Team Penske closing on decision over Power’s future

Will Power’s status as a free agent will be addressed by Team Penske within the next month.

The two-time IndyCar Series champion and winner of the 2018 Indianapolis 500 has been with the team since 2009, earning 42 of his 44 Indy car victories and claiming 65 of his record-setting 71 poles in Penske cars, and was originally expected to have his contractual situation clarified by the end of May. But with major organizational leadership changes within the team in May and the heavy pacing of IndyCar and IMSA events for the Penske organization to administer, Penske Corporation president Bud Denker says the decision-making process is on the horizon.

With the exits of team president Tim Cindric, managing director Ron Ruzewski, and team manager Kyle Moyer who would have had strong voices in the matter, the conversation of whether to offer Power a contract extension or move David Malukas up from the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing entry to succeed Power will take place between Denker, Roger Penske and Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director Jonathan Diuguid.

“The conversation is with myself, Roger Penske, and with Jonathan Diuguid as well, who’s been over in Le Mans,” Denker told RACER. “We're going to Road America and then we're going to test in Iowa, and it's just a lot going on here in terms of the last really month and a half, from Indy to Detroit to this race and then testing.

“So it's just a matter of us getting together here in the next month or so and to put our heads together and come up with a decision that’s great for us and great for Will.”