This weekend, IndyCar superstar driver Will Power will make his debut in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The event is one of the three jewels in the ‘Triple Crown’ of endurance racing which also includes the 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Australian all-star will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the 75 Express for friend and car owner Kenny HabulIt.
It’s also Power’s first race since leaving Team Penske, his racing home since 2009. Power will turn 45 on the first race weekend of the 2026 IndyCar season, and he seems determined to make his old team regret writing him off. Last season, Will Power was in top form, achieving solid results while his teammates floundered. Yet he was not offered a new contract; rumors swirled of a young replacement ousting Power.
When Power took Team Penske’s first win of the season at the Portland race, the contract issue couldn’t be ignored any longer, and Power was offered a one-year deal. Seems that being left hanging all season long (without a 2026 ride) hurt Power’s pride and ego. He turned Penske down and signed with rising rival Andretti instead.
An angry Will Power is not someone Penske wants gunning for them!
Although the IndyCar season ended on August 31st, petty Penske prevented Power from joining Andretti early, holding him to his contract until December 31st. Power could not meet with the team, or even have a seat fitting. Totally legal for Penske to do so, but still a jerk move. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Will Power went for a jog around his neighbourhood all decked out in his new team gear. It was a hilarious dig at Penske. While everyone else was sipping champagne, Power was live streaming from his phone about how warm his new Andretti tracksuit is.
“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend.”
While Will Power will be competing in the GT category, while the Penske cars run in the Prototype category, surely Will wouldn’t try to them up!
The world of Motorsports is as cut throat as any …. huge egos from top to bottom!
Ego. Good point.
Will Power is one the favourite driver of the Demaras Racing family. Great guy, great racer, great name. But we were all kind of shocked when he left the Penske team. We figured he’d do another year or two, then move on to a management (driver coaching) role. After all; he is the winningest driver in the team’s history. He’s racing royalty.
But your point about ego says it all. When the team didn’t rush to re-sign a 45-year-old racer in the twilight of his career, it offended him. Bruised his ego.
Looking forward to watching the race this weekend to see if Power looks for ‘revenge’ in some way. He’s a very angry man.