Beyond the Flag
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2018 Indy 500: Winner Spotlight – Will Power wins big

By Benjamin Kuhl

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Team owner Roger Penske and Will Power of Australia, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Team owner Roger Penske and Will Power of Australia, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Memorial Day is over, which means another epic Indy 500, which managed to provide another reason as to why IndyCar is on its way up, has passed.

For any driver, winning the Indy 500 is the biggest accomplishment over the course of a career, and that could not have been any more true for Will Power, who became the first Aussie to win the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, in this year’s race.

Coming into the race, Power had a decent qualifying run in the Fast Nine Shootout that placed his #12 Team Penske Chevrolet on the front row and in the third position. Power was sandwiched between two of his Team Penske teammates, with Simon Pagenaud starting on his inside in second and Josef Newgarden starting on the inside of the second row in fourth.

This was the 11th time that Power had attempted to reign supreme at the Indy 500, and many of the front runners, including Power, were focused on making it to the end in one piece and avoiding any unnecessary early drama.

Veterans like Tony Kanaan, Sebastian Bourdais, Helio Castroneves and Danica Patrick all had trouble handling the new UAK18 aero kit and crashed out of the race on their own. Even still, Power managed to hold on and take advantage of being out front in clean air where he had more control of his car.

Power feeling powerful once again

While the sheer significance of the Indy 500 cannot be understated, the double points that come along with it can kick-start a championship run or ruin it in a single weekend. With this win, Will Power now leads the IndyCar championship standings with 243 points over Alexander Rossi, who has 241 points after starting in a disastrous 32nd on the grid but managing to finish all the way in fourth.

Many spectators got to see a side of Power that they were not quite used to seeing but enjoyed seeing none the less. Even before making it to victory lane, he was cheering and screaming with joy, and those screams and even tears of joy continued to flow into the victory lane celebration where he did something no one was expecting.

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When handed the celebratory glass of milk, the previously dairy-free Power gave a second of hesitation before taking a moderate sip and taking a cool shower in the cold milk. He then proceeded to drench the Indianapolis festival queen, by accident, of course, as he was celebrating the most important win of his very successful career.

For Power, this showed an emotional and happy side of him that some people might have forgotten that he has. But more importantly, it could mark the start of another championship run for him.

For IndyCar, this race had another great turnout and increased the popularity of the sport. For the old guard of drivers, this race proved that age and experience still pay off at a track such as Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where speeds average upwards of 220 miles per hour.

Next: Top 10 Indianapolis 500 drivers of all-time

Let me know what your favorite moment of the race was. Who drove the best race? Were the cars too unstable?