running
21. (19) Charlie Kimball, Honda, 32, Off Course
22. (6) Sebastien Bourdais, Honda, 3, Off Course

'What They're Saying' from the INDYCAR Grand Prix
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): "We had a good day. I mean it was a difficult weekend for us on the No. 1 Menards Chevrolet car. I didn't have the speed this weekend. I couldn't find how to feel more comfortable with the tires; the new Firestone tires they brought this weekend. I didn't have the speed Will (Power) had. Overall, bringing home a fourth-place finish is good. We're still in the lead for the championship which is what I want. I'm just super excited next is the Indy 500. It's my No. 1 goal this year and I know Roger [Penske] is really excited about it. My team is really excited and I want to bring the Menards car to the top step."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 2 hum by Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "I don't know what happened. I think we ran into some sort of glitch and they dinged us two times for speeding on pit road. It was a tough day for us. We had a really fast hum by Verizon car. We really didn't struggle with much today. We started a little slower than we had hoped, but at the end the car was a rocket. I'm disappointed for our guys because we did everything right and we had great stops, we just had a little glitch there. We had a great race car and just couldn't capitalize. I think we had a car that could have been a podium car, maybe even a second-place car. We just didn't capitalize today. Congrats to Will (Power) though. He was strong all weekend long."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "I thought we had figured something out with some strategy there at the end, but the car was a handful. The Verizon car was great all day long. We decided to take a gamble and get off on tire strategy and it just didn't work like we had hoped. We have five good cars that can all win the race, so someone had to take a chance. We probably shouldn't have done it that way knowing we finished fifth, but if we would have won everyone would be looking at us saying wow. I also ended up wasting a lot of push to trying to get through traffic. Look, sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it goes. Now, we got to focus on the 500 and getting our fourth."

CONOR DALY (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "I was really happy with our start and first stint, the car felt OK. I was able to fight with Hinch (James Hinchcliffe) and Spencer (Pigot) and some guys up there, but I think we ran into a problem with the brakes a little bit after the first stint. Seemed to start glazing them a little bit so it was difficult to stop. And then for some reason we stalled in the pits. We've struggled getting out of the pits all weekend so, in the end I should be able to recognize that, but I have no idea why we were having that issue so that was a shame. That really set us back and then from then on it was just damage control. We just kept losing the brakes a little bit. On reds, the car was good but on blacks we didn't have enough, on blacks we were too far off."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "It was not the best weekend for the Arrow crew. We rolled off the truck with a car that finished on the podium at this track last year. It's so tough because every race this year, our strength has been rolling off the truck with a good car. In a series that's so competitive, and we have such little track time, that's the key because it's really tough to bounce back from a bad first session, and unfortunately that's what we had. We picked off a few spots in the first stint, but ultimately we got stuck behind (Simon) Pagenaud. Unfortunately, we got stuck behind him and that allowed other cars to close in and that led to a chain reaction of events which brought us to a pretty disappointing result in 13th. We're going to try and bounce back from this; we've got the two biggest weekends of the year coming up and we're going to try and hit it out of the park."

MIKHAIL ALESHIN (No. 7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "That was definitely not the day we were hoping for. Our car was just difficult to drive this weekend. Anyway, today is finished. This race is finished and the car is in one piece. We'll learn from today and move forward."

MAX CHILTON (No. 8 Gallagher Honda): "It was just a really, really good day for myself and the Gallagher team. It was by far the best race I've had in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The team did a good job and we made a call to start on primary tires and I knew within five or six laps it would pay off for us. On the second stint it just started playing into our hand, and having no yellows furthered our strategy. Moving forward seven positions in the race was mega, and without any off strategies playing out, we got there on straight speed. This is a great start to May and hope we can do even better in the 500."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 NTT Data Honda): "It was definitely a tough day. We couldn't really hold onto the rear tires. The Honda just had too much power there. We were spinning the rear tires. Good points there for everybody on the NTT Data car. Great day for Honda. Obviously, not a win but very close. Looking forward to Monday and getting on the big track here."

