POCONO, Pa. – Indy car racing’s most-decorated race team will be unchanged for the 2019 season, as Roger Penske confirmed over the weekend that both Will Power and Simon Pagenaud have resigned with his organization.
Penske made the declaration to RACER’s Robin Miller on Sunday, just prior to the start of the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.
“Yes, everything is set and everyone is coming back,” said Penske. “It’s a good group.”
Reigning IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden signed with Team Penske prior to the start of last season and promptly went out and won the series title in his first year driving for the legendary team. He is reported by RACER to be in the middle of a three-year deal.
Power joined Team Penske in 2009, just a year after the merger between the failing Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. The Australian then blossomed under Penske’s guidance and leadership, earning 29 victories and 48 poles since joining the team.
The 37-year-old Australian’s brightest moments so far since linking up with The Captain were his 2014 IndyCar Series championship and his victory in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500, earned in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Power’s Indy triumph remains his most recent win, while he drew level with A.J. Foyt for second all-time in career Indy car pole positions with his top qualifying effort on Saturday at Pocono’s 2.5-mile, three-turn superspeedway.
Meanwhile, Pagenaud came to Team Penske from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015, and though it took him a year to get up to speed, Pagenaud delivered nearly as quickly as Newgarden did.
The Frenchman stormed to five wins and the series title in 2016, his second year driving for the team, and despite being winless so far this year has seven total victories and 16 podium finishes in 47 starts since coming under the Penske umbrella.
Pagenaud ranks a disappointing seventh in points with three races remaining this year, and rumors had been flying over the past few weeks that Penske was interested in pursuing standout rookie Robert Wickens, who was injured in a violent crash Sunday at Pocono.
Sunday’s news from Penske quashed those rumors, however.
“I don’t know how that (rumor) got started or where it came from, but I won the championship and finished second last year,” Pagenaud told Miller. “I’m very happy here and glad we are moving on.”
Combined, Penske’s trio of Power, Pagenaud and Newgarden accounts for three of the last four titles prior to this season and have five wins among them in 2018.
All three drivers remain mathematically eligible for this year’s championship, currently led by Scott Dixon over Alexander Rossi. Newgarden is third in points, while Power is fourth.
