WATCH: Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood get involved in a bizarre incident as the Aussie rear-ends Andretti’s driver

Tension ran high during the opening practice session of the Detroit Grand Prix event, as both Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood experienced a dramatic on-track incident. The two drivers became entangled for a moment while barreling down one of the straights on the tight, unforgiving Michigan street circuit.

Will Power, who appeared to be on a push lap on the narrow Michigan street course, rear-ended the Andretti Autosport driver in a bizarre sequence that saw his front wing lodged under the rear of Kirkwood's car like a forklift lifting a container. IndyCar shared the bizarre incident on X (formerly Twitter).

“TENSIONS BOILING OVER EARLY 😳”

The Team Penske driver appeared frustrated, having been caught up in traffic on the narrow street course. The contact by Will Power subsequently resulted in damage to his front wing, with several of its flaps snapping in the process.

Despite the incident, Kyle Kirkwood would eventually go on to set the fastest lap of the session, clocking a best lap time of 1:01.7509. The Andretti driver led the pack ahead of Scott McLaughlin, while Will Power completed the top three with a lap time of 1:02.3862.

Will Power reflects on his contact with Kyle Kirkwood

Will Power reflected on the incident with Kyle Kirkwood during the Detroit Grand Prix practice. The veteran Australian, in a quite bizarre moment, opted to rear-end the Andretti driver and stayed stuck behind him for a significant portion of his lap run.

Sharing his thoughts following the conclusion of the session, the two-time IndyCar Series champion, who appeared to enjoy the act, detailed that it was subtly an intentional incident from his end.

“Well, I came around and, you know, he was right up in the middle and made contact, so I thought, ‘Well, I may as well get a gap now.’ So I just pushed him past the car in front, just moved him out of the way, and got a really nice gap," Power said while speaking to the media in a video shared on X by IndyCar.

So, uh, yeah, if I hadn’t touched him already... I said, ‘Oh well, I’m already touching him, so I might as well keep pushing him and get myself a gap.’ Got a good gap and finished the run nicely.”

Will Power appeared to get away with this rather unorthodox act, as no punishment was handed out by the IndyCar race stewards. The 44-year-old, in the meantime, will now shift focus to recording a much cleaner race weekend at the Detroit event.

The Penske driver boasts fond memories of the Michigan streets. He most recently claimed victory at the event in the 2022 edition of the race and also boasts a flurry of impressive results racing around the road course.