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Will Power says he started screaming on the last lap of the 2018 Indianapolis 500 because he knew he was going to win the race.
Power’s first Indy 500 victory came after he saw off the challenge of Ed Carpenter following a restart for Sebastien Bourdais’ crash.
Multiple late cautions then split the field on strategy and the off-sequence trio of Stefan Wilson, Jack Harvey and Oriol Servia led.
The three had pushed the boundaries of their stints on fuel, meaning Wilson and Harvey were forced to stop before the finish.
Power was ahead of Servia by lap 196 of 200 and said he was screaming on the final lap.
“It’s overwhelming, amazing,” said Power. “It’s funny, you forget where you are, you’re so immersed in the race. You don’t even realise.
“On the white flag lap I started screaming because I knew I was going to win it. Unbelievable, I’ve never been so excited.
“I just screamed like I’ve never screamed before. The last two laps, the last lap, seeing the white flag, the chequered, I mean, you can’t explain it.
“It’s what I needed so badly, what I wanted so badly, and it came true. Anyone here knows how that would feel.
“You want something so much, it comes through to you through hard work and determination.”
Power says having a better restart over Carpenter, who was directly behind him, was essential, and Carpenter regretted not attacking him when he had the chance.
“[On] that last restart I was very determined,” Power said. “I knew that I had to get a run on these guys [the three off-sequence], at least get one of them in the first turn, which I didn’t.
“I got Oriol I think a lap later or something. I didn’t want Carpenter to have a shot at me. He was very quick.
“If he had gotten by, I think it would have been game over potentially.
“In clean air, I was very aggressive on the restarts. I started in a different spot every time to get a jump on Ed.
“I knew if we were fighting into Turn 1, it just creates a problem. Very good restarts when you look at it. I never got challenged.”
Power believes his Indy 500 win ticks the final box of his career goals.
“It was the last box to tick, to be considered as a very successful driver,” he said.
“I’m not done. I still have plenty of time left to win more 500s and championships and races.”