IZOD IndyCar Series: Cafés do Brasil Indy 300

Topics:  Cafés do Brasil Indy 300

Will Power
October 2, 2010

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. We are now joined by Will Power, who finished 2nd in the championship points battle. Power finishes the season with five wins, eight poles and 11 top 5 finishes. This is his second full season of IZOD IndyCar Series competition. In his first season, he finished 12th in the championship points standings.
Will, no matter what, you have to look back at this year as really a remarkable comeback from where you were one year ago today.
WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, last year, watching this race in a back brace. So, yeah, it's been the best year of my career in motorsports. Obviously very disappointed at the outcome.
But I had come to the realization at, what lap it was, 120 or something, that Dario had led the most laps. We didn't really have the car to win.
So I had -- I was pushing it as hard as I could. And I was trying to get around a couple of back markers. And they were running different lines. And it took a bit of my air away and I ended up in the gray.
I was struggling to run anywhere but the top line well anyway. Yeah, you know, like I predicted at the beginning of the season, it was the guy and team who made the least amount of mistakes that would win the championship. But I think next year I'll come back very strong.
THE MODERATOR: How much confidence does that give you going into next year, knowing you're a championship contender?
WILL POWER: I think the confidence on the ovals, I've really learned an unbelievable amount this year. And I knew going into this year that was going to be the weak point. No question.
But now I feel I'm on par with the other guys. Absolutely. And I know next year it will be a tough fight. I think that as a team we've learned a lot this year as well. So, yeah, I actually have to thank Verizon. They really stepped up to give me this opportunity this year, and I think with the results we had, it made them very enthusiastic about the series and about our team, and hope for continued support.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You said it was a team that made the least mistakes. But just kind of the unfortunateness of it. You drift into the wall, because of what happens around you. And Dario avoids Milka. I mean, it just changes so much on things that have nothing to do with mistakes, really.
WILL POWER: Yeah. Yeah, I don't mean -- it's not that -- when I say "the team," I mean the driver/team, the driver and team. I don't mean just the team that makes the least amount of mistakes.
I made my mistakes this year. We win and lose as a team. But, yeah, some of the things are out of your control. And Dario is pretty good at dodging those.

Q. If I could follow up with something. You said you'll come back next year, and right now there's all that promise of things to come, and yet we know from experience that there's no guarantees, Briscoe last year didn't have the season coming back. Missing the chance -- I mean you may not -- there just aren't many in life.
WILL POWER: That's right. You start on -- if you're always there knocking on the door, you always put yourself in the position to be in the contention.
So I'm going to be very determined next year, definitely not going to -- I want to come back and have as strong a season. Definitely stronger on the ovals, I know that for a fact.

Q. Can you talk about how the car felt early in the race? And also kind of what your feeling is, seems like Dario and Scott kind of got -- Ganassi runaways for a little bit?
WILL POWER: Early in the race, the car responded very difficult. And it wasn't until after that first stop that I realized I'm going to have to always run the high line, this is going to be it for me because the car wasn't good enough to run down lower.
And, yeah, once I worked that out reasonably quick, I don't think it was as quick as the Ganassi guys, but they seemed to have something more. It was just so tough to close the gap to them. So, yeah. I forgot what your question was. But did that answer it?

Q. I know you probably are going to say earlier in the race, but when do you start focusing on next year and put this behind you or do you even look back and review it at all?
WILL POWER: You definitely look back and review the year and work out where you can be stronger. Every time I leave a track, I think, man, if I -- I always come back to the track next year knowing where I've got to pick up time. And I usually do.
That happens every year for me. So I seem to get quicker and quicker every time I go back to a track just from track knowledge. So I never stop thinking about motorsports. I never stop talking about it. I love it. And I'll come back and be very strong next year.

Q. Exactly at what point in the evening did you know the championship was lost? Was it while you were sitting there working on the car or --
WILL POWER: Yeah, basically when, you know, when you bust up against a wall, you know it's over and done with. Especially when I felt the car sort of grabbing a little. We were in a bit of strife, unless something untoward happened to Dario.

Q. You lost the championship by just five points. Is there one point in this past year that you wish you could have done all over again for those five points?
WILL POWER: Yeah, there's a couple of scenarios that could have worked out. But Chicagoland definitely was something that was very strong and running at the front all day. So obviously it didn't end exactly right. But we had a equipment failure, what can you do.

Q. At one point before that after your pit stop you were asked how did you like the car and you said the car was just fine. How did the car feel at that point? And were you kind of biding your time back there to wait to make your aggressive moves?
WILL POWER: Is that the first spin? The second spin? The car was fine to run that high line. It was fine. Obviously on restarts, cars kept going underneath me, those running around the top and slowly get them all back.
So, yes, nothing we could do with the car we had. I realized early on that it wasn't quite as strong as the Ganassi guys, so I tried to find the quickest and best way around the track.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.