Penske shakes off jinx as Power wins at Watkins

Associated Press

watkins glen, n.y.

Say goodbye to the Penske jinx at Watkins Glen International.

Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe had combined to win the first five poles since the IndyCar Series began racing at the storied road course in upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region, but neither had followed with a win. Will Power changed that with a dominant victory from the pole position for Sunday’s Camping World Grand Prix, leading 45 of 60 laps over the 11-turn, 3.4-mile layout.

“I just gave it everything I’ve got,” said Power, who swept the first two races of the season but hadn’t won since. “I wanted to win really badly.

“It’s the first race I pushed the whole way. It was a difficult race. I loved it.”

Power beat Briscoe by 1.2 seconds and Dario Franchitti finished third, followed by Raphael Matos and Mario Moraes, his best finish of the season. After one week driving in NASCAR, Danica Patrick finished 20th, one spot ahead of where she started.

Power, the only multiple winner this year, now leads Franchitti by 32 points in the IndyCar standings.