Will Power announces career-first move away from IndyCar

Former Team Penske driver Will Power will take part in the upcoming Indianapolis 8 Hour race. He will be racing for the 75 Express outfit in the Intercontinental GT Challenge event, and will be paired with team owner and driver Kenny Habul and fellow Aussie Chaz Mostert.

Power is a renowned name in the IndyCar field. He has won two drivers' championships and has already emerged victorious at the fabled Indy 500 in his career.

While he has stayed away from racing in the endurance categories throughout the length of his career, apart from a 2002 Bathurst 1000 attempt, the 8 Hour race will mark his debut in this GT3 racing realm. The race will take place at the IMS road course, where he has emerged victorious five times in the IndyCar sphere.

Power's GT3 debut will be powered by a Mercedes engine as he will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car, a front-engined beast around the 14-turn circuit. The race will take place on October 18, and the Aussie will participate in the Pro class.

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Why has Will Power stayed away from endurance racing for so long?

Will Power at the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix - Source: Getty

A host of IndyCar racers often take the opportunity to race in various endurance series during the six-month break for IndyCar's new season to get going again. But this has not been the case for Will Power.

Power has remained focused on his IndyCar venture even in the off-season, but has tried to get behind the wheel of a GT3 car before. He was slated to run the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona, but his wife's illness led him to withdraw from the event.

Moreover, his concerns about the safety of the drivers in sports cars meant that he arrived with a cautious approach to such opportunities, as he revealed on the Racers Unchained with Paul Tracy podcast:

"I love SportsCar racing. It looks like a lot of fun, but after I saw Memo Gidley... it was Memo Gidley, right, the crash? I know (it was long ago), but that's the sort of thing that happens when someone's engine goes, they just stop on the track, not knowing how dangerous that is not just pulling to the grass and that sort of crash, man. Just finish like such a bad situation. So, just know you don't want to do something that will basically finish your career early." (35:55 onwards)

However, with a new chapter in his racing career starting soon, as he will become an Andretti driver in 2026, this seemingly led him to explore new opportunities in other realms of motorsport.

So, Will Power's long-awaited debut in the GT3 sphere will ultimately take place on October 18, with the racing fandom looking keenly on the Aussie's maiden attempt in the endurance category.