Will Power took responsibility for a rough start to the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Power crashed in practice, qualifying and the race for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He started 13th and finished 22nd.

A week later, in the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway on March 7, he crashed in qualifying and started last in the 25-car field. He climbed through the field to lead 10 laps and was out front before contact with Christian Rasmussen at the exit of Turn 2 with 43 laps remaining. Power instead finished 16th.

Those early mistakes left Power buried in 22nd in the standings entering the third race of the season, the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on March 15.

Will Power

The response was immediate. Power qualified fourth and finished third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda for Andretti Global (photo, above), vaulting to 11th in points entering Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park.

“The start of the season did look slow, but you've got to remember we were leading at Phoenix,” Power said. “We had the incident. I think St. Pete would have been a top five, for sure. The speed is there, the capability to contend for the championship is there. It really hurt me in the points, but I know we're going to have chances of winning this year.”

Power and Andretti Global used the just-completed off weekend to build chemistry away from the track as he continues adjusting to a new team after spending 17 years with Team Penske.

“Gave us a little time to catch our breath,” Power said. “For me, in particular, learning a new team, it's been such a busy time. To actually have a weekend off and digest what needs to be worked on was nice.”

Barber Motorsports Park presents both opportunity and a measuring stick. Power is a two-time winner at the track, in 2011 and 2012, with 12 top-five finishes in 15 starts. While he has not won at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn track since, he owns an average finish of 3.2 over his last five starts, including runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2024. He finished fifth last year.

All those results came with Penske.

This weekend offers an early look at how he and Andretti Global stack up on a road course, the first such circuit this season.

“It's going to be an interesting weekend for me,” Power said. “It's the first time I've driven this car on a fast, flowing road course. I'm interested to see where we stack up and what we need to do to be on pace.

“I think this weekend will be telling. Did we close the gap like we needed to on road courses?”

That question extends beyond Power.

Barber has not been a strong track for Andretti Global, with just two victories there, the most recent in 2014. More broadly, natural road courses have become an area for improvement within the team. Since 2023, all eight of Andretti Global’s victories have come on ovals or street circuits. The last natural road course win came in July 2022 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, where Alexander Rossi won.

Current drivers Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson have yet to win on a natural road course. Ericsson’s best finish at Barber is seventh during his 2019 rookie season with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, while Kirkwood’s is 10th in 2024, his second season with Andretti Global.

Kirkwood enters the weekend leading the championship, with Ericsson eighth. With natural road course events comprising six of the 18 races this season, including the finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, performance in this discipline will play a major role in the title fight for those two and Power, if he climb from 11th.

Will Power

Despite the early setbacks, Power (photo, above) remains confident the pieces are in place.

“I feel like I could have contended for a win at every race this season,” Power said. “The pace is there. The ingredients are there to contend for a championship.

“They (Andretti Global) do things a different way, but their preparation is very good. They’re a well-put-together team with strong processes. I can see why we’re running at the front. I’m very impressed, and we’re improving.

“I really believe I’m in a position to win a championship. This year we’re already there.”