TONY KANAAN (No. 10 NTT Data Honda): "Today definitely wasn't our day. We had issues from the first lap when Marco spun us and punctured my tire all the way to later in the race when one of my front tires started going down. Those extra stops just put us back too far and with no yellows there was no way we were going to make up those few laps we were already down. It's not a great way to start the month, but we've all seen what Honda can do here so I'm looking forward to getting back on the oval on Monday."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "It just feels great to finally have a good day and everyone has worked so hard on our team. Obviously, a rough start. But, like you said, should have won a couple by now. It helps in points. It's great to get a win again. I think that's number 30. Good number. I want to make that 31 by the end of this month."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "Another really hard race, really. Our weekend started okay and then got worse. I'm not really happy. Grip-wise, we just really lacked grip. It's a shame. Hopefully, we turn it around. Now focusing on the Indy 500, we'll see how our package is, but we are suffering. There's work that lies ahead so we just need to continue working hard."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 SoldierStrong / TurnsForTroops.com Honda): "It's was a pretty good day. We were on attack mode on the first stint. We had to pump out a whole bunch of qualifying laps and close the gaps. My United Rentals boys did a great job in the pits because we got by a lot of guys there and we were able to pass a lot of guys. Overall I'm pleased with the day that we had. We completed all 85 laps and raised $100 a lap for Soldier/Strong and Turns for Troops which means a lot to me. It's just a good way to start the month. I was disappointed with qualifying but I'll take a sixth. I was fighting the whole way and guys - the lapped cars - certainly weren't making it easy there at the end. I was running low on push-to-pass and I knew Max (Chilton) was coming. It was a very physical day but I'm looking forward to the 500 coming up here. I take pride in my race craft come Sundays, but you better believe I wish my job was easier than that. Because on a day like today we had a car to win this race, I guarantee you that so it's disappointing starting where we start and putting ourselves in that hole. This field and the competitiveness of the drivers is why there were no yellows and when there are no yellows, 85 laps on a warm day like this is a good workout. We know we can compete, we know we can run up front. We've had a lot of things go against us this year but today finally we had just a smooth, good day."

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 18 Sonny's BBQ Honda): "There's not much to say. The start was pretty good and then everybody on my side of the track went to the right side and found a gap, and there was no gap next to me so I was the guy alone on the left side of the road which wasn't so good. (Alexander) Rossi and Simon (Pagenaud) got a run on us and got by us, but I was happy that I was able to get Simon right back on the back straight and then Rossi on the next lap. We were going to try and do our thing and get back with Montoya, but the engine failed on the frontstraight and that was the end of our day."

ED JONES (No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda): "It was a difficult race. On the start we moved up a little bit, then going into Turn 7 (Tony) Kanaan spun in front of me I had to avoid him. I thought he was going to take me out properly. In avoiding him, I had to go through the grass and that sent me to the back of the field. Then we were coming back through the field and our pace was pretty good, but then on the first pit stop we had a fueling issue where we lost a lot of time and we didn't have all the fuel in so it messed up the whole race really as that sent us to the back. I think we had the third fastest race lap. So we were fast, and I think we probably should have been top 10, probably ninth or 10th if we didn't have the issues."

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Team Penske Chevrolet): "We just didn't have the pace that we were hoping to have in the No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits car today. We struggled on the red tires and on the first run, I felt like we blistered the rear and we lost some time there. Once we got back to about ninth or 10th, we just stayed right about there the rest of the race. It was a fun weekend, but we now turn out focus to the Indianapolis 500. That is the race we want to win and that is what we will think about starting now."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda): "First of all, congrats to Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and the No. 28 crew on the outstanding podium. We had a difficult weekend, starting with a little issue and having to start at the back of the grid today - but the No. 26 crew did a great job to recover. The last stop was a little long and we need to review that. Otherwise, it was a tough race, but I think we fought back quite strongly. We've got good momentum for the Indianapolis 500, and I'm looking forward to starting practice on Monday."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 27 United Fiber & Data Honda): "Wasn't the way I would have liked to have started the race. I knocked into TK (Tony Kanaan) and it was an uphill battle from there. I feel sorry for TK and my UFD guys, I ruined both our races. I was looking in my mirror and got tagged by Ed Jones and then got into TK. I got the penalty (for avoidable contact) and just drove as hard as I could the rest of the race."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): "Pretty solid day. We've had a lot of bad luck this year and it's been frustrating, but we kept our heads down and it feels nice to come onto the podium here before we kick off the most important few weeks of our careers and our whole season. It's nice to get the yellow and red DHL colors back here and close to the top step of the podium. We're saving that for the (Indianapolis) 500, I guess."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Tresiba Honda): "We had a really good start of the race and we spent the first 10 laps making up spots from P19 to P14. I made a little bit of a mistake that put us back some and then we had a mechanical failure around lap 30 that ended our day. I feel bad for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing guys because they gave me a car today that could get the job done and they were great in pit lane. We'll look into it tonight and see exactly what we have going on with the No. 83 Tresiba Honda. It's a really unfortunate way to end a weekend that I've had such solid results in the past, but now we will just need to shift our focus to the Indianapolis 500."

ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 98 NAPA Auto Parts/Curb Honda): "We had a really good start, but we chose the wrong downforce level - that was pretty big penalty for us until we got it balanced out on the last stint. But by that point it was too late to run up the charts. It's great for the team though that Ryan (Hunter-Reay) is on the podium and that the NAPA team was able to score another top 10. Now we shift our focus to defending our title at the (Indianapolis) 500."


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