The brief

  • What happened: Will Power finished third in Sunday’s 55-lap IndyCar race at Road America after a final-lap collision with Graham Rahal at Canada Corner. Rahal spun into the gravel while defending third, the race ended under caution and Power continued to the podium. IndyCar later penalized Rahal for blocking, dropping him to 23rd.
  • Why it matters: The result matched Power’s best finish since joining Andretti Global and delivered his second podium of 2026. He arrived at Road America 17th in the standings after five finishes of 16th or worse in the opening nine races, making third place an important conversion of pace into points.
  • What to watch: Power and Rahal left Wisconsin with sharply different readings of the contact. Power said Rahal’s move under braking left him nowhere to go; Rahal argued Power had room and drove into the back of him. Any lingering friction now carries into Mid-Ohio on July 5.

Fast context

The podium fight came down to a one-lap sprint after Marcus Armstrong’s car lost power and stopped on Lap 53. Rahal restarted third with Power behind him, and the pair ran side by side toward Canada Corner on the final tour. INDYCAR’s race report says Power held a straight-line-speed advantage and attacked around the outside before the cars touched, sending Rahal’s Honda into the gravel and bringing out the final caution.

The stewards’ blocking penalty settled the official order, but not the argument over responsibility. In INDYCAR’s post-race account, Power said he was already at the limit under braking when Rahal moved across. Rahal acknowledged defending aggressively on the last lap but maintained that Power still had space to his left.

For Power, the result was bigger than the disputed corner. His first season with Andretti after 17 years at Team Penske has produced flashes of speed but too many lost Sundays. Road America’s third place was his 110th career IndyCar podium — fourth on the all-time list — and only his second this season.

Christian Lundgaard won after recovering from first-lap contact, with David Malukas second. Power’s podium also gave Andretti its best finisher on a day when Kyle Kirkwood came home 10th.

What changes next

The series moves to Mid-Ohio on July 5. Power now has a result that better reflects the pace he says Andretti has carried, but one contentious podium does not erase the inconsistency that left him outside the championship’s leading group. The next test is whether Road America starts a run or stands alone as a hard-earned spike.