Power fends off Pagenaud for win in Long Beach
- Published on 16 Apr 2012 10:05
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- By: Rob Veenstra
Will Power, who started the 38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in Row 6 because of a penalty assessed ton all 11 Chevrolet-powered cars for unapproved engine changes, overcame the deficit by stretching 18.5 gallons of E85 the last 31 laps on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit. All the while being chased down by Simon Pagenaud.
"We really didnt think it was possible to win from 12th place because it was a two-stop race, but never say never," said Power, who two weeks earlier charged from qualifying ninth to win on the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park road course. "Once again, good strategy with (strategist) Tim (Cindric), Dave (Faustino), my engineer, and all the boys we overcame a 10-spot penalty.
"It was just amazing that Simon did three stops and I did two stops, like two different strategies. Obviously he could run hard the whole time and not save fuel, and I saved fuel and did the best lap time I could. And the result was very similar. There was hardly any time between us as we crossed the finish line. It's just always a surprise in IndyCar, I think. You can never predict. You can never assume going into a race. You just have to be smart as it plays out."
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"We really didnt think it was possible to win from 12th place because it was a two-stop race, but never say never," said Power, who two weeks earlier charged from qualifying ninth to win on the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park road course. "Once again, good strategy with (strategist) Tim (Cindric), Dave (Faustino), my engineer, and all the boys we overcame a 10-spot penalty.
"It was just amazing that Simon did three stops and I did two stops, like two different strategies. Obviously he could run hard the whole time and not save fuel, and I saved fuel and did the best lap time I could. And the result was very similar. There was hardly any time between us as we crossed the finish line. It's just always a surprise in IndyCar, I think. You can never predict. You can never assume going into a race. You just have to be smart as it plays out."
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