140 - Every Second Counts - Portland Winner Will Power On How to Manage a Big Lead

Speed Street

As the IndyCar teams travel back east from Portland, Conor Daly returns to Speed Street to report on how his weekend in the Rose City unfolded. He joins co-host Chase Holden to unpack the race and react to Santino Ferrucci’s monster qualifying lap which rewarded him his first career pole and brought A.J. Foyt Racing back to the top of the charts. They also chat about how Portland’s record for first lap full-course yellows was upheld, but this time it wasn’t in turn one. Conor breaks down what happened between Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood and Pietro Fittipaldi, a crash that took Dixon out of the championship battle. Finally, Conor details his own contact with Pietro and how the spin cost him valuable time in a race that ran mostly under green.

Race winner Will Power joins the show for the third time this season after his dominant victory over points leader Alex Palou. Will marvels over how close the IndyCar paddock is this season, as qualifying saw the field separated by mere tenths of a second. He also explains how he and Santino discussed the start of the race on the grid beforehand and the move that gave him the early lead. Will gives listeners insight as to how difficult it is mentally to maintain a large lead in a race like Portland, where he is constantly analyzing data and watching what second place is doing behind him. While it may look easy, there are many factors at play such as conserving tires and fuel that he needs to concentrate on for the duration of the event. Will weighs in on his championship chances as the IndyCar season moves into its final three races and what he needs to do to further close in on Palou.