Editor's note: Final results and updated driver point standings are at the bottom of this file.
A brilliant two-stop strategy and excellent tire management propelled Will Power from 16th on the grid to victory lane in Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
The Team Penske driver collected his first win of 2022 in what also was the final race ever at Detroit’s Belle Isle street circuit -- IndyCar moves to a 1.7-mile, 10-turn street course layout in downtown Detroit starting next year.
Power held off a hard-charging Alexander Rossi in the closing laps to give Chevrolet its 100th victory in 170 races for the bow-tie company's 2.2 liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engine.
Power started the race on the slower but more durable Firestone black tire compound, which allowed him to take the race lead when drivers ahead of him had to pit due to their rapidly deteriorating red tires.
With 20 laps to go, Power made his second and final pit stop, switching to the faster reds. Time was on Power’s side as despite his tires rapidly decaying as the laps wound down, and Rossi’s car quickly approaching, he was able to hold on to win by a margin of 1.0027 seconds.
After the race, Power broke down how he pulled off his phenomenal victory.
"For one, I didn't have to have a blistering out-lap and destroy the tire,” Power said. “I was very conscious and drove it very straight and very focused. I could have pushed at the end; they didn't, like, die.
“It was a job well done by the team. I was a bit worried when they went black-black [in the first pit stop], and I was like, 'Man, we're saving the reds for the end? I hope there aren't any yellows.' But a full green race? Crazy, huh?"
Scott Dixon finished third behind Power and Rossi, while Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five.
2021 IndyCar champ Alex Palou finished sixth, followed by last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson in seventh. Colton Herta, Simon Pagenaud, and Felix Rosenqvist finished eighth through tenth, respectively.
While the race ran caution-free from start to finish, there were still a few drivers who retired from the race. Graham Rahal and Kyle Kirkwood hit the wall on separate occasions and Helio Castroneves retired due to an electrical issue.
“Really unfortunate way to end the day,” Castroneves said. “My steering wheel all of a sudden went dark and I couldn’t see when to shift and then it came back. So I knew it was something electrical.
"We came into the pits to try and change the steering wheel, but that didn't work, so it wasn’t something that simple. The No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM machine was going really, really well and I was having a great time. This is definitely not how I would like to finish, especially at the last race at Belle Isle, but I know we'll get everything solved for next weekend.”
With his win, Power now regains the lead in the overall point standings, with a three-point lead over Ericsson.
The NTT IndyCar Series now heads to Wisconsin for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America on June 12.
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