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Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
Will Power won’t return to Team Penske next season. That’s no surprise to anyone who follows INDYCAR but it’s still a little stunning to hear it definitively.
Power earned 42 of his 45 career wins in his 17 years as a Team Penske driver. The 44-year-old Power — the 2014 and 2022 INDYCAR champion — ranks fourth all-time in career wins and first in career poles with 71.
“I’ll always look back at my time at Penske, if I don’t go back, as one of the best times of my life,” Power said Sunday after the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway.
“I’ve been given great equipment and worked with great, great people.”
Will Power won’t return to Team Penske next INDYCAR season.
Team Penske made the announcement on Tuesday morning. The team did not immediately announce a replacement, but it is expected that A.J. Foyt Racing driver David Malukas will move to Penske.
“As we sat down to talk about our future together, Will felt that it was time for him to make a change beginning with next season,” team owner Roger Penske said in a statement. “He has been an outstanding driver and teammate for our organization.
“His results speak for themselves, and we wish him the very best in the next phase of his career.”
In a statement released Tuesday by Team Penske, Power said he felt like this was for the best. He had indicated all season that most drivers who had won three races in a year (as he did in 2024) would have gotten a contract extension before the season even started.
“It’s been the honor of my life to drive for Roger and the Penske organization,” Power said in the statement. “We have accomplished so much together, and I will always be grateful for my time with the team and my teammates who have supported me along the way.
“After much consideration, I felt like a change for me was the right move at this time.”
Where will Power go in 2026?
Where will he race next season?
Andretti Global could have an opening if Colton Herta moves to Formula 2. A.J. Foyt Racing will have an opening if Malukas moves to Team Penske. Arrow McLaren officials have repeatedly said they will have the same lineup next year, as have Rahal Letterman Lanigan officials. But few would be surprised if they make a move to try to land Power.
“There are definitely options,” Power said Sunday after the race at Nashville. “It depends on what you want to do. You want to be able to be somewhere you can win.”
Malukas, who turns 24 in September, finished 11th in the standings. He crossed the finish line of the Indy 500 in third and eventually finished second after a Marcus Ericsson disqualification.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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