Will Power dominates in IndyCar Grand Prix victory

By AP
Published

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Will Power won the IndyCar Grand Prix on Saturday for his first victory of the season, leading 61 of 85 laps and easily holding off Scott Dixon on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course.

Power gave Team Penske its third straight victory this season and third in a row on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course. The Australian also won the event from the pole in 2015.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was third, more than 12 seconds behind Power. Simon Pagenaud finished fourth, and Helio Castroneves faded to fifth.

Pagenaud and Power each have won the race twice in the race's four-year history.

But Power was virtually untouchable all weekend. After winning the pole Friday in a track-record time, he only surrendered the lead twice Saturday - both after pit stops. He has 30 career victories.

It was the second straight race that Roger Penske's drivers led every lap of the race, and it went almost perfectly according to script.

There wasn't even a caution period - the first time that's happened in this season's first five races.

And for the second straight time, Team Penske led every lap.

''It was a perfect strategy and that's how it worked, full green,'' Power said after racing to his 30th victory to break a tie for 11th on the career list with Castroneves and former Penske driver Rick Mears.

Despite Penske's continued dominance, Honda drivers took five of the seven spots after Power, starting with Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing and Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport.

Each of the last three grand prix winners started on the pole, and each drove for Roger Penske.

Dixon is fourth in series history with 35 runner-up finishes, and Hunter-Reay wound up in the top three for the 100th time.

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