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Will Power on pit lane at Detroit
Power looks to retain IndyCar title Sunday at Sonoma despite heavy heart

The last thing defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion Will Power wants to do is surrender his crown this weekend at the season finale in Sonoma. Power is still in the title hunt with his No. 12 Team Penske Chevy, and as the field of 25 drivers prepare for 85 laps of action during Sunday’s GoPro Grand Prix, the perennial championship contender admitted it’s hard to muster the usual excitement after the loss of Justin Wilson on Monday.

“It seriously weights on your mind,” said Power. “Justin was such a fantastic person and a fantastic driver.  He’s someone who really didn't get the breaks that he deserved.  He should have been in one of those big teams winning championships and Indy 500s because he was so capable of it. Your heart aches about the situation for him and his family.  Man, it is heartbreaking for me honestly.  It still feels surreal.

“And obviously we’ve got the race this weekend and I think we are all going to be thinking of him.  Once you get out there in the car, you'll…switch your minds off and just engage in what we have to do, which is race.”

Power, as he’s always done, will give 100 percent to his team and sponsors once the event gets under way at Sonoma, and can be expected to attack every session, and every lap of the race with the thrilling style that has earned the Australian so many fans. He, like most of the IndyCar drivers right now, is in a more solemn place than usual, and knows there’s no amount of talking that will change the task that lies ahead. To retain the Astor Cup and earn his second consecutive championship, Power will need to win the race and earn every point offered to overtake teammate Juan Montoya, who holds a significant lead in the standings.

“It's very obvious what I have to do, which is go out there and win the race, get the pole, win the race, beat the most laps and all that stuff,” he acknowledged. “I need to score maximum points to have a chance.  The rest is what it will be.  Where we will end up, who knows? That's unknown at this stage, but my absolute plan is to win and give myself the best chance to repeat as champion.”

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