Team Australia driver Will Power was driving towards his best-ever oval result until a minor pit lane incident ruined his day in the ABC Supply Co AJ Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Power had his best ever oval qualifying performance yesterday at Milwaukee, qualifying the #8 Aussie Vineyards car in fourth.
The Australian ran in the top 10 for most of the 225-lap race in his #8 Aussie Vineyards car and had easily his strongest run on an oval. Power was on track for an outstanding finish until a small but vital mishap during a pitstop late in the race.
While in the pit lane Power clipped the wall while trying to drive around the car of Tony Kanaan. The mishap delayed Power, dropping him to the rear and the impact, although minor, altered the angle of Power’s front wing, making his car handle poorly in the closing stages and denying him any chance of driving back up the order.
Fellow Australian Ryan Briscoe earned his first IndyCar win today ahead of Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon and defending Milwaukee race winner Tony Kanaan.
Power and the Aussie Vineyards crew will be back in action this weekend for the Bombardier Learjet 500 at ultra-fast Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.
Will Power: #8 Aussie Vineyards - Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone
“This should have been a really, really good result for us here today in Milwaukee,” said Power.”
“It’s so frustrating to run so well and then miss the opportunity to take advantage of it. This is about the most disappointed I’ve been after a race. I can’t believe it.”
“We had such a great Aussie Vineyards car here in Milwaukee and this is the sort of oval where the driver comes into it a lot, so it was always going to suit us more than some other tracks.
“The pace we showed proved we are capable of getting some great results. Today we should have had a great finish but something so small ruined our weekend.
“We’ve got Texas next weekend so we will give it our best shot to put things right. We keep improving and the team is just great so I think we can get back into the top 10 in points.”
Craig Gore: Aussie Vineyards - Team Australia
“Will had a great run going today and it’s such a shame he and the Aussie Vineyards team didn’t get the result they deserved,” said Gore.
“It’s disappointing that such a minor thing in the pit lane has ruined our day, but we will aim to hit back in Texas.
“The positive thing to come out of this weekend is that Will and the Aussie Vineyards car were very, very fast at Milwaukee and this was another step forward for the team.”
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