By Bruce Martin
NSSN Correspondent
MIAMI — Team Penske made a “Power-ful statement” by naming Will Power to a full-time ride in the IZOD IndyCar Series beginning next season.
It is the first time since 1994 that Penske Racing will have a three-driver lineup. That year, they dominated the CART Series with Al Unser, Jr. winning both the Indianapolis 500 and the series title along with fellow drivers Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy.
“The opportunity was there,” Team Penske President Tim Cindric said of expanding the team. “It's not every day that you have an opportunity like we have to put three proper programs together with your three very capable drivers. All the moons aligned for us, and we feel obviously that this is a great opportunity for all of us.
“Obviously the results speak for themselves last year. We're excited to be able to give (Will) the opportunity to come on full‑time, because he's done an excellent job in a very difficult situation. It seems like so long ago that he was sitting here and his fate was depending on Helio (Castroneves') fate. Now he's independent of all of those things and continues to perform.”
By finding a sponsor in a difficult economy, team owner Roger Penske once again proved why he is the most successful team owner in IndyCar history.
The addition of Verizon is another “name brand” sponsor that can help spread the IndyCar word because that company is prohibited from sponsoring a car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series because of Sprint’s exclusive contract as series sponsor.
Power has made tremendous progress after suffering a season-ending back injury when he crashed with Nelson Philippe in practice at Infineon Raceway Aug. 22. Thursday’s announcement ensures his return to the cockpit.
Penske and Cindric realize Power is a star in the making and were determined to keep him on the team.
“We would have done everything we could to keep him in the fold,” Cindric said. “We certainly would have approached him with here's what we can do. And we would have done everything we can to at least run him in Indianapolis next year and see if there was something that came ahead of time, depending on how long he was willing to wait.
“But obviously with the result that he had had last year there's probably going to be more people knocking on his door if they found out that he was available. So we did everything we could on that front…so it was a great fit for us.”
Verizon had been the sponsor of Penske’s Rolex Grand American team, but the sports-car program is being phased out and replaced by an additional IndyCar entry.
But even if Penske had been unable to find a full-time ride for Power, the opportunity to compete at Penske Racing on a limited basis was enough for the driver from Australia.
“I would have stayed there no matter what, because it was a great situation for me to be driving there,” Power said. “Every time I was in the car, it was a good car. It's no use running around the back of the field with a team that's sort of not up for the job, because you don't do yourself any favors.
“I want to be running up front all year. I really want to be a title contender. So I’ll be doing my absolute best.”