INDYCAR: Power's focus on results, not points

If Will Power's strategy works, he'll dig out of his current point deficit by the end of the Indy 500 in May.

Team Penske's most recent Verizon IndyCar Series champion missed the opening race in St. Petersburg due to lingering effects from an inner ear infection, and with only a single point in hand for earning pole position, the Australian went to Round 2 in Phoenix on a mission.

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A strong third-place result in the No. 12 Verizon Chevy moved power from last in the standings to 12th, and with IndyCar's visit to Long Beach this week, the street course ace is primed to make more headway in his march toward the top 10. Leaving Long Beach, Power has two traditional road courses to make up more ground as the series heads to Barber Motorsports Park and Indianapolis for the Grand Prix of Indy.

For Power, the odds are in his favor as he heads to three consecutive races at tracks where he's reached Victory Lane. According to the 2014 title winner, he's also banking on the double points available at the 100th running of the Indy 500 to get his championship bid on course.

"Oh yeah, it's not just those three races; make that four with the [Indy] 500," Power (LEFT) told RACER. "I don't really care [about the deficit]. I'm just going to go into these races and enjoy myself. I'm not going to look at the points, because I'm way back there."

Power appears to be unfazed by the St. Pete setback.

"Yeah, I'll just go in and do the best job I can," he said, dismissing the notion of feeling added pressure. "That's all I'm doing. Just go in and do it. One thing St. Pete taught me: I looked at no data and I looked at no videos and went out and was still was fast in qualifying, so I can still do the job. Worrying [about points] isn't going to make a difference."

Forgetting the odd circumstances in St. Pete, Power reckons his 2016 season has been fairly normal – at least from the cockpit – and he expects the trend to continue in Long Beach.

"St. Pete was one of those races that was just perfect for me – very straightforward, nothing funky, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to race there," he said. "Even Phoenix was – short of winning – pretty normal, although I made a mistake on the last pit stop. I feel like I'm in a good position to go racing like I normally do."