Former IndyCar champion asks Team Penske to extend "legend" Will Power's contract after Portland breakthrough

NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty
NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

Two-time IndyCar champion Will Power won the 2025 IndyCar race at Portland and became the first Team Penske driver to take a race win this season. Former IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud took to the social media platform X after the race and asked Team Penske to extend Power's contract.

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Will Power, Josef Newgarden, and Scott McLaughlin had a difficult 2025 season, with neither of the Team Penske drivers in the Top 5 of the IndyCar championship coming into Portland. The Indy 500 attenuator scandal, the firing of senior team members, reliability issues, and unforced errors plagued the season for the Team Penske drivers.

Amid this, Will Power's contract with Team Penske is also up for renewal. The 44-year-old driver's contract ends after the 2025 season. Even though Power is the highest Team Penske driver in the standings, the #12 driver hasn't been offered an extension by the team as of yet.

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However, as Will Power won the Grand Prix of Portland, former IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud, who won the 2016 IndyCar title and the 2019 Indy 500 with Team Penske, came out and congratulated the veteran, while also asking Roger Penske and Co. to offer the Australian a contract extension.

“I want to continue here by congratulating @12WillPower ! He is an absolute legend and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Anyone who knows what’s going on in an athlete career will attest how difficult it is to remain at the top level like he has! Will is an absolute legend,” read Simon Pagenaud’s X post.
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“I really hope we will see @12WillPower in the @Verizon car next year with @Team_Penske , he still has more success ahead!” read his follow up post.
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Will Power signed with Fernando Alonso's A14 Management earlier this year, with Oriol Servia handling the contract negotiations for the Australian.

Will Power reflects on his first win of the 2025 IndyCar season

Will Power started the race inside the Top 5 and became a key contender after Pato O'Ward's retirement and the timing of cautions. At one point in time, the Team Penske driver led with a 17-second lead over Alex Palou in P2, but still had to use the hard tires.

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As all the strategies converged after the final stop, Will Power, Christian Lundgaard, and Alex Palou were within a second of each other, leading to a three-way battle for the win. The 44-year-old put his experience and defense to great use and was able to win the race.

Speaking with FOX after the race, he said:

“It’s a big win for the team. I mean we've had a tough year, not really because we've been off the pace , it's just been unfortunate circumstances, two engine failure, tire failure.”
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“It's a good hard fought win, split the strategy at the beginning. We picked to run hard, pull enough of a gap. A bit dicey at the end but yeah.. I've had a great career with Verizon and Penske and I've really enjoyed winning for the guys, and everyone I've worked with for a long time,” he added.
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AJ Foyt Racing prodigy David Malukas has been rumored as a possible replacement in case Penske doesn't sign Power in 2026.

Stay updated with the 2025 IndyCar schedule, standings, qualifying, results today, series news, and the latest IndyCar racing news all in one place.

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Edited by Sumeet Kavthale
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