Will Power out at Penske: Team confirms Australian will not return for 18th season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Will Power, the consummate company man who won two IndyCar titles and the Indianapolis 500 for Roger Penske, will not return to Team Penske for an 18th season. The long-expected announcement was finally made Tuesday, two days after the season finale, and nearly a year after speculation began that Power would not be renewed when his contract expired as the team eyed a younger driver. Power turns 45 at the start of next season. "As we sat down to talk about our future together, Will felt that it was time for him to make a change beginning with next season," Penske said in a statement. "He has been an outstanding driver and teammate for our organization. His results speak for themselves, and we wish him the very best in the next phase of his career." As the season dragged on without any movement from Penske, Power's departure became more and more obvious. He showed up at the season-opener in March — on his birthday weekend — facing questions about the possibility of 23-year-old David Malukas replacing him at the end of the year. The speculation was never silenced by Team Penske, but Malukas was not confirmed as Power's replacement Tuesday. After Sunday's season finale at Nashville Superspeedway, Power was both reflective and grateful for the time he'd had at Penske, where he won 42 races, two championships, the Indy 500 and became IndyCar's all-time pole-winner with 71. "It's been the honor of my life to drive for Roger and the Penske organization," Power said. "We have accomplished so much together, and I will always be grateful for my time with the team and my teammates who have supported me along the way. After much consideration, I felt like a change for me was the right move at this time." Power, with 45 career victories, ranks fourth on the all-time IndyCar wins list behind A.J. Foyt (67), Scott Dixon (59) and Mario Andretti (52). He passed Andretti as the greatest qualifier in series history. This season, he proved to be the best of the trio of Penske drivers — he was most consistent, his win at Portland was the first of the season for Penske — and he's shown despite his age he's still among the most competitive on the grid. Power was leading at Nashville and had positioned himself for the win until a mistake in the pits took him out of contention. He told his engineer on pit lane after the race he wasn't returning in 2026 in a conversation that had both engineer David Faustino and Power's wife, Liz, in tears. Power has won at least one race every season except 2023 — the year his wife nearly died from a staph infection. It's not clear where Power will go, but the softest landing spot on the grid would be if Colton Herta leaves IndyCar for F2, the Formula 1 feeder system, in an effort to achieve the super license Herta needs to compete for the new Cadillac team in the global series. That would open a seat at Andretti Global and new owner Dan Towriss, who also owns the Cadillac F1 team, a NASCAR team, and multiple other organizations in various motorsports series, could use a veteran like Power as he attempts to bring the IndyCar program back to the top of the series.