Will Power has admitted his relief at returning to the podium at the Synk 275 after a difficult run of races.
Starting inside the top ten, Power enjoyed an attacking race, moving into the final podium places during the closing stages if the race.
Battling with the likes of Alex Palou and Conor Daly, he secured his best result of the season with third place.
Matching his best finish of 2025, Power now has 107 podiums, putting the Australian fourth on the all-time list. Commenting on his race in the post-race press conference, he called his afternoon “fun”.
“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “It was sort of one and a half lanes. Conor Daly kind of showed us the way when he just rolled the outside and showed that he could go there, so then you start going there, and there was grip.
“I worked on people a lot. Worked on two Ganassi guys and then can’t even remember the rest. But it was fun.”
Will Power on battling his team-mate at the Synk 275
Part of Power’s race involved a battle with team-mate Scott McLaughlin, who has recovering from his start in the lower order. Asked how he managed and dealt with this scenario, Will Power said he did not want a cause a problem.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t be close. It was good on the first restart. I was like, good, I’ve got a gap. You don’t want to have any issues when you’ve got three team cars in a row. You just kind of want to finish there, considering the season we’ve had.
“But I think — I’m sure he was thinking the same. He’s come all the way from the back of the field. To be where he was is pretty impressive. I think he’s going to be pretty happy with where he was.
“Yeah, always difficult with a teammate. You don’t want to cause him a problem. Even tougher if you’re going for the win. You don’t want to — the last thing we want at this point with the season we’ve had.
Will Power also said he was relieved that he not only finished the race, but put a series of difficult runs behind him.
“Oh, man, I was stoked to get a podium. I really was. Wins are nice, but considering what’s been going on, just top 5 would have been good.
“Just finish the bloody race, get some points. Crying out loud, we have such potential every week. Just to leave so much on the table in the last few races has been really disappointing. Just nice to have a solid result and build on it tomorrow.”
What can drivers expect tomorrow?
Power also offered insight into how drivers will drive the track on Sunday, stating that there were only two real lines available to use.
“Actually probably a true two lanes now. You can put your tires just on that black seam, maybe a little higher, which is two lanes.
“Yeah, you need just half a car and you can start working someone, especially if they’ve got someone in front of them. Yeah, that’s how I got past the guys I had to get past. It was good. Much better than last year. It really was.
