(PORTLAND, OR) Consider it a double-win Sunday in the NTT IndyCar Series for Team Penske.
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Stephen King
At the Portland Grand Prix at the Portland International Raceway, veteran Will Power outpaced the competition in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet to claim the checkered flag on the 12-turn, 1.964 road course, his first at the facility.
Meanwhile teammate, and current series points leader, Josef Newgarden maintained his top spot in the standings with his fifth place finish in the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet and widened his differential to 42 points over Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport) heading into the season finale Firestone Grand Prix at Monterey, California on September 22.
Power’s 2.7885 second win over runner-up Felix Rosenqvist (Chip Ganassi Racing) was his 37th career victory.
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Stephen King
Rossi remained mathematically eligible for title contention with his third place finish in the No. 28 NAPA Auto Parts Honda. With the Monterey event worth double the points Rossi could claim the come-from-behind championship with a winning performance combined with a Newgarden early exit.
Last weekend’s podium drivers at the Bommarito Automotive 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway one week ago did not have identical performances at Portland.
Takuma Sato, the winner at the Madison oval, started 17th and finished 15th while third place driver Tony Kanaan started 19th and finished 12th. Last weekends runner-up, Ed Carpenter, did take the wheel behind his self-funded, two-car team.
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Stephen King
Power led 52 of the 105 laps on the afternoon and posted a top average speed of 104.225 miles per hour.
Also Sunday, the NTT IndyCar Series revealed their 2020 schedule that included a return for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on Saturday, August 22, 2020.
For more info on the series, go to their official link.
By trade, he is a six-time, regional Emmy Award-winning news videographer/editor for KTVI/KPLR-TV. By hobby, he is a writer for Arch City Media, dating back to February 2014. Emphasis is on featuring and promoting local women's sports, but will cover anything that is not reported by traditional media outlets. Also a contributor to local concert reviews.
