By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer
The first silly season domino has fallen in IndyCar.
Will Power, the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner, 2014 and 2022 series champion, is leaving Team Penske after a 17 year career with the team. Power, from Twoomba, Australia, amassed 42 wins and 65 poles, in 272 starts while driving the No. 12 Verizon car.
With Team Penske, Power was the only driver to win a championship (2022) in the Alex Palou-dominated era of IndyCar. Most recently in 2025, Power finished ninth in the standings, won from the pole at Portland on August 10 and earned eight top 10’s and six top five’s. Power departs as the highest finishing Penske driver in 2025.
“It’s been the honor of my life to drive for Roger [Penske] and the Penske organization,” Power said in a statement issued by Team Penske. “We have accomplished so much together, and I will always be grateful for my time with the team and my teammates who have supported me along the way. After much consideration, I felt like a change for me was the right move at this time.”
The replacement for the No.12 Verizon Chevrolet will be announced at a later date before the 2026 season, per the team.
“As we sat down to talk about our future together, Will felt that it was time for him to make a change beginning with next season,” Penske said in the statement. “He has been an outstanding driver and teammate for our organization. His results speak for themselves and we wish him the very best in the next phase of his career.”
Power is now a free agent and free to talk to teams in IndyCar or elsewhere. Power signed with A14 agency, run by Fernando Alonso and Oriol Servia, at the beginning of 2025. This gave Power a chance to focus on the season, while his agency could field offers ahead of August 31, the date in which Power was legally allowed to have discussions with other teams.
Team Penske will now look to enter a new phase without Power. His departure is the first change in the Penske driver lineup since 2021. This will leave Josef Newgarden as the longest-tenured driver at the team, paired alongside Scott McLaughlin and a third driver yet to be announced.
Now linked with just about every team in the IndyCar paddock and elsewhere, Power expressed confidence in his abilities after his win in Portland earlier this year, reiterating that he can still be a top IndyCar driver.
“I won three races last year,” Power said after the win. “If you’re a team, if you’re waiting on me to know if I’m good enough, I don’t know what you’re thinking. If you’re actually waiting, I’m not sure if this guy is good enough, just go back to last year and you’ll f***-ing know.”