Will Power wins IndyCar race at Road America

Healthy again following an early-season illness, Will Power is feeling much better about his chances of contending for another IndyCar championship.

After starting from the pole, Power led all but four laps and held off Tony Kanaan’s last-lap surge to take the 202-mile Kohler Grand Prix by 0.74 seconds on Sunday at Road America in Elkhart, Wisconsin.

It was Power’s second series victory of the year for Team Penske, both coming this month. Power also won on June 5 at Detroit, ending a frustrating three-race stretch in which he didn’t finish higher than 10th.

The slump was uncharacteristic for the 2014 series champion and aual contender.

“I got my normal engine back, and perform like I normally do, and that’s the difference,” said Power, referring to his health.

Power said he was dealing with food allergies in the offseason. He missed the season opener in March at St. Petersburg after being diagnosed with an ier ear infection.

“Finally back to my normal fitness level, just the way I do things,” Power said.

He had the stamina to hold off Kanaan at the end by 0.7429 seconds as Chevrolet finished 1-2 and took three of the top five spots.

Kanaan shaved about a half-second off the gap with Power after the white flag flew. But he couldn’t catch up as the cars winded their way toward the end of the final lap on the 14-tu track.

Those extra “push-to-pass” fuel boosts that Power had saved came in handy late in the race. It made for an exciting finish in IndyCar’s first race at the rural Wisconsin road course since 2007.

“This is the type of places we want to race. If you ask any driver about this road course, it’s one of their favorites by far, and the fans, too,” Kanaan said.

Power won with a speed of 121.426 mph and cruised from the front for much of the afteoon, leading 46 of the 50 laps. Kanaan said Power benefited from a fast start from the pole.

“We closed the gap any time we needed to, but he just had that little advantage every time because he was in the lead,” Kanaan said.

With Power in front, the race reset with six laps to go following the only caution flag of the afteoon, stunting the momentum of points leader Simon Pagenaud, who was then in second place.

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But Pagenaud, whose car seemed to improve through the middle of the race, fell back in a surprise at the restart He finished in 13th place.

Kanaan surged forward for his best finish of the season. Graham Rahal was third, 5.9 seconds behind Power. Ryan Hunter-Reay was fourth. Scott Dixon, who was second in the points race coming into the afteoon, had engine trouble early and dropped out after six laps when his No. 9 car lost power.

NHRA

Ron Capps won the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio for his third Fuy Car victory in the last four events and fourth of the season.

Capps beat Courtney Force in the final with a 3.956-second run at 317.49 mph in a Dodge Charger. He opened a 130-point lead over second-place Force in the season standings.

“What Rahn Tobler (crew chief) is doing right now is hard work,” Capps. “This guy has been working his tail off. It is big picture to him, he is not just a good crew chief, he is a good racer and I love that. When he is pointing and me in the windshield before a run, it gives me all the confidence in the world.”

Shawn Langdon won in Top Fuel, Jason Line in Pro Stock, and Eddie Krawiec in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Langdon raced to his second consecutive victory, topping J.R. Todd with a 3.846 at 319.75. Line won for the seventh time this year, edging teammate Greg Anderson with a 6.678 at 208.42 in a Chevrolet Camaro. Krawiec topped Andrew Hines at 6.926 at 194.72 on a Harley-Davidson for his third victory of the year.