Will Power, a veteran 37 year old racing driver, used, well, will power to score his first Indianapolis 500 win. With his wife Elizabeth watching and crying as he drove toward his pit area, Power pumped his fists with joy. It was about time.
Born March 1, 1981 in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, Will Power’s first race win came in 2006, when he won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Since then, he’s participated in 121 races, and enjoyed 29 wins, 52 podiums, and 41 poles. But never once the Indy 500.
“You know, there was a time when I thought I’d never win this,” Power told ESPN / ABC moment ago. But he did. Unfortunately, one person who did not join Mr. Power on the podium is Danica Patrick.
This 2018 Indianapolis 500 was to be Danica Patrick’s last race – she’s retiring. It goes without saying that a win in her final go would have been a crowning achievement in her storied career, but Patrick wound up telling another story; she crashed in the Indy 500.
Perhaps she was pushing it as she crashed curing lap 68. She later told ESPN that she was “nervous” and then sad because it was her final race.
Danica Patrick finishes with 191 races, no wins, one pole, seven top 10s, 2005 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of The Year, 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver, and a slew of more awards, praises, and millions of fans.
Not bad.