With his 31st career Indy car win and second of the season, Power tied retired legends Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti for ninth on the all-time wins list.
The win was even more significant because Power’s wife Liz is originally from nearby Plano, Texas – and the pair had just celebrated a family reunion on Thursday leading into race weekend!
“That was very intense,” said Power, who also won the second race of Texas’ two-part doubleheader in 2011. “I could see Dixon was able to pass me at the start-finish line … so I was thinking about what I was going to do there at the end.”
“Phenomenal job by the guys in the pits. I’m so stoked, I’m so happy for Verizon. It shows how good that Chevy engine is. It was super fast tonight.”
By virtue of his performance, Power jumped up three positions to fifth in points, just 40 behind Dixon, who extended his championship lead despite being involved in the late-race accident with Sato.
“I’m so stoked to win in my second home, where my wife is from – Texas. All the family is here. It just feels awesome. You don’t understand how good that feels. We’re coming for the championship now.”
Meanwhile, Tony Kanaan rallied from a penalty for avoidable contact and blocking during the night’s big accident – a penalty that left him two laps down at one point – to get back on the lead lap at the final competition caution and ultimately finish second to Power.
After climbing from his car, Kanaan offered his view of the contact with Hinchcliffe that sparked the big crash on lap 152.
“I think I definitely moved a little bit to the right. There is a little bump there I was trying to avoid,” Kanaan said. “I hate to do that. It definitely was not on purpose. We got tangled. It’s a shame. I mean obviously that’s not the way I drive. I don’t like to crash people. We got a penalty. We got a penalty, we paid the penalty and we raced back. It is what it is.”
Defending series champion Simon Pagenaud came home third, just ahead of double Detroit winner Graham Rahal. Gabby Chaves completed the top five, scoring his career-best IndyCar finish in Harding Racing’s second-ever series appearance.
Due to the high level of attrition, only eight cars finished the event.
Four-time Texas winner Helio Castroneves charged from mid-pack onto the podium early on, but was involved in a pit road skirmish with Hinchcliffe and Sato on lap 41 that led to a left-rear suspension failure, sending Castroneves hard into the outside wall off Turn 2 on lap 91.
Castroneves climbed from his car but was credited with 20th at the finish, just ahead of polesitter Charlie Kimball, who went out during the first caution at lap 37 with motor issues.
The Verizon IndyCar Series takes a week off before returning to action on June 25, with the running of the Kohler Grand Prix at Wisconsin’s Road America circuit.
Full race results can be viewed on the next page…
