Will Power gave Chevrolet its second win of the weekend in Race 2 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Sunday after making a late-race pass on polesitter and teammate Simon Pagenaud.
Power’s victory was redemption for a tough qualifying session in which the Australian qualified first but received a penalty for impeding Marco Andretti on his qualification lap, relegating him to eighth on the grid.
When the race got underway, a yellow flag was brought out almost immediately after James Hinchcliffe and Max Chilton became collected in a minor incident, ending their days. Takuma Sato was also involved in the shunt, but was able to get his ABC Supply Honda running and returned to the track following repairs.
The race ran under green following the restart until Lap 35, when Juan Pablo Montoya made contact with the wall and came to a stop in Turn 10. Shortly after, Helio Castroneves passed Pagenaud for the lead and looked poised to take another Detroit GP win, until a caution came out after Jack Hawksworth’s car stopped on track. Pagenaud, Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay had all pitted a lap earlier, forcing Castroneves to forfeit track position and pit under yellow. He finished the race 14th.
On the Lap 52 restart, Pagenaud and Power sat fifth and sixth. They moved through the running order as those in front of them headed to the pits, their mid-pack battle eventually turning into one for the lead. Power then passed Pagenaud on the outside of Turn 3, taking the lead before driving to his first victory of what has so far been a tough 2016 season.
It’s very satisfying. Very satisfying,” Power told IndyCar.com post-race. “Been a tough season, I would say. Been a weekend where we’re knocking on the door.”
“Roger, this morning, very keen, said one of us needs to win, and for Chevrolet,” he added. “Believe me, I’m very happy to be the one.”
The Verizon IndyCar Series heads to Texas Motorspeedway next for the Firestone 600 on Saturday June 11th. Click here for full results from Race 2 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit.
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