Will Power celebrates after winning the Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Darron Cummings/Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Will Power took the lead early Saturday, then watched it shrink over the final half of the race before holding on to win this season’s second Indianapolis Grand Prix.
The Australian, who started second, beat Romain Grosjean by 1.1142 seconds for his first win of the season.
Power earned his fifth win on Indy’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. He led 56 of 85 laps and earned his 38th career victory, breaking a tie for fifth all-time with Al Unser.
“Finally, finally,” Power shouted on the radio after crossing the yard of bricks and ending a 13-race victory drought.
Grosjean, the Swiss-born driver from France who won the pole in the season’s other road race at Indy, matched his second-place finish from May’s race on the same course.
Americans Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi were third and fourth, while pole winner Pato O’Ward, of Mexico, wound up fifth.
For Power, it was vindication after a rugged weekend at Nashville when he was involved in multiple collisions, including one with Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin.
“We needed it,” Power said. “I can’t tell you how good these guys have been this year. They’ve given me a good car and we’ve had some bad luck, and I’ve made some mistakes as well. Oh, what a relief, man.”
Power tied Kyle Busch’s speedway record with his sixth victory at the Brickyard.
XFINITY: Austin Cindric took the lead early in the third stage at Indianapolis and held for his series-leading sixth victory of the season.
He beat pole-winner AJ Allmendinger by 2.108 seconds. Justin Haley was third.
It’s Cindric’s first victory at the Brickyard – and the second of the day for Team Penske.
“I can’t even begin to put into words what it means to win at Indianapolis,” Cindric said.
Cindric, the son of Tim Cindric, Penske’s president, will try to make it three in a row when the Brickyard 200 is held on the same course Sunday.
It sure didn’t come easily for Cindric.
By qualifying second, like Power, he avoided getting involved in the chaotic first-lap start that sent multiple cars spinning and colliding through the turn. One car’s tires actually left the track before safely coming down.
It was that kind of day on the road course – again.
Drivers aggressively tapped and banged their way through the field as they attempted to pass, leaving cars discolored and damage. Two cars even slid into the infield tire barrier though neither driver was seriously injured.
But after watching Haley beat Riley Herbst to win the first stage and Allmendinger take the second stage under caution, finishing ahead of Haley and Noah Gragson, Cindric took advantage of his opportunity to move to the front of the pack and pulled away for the victory.
Cindric, the points leader and defending series champ, has 13 Xfinity wins – all since 2019.
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