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Alex Palou Wins at Laguna Seca While Will Power Is an IndyCar Champion for the Second Time

Yesterday the last race of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series unfolded at the Laguna Seca track. The main attraction was the title fight between the Team Penske teammates, Will Power and Josef Newgarden.
Will Power wins second title in IndyCar 7 photos
Photo: IndyCar
Will Power wins second title in IndyCarWill Power wins second title in IndyCarWill Power wins second title in IndyCarWill Power wins second title in IndyCarWill Power wins second title in IndyCarWill Power wins second title in IndyCar
Power came into the season finale with a 20-point lead, and he did a fantastic job in the qualifying stages. He took the pole position for a record 68th time in his career, and everything looked good for the event on Sunday.

The championship leader got a decent start from the drop of the green flag, just enough to keep him ahead of Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport-Honda) and Pato O'Ward (McLaren SP-Chevrolet). Meanwhile, Josef Newgarden started from 25th, but in less than two laps, he was already in the top 20.

Will Power kept his composure as usual, without taking any unnecessary risks. The strategies were quite different between the teams. At the first round of pit stops, Power fitted the white harder tires while Alex Palou switched on the fresh reds. The Spaniard never looked back and went to win the race without further problems.

Meanwhile, Will stayed in second to take home his second IndyCar title. It was the 17th IndyCar Series championship by a Team Penske driver. In the end, Power beat teammate Josef Newgarden to the crown by just 16 points.

We all know that Power is excellent at keeping his composure during challenging moments. Still, after the season finale, we could see how tired and relieved he was that the race was finally over.

"Man, I had to drive the thing today. It was on the edge, very loose. Man, what a relief. What a relief to get that done," declared the two-time champion. "From the beginning (of the season), it was just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins and all that."

A season quite like no other ended with Power taking the crown for the second time in his career. Meanwhile, we won't see any IndyCar action until the end of the winter.

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About the author: Silvian Irimia
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Silvian may be the youngest member of our team, being born in the 2000s, but you won't find someone more passionate than him when it comes to motorsport. An automotive engineer by trade, Silvian considers the Ferrari F50 his favorite car, with the original Lamborghini Countach a close second.
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