Could Indy 500 winner Will Power make a NASCAR cameo?
By Nick Tylwalk
Will Power has no plans to make a Tony Stewart-esque move from open wheel racing to stock cars, but he wouldn’t mind trying his hand at a single NASCAR race sometime.
It wasn’t that long ago that IndyCar driver Will Power was known mostly for his road course acumen. Now he’s an oval ace, having just won the most famous U.S. open-wheel oval race of them all, the Indy 500.
So could the 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion tackle an oval or two in NASCAR? He’s open to the idea.
As Autoweek notes, Power told the AP sports podcast after his big victory that, “I’d love to race an oval in NASCAR. That would be fun.”
However, he also added that he hasn’t even explored the idea yet and knows just how tough it would be to attempt to run up front with the best in the sport.
"I see how long it takes to get good at your craft. … Those guys are absolutely top-notch, and it would be tough to turn up and be competitive."
While Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick and others have made full-time transitions from open-wheel racing to NASCAR in the past, the idea of one-off appearances by an IndyCar competitor is something that doesn’t get brought up all that often. It’s much more common for the opposite to happen, as a handful of NASCAR drivers have taken part in the Indy 500 over the years.
One thing that could make such a venture possible is that Power drives for Team Penske, which fields teams in both disciplines. In fact, prior to the arrival of Ryan Blaney on the NASCAR side this season, Penske ran the No. 12 car occasionally as a companion to its two full-time rides, a setup which would have been perfect for someone like Power to drop in for a cameo appearance.
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The IndyCar schedule also has more off-weeks than NASCAR does, so the logistics would work without the need to jump through all that many hoops. Like many of these hypothetical crossover discussions, we wouldn’t bet the farm on seeing Power in a stock car, but just the thought of it is a fun exercise.