Will Power doesn’t have much left to accomplish in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. His resume is stuffed with 44 career wins, ranking fifth all-time. Among the victories is a 2018 Indianapolis 500 triumph.

He also sped to a series-record 70 poles.

A series champion in 2014 and 2022, there’s one thing Power hasn’t achieved – an Indianapolis 500 pole. He’s 0-for-17.

“For some weird reason, I just think it's one of those things, where the racing gods go, ‘Yeah, you can have the pole record, but you're certainly not going to get this one,’” Power said. “That's just the irony of life.”

Indianapolis 500 qualifying is unlike anything else in motorsports. Qualifying isn’t just about being fast; it’s also about being fearless. Four laps, no lifting, dancing on the edge of disaster every corner while feeling every wind gust and bump.

A comfortable car is a slow one.

“You put a lot on the line,” Power said. “It's really hard to have the quickest car and the quickest team on that year. To put all that together, there’s a lot of things that have to align, and that's very difficult because you see every team. There's one car that just seems to be a little bit quicker for whatever reason.

“It’s very finicky. You can have a fast car and not even be the best of the team. They’re all built the same. One is just slightly faster. I have been waiting to have that car for many years. I’ve been close, been on the front row, but it would be nice.”

Power has five Indianapolis 500 front row qualifying efforts, including last year starting between Team Penske teammates Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden. But he claims an Indy pole comes as a double-edged sword.

Former teammate Simon Pagenaud in 2019 is the last “500” winner to start from the pole, the only time it has occurred since 2010. Power started third in his 2018 Indianapolis 500 win.

While Power has aimed for the elusive Indy 500 pole, he questions if the top starting position on an oval has become a detriment on race days, leading to a different approach.

“I think you put yourself in a great position if you win poles,” Power said. “I just wasn't heavily focused on that. I really wasn’t. In some respects, I didn't want to get poles on ovals because I think it kind of in some ways hurts you a little bit at times, just being out front in nice clean air. The car feels great, then you get put back some spots, and it takes you another sort of stint to get your head around a car in dirty air. So, there's some good and bad in that.

“For sure on road courses, qualifying at the very front is a big deal. But it's hard to get poles these days. It really is. No one is pumping out multi poles in a year anymore. It's very difficult.

“I’ve been very race-focused more recently.”

Even being focused on races, Power hasn’t escaped circle-track poles. Eleven of his 18 oval poles have occurred since 2017. He didn’t reach victory lane any of those times. He does have two oval wins from the pole, but both occurred over a decade ago – 2013 at Auto Club Speedway and 2014 at Milwaukee Mile.

The Indianapolis 500 Open Test on April 23-24 is a crucial step toward a possible NTT P1 Award next month, giving Power his first real chance to dial in race and qualifying runs and gauge expectations against a talented 34-driver field.

Team Penske also could use the extra track time to figure out why Power’s recent qualifying woes have occurred. He’s been eliminated in the first round of qualifying every race this season, with a best starting position of 13th in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and the most recent race, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

That leads to a question of whether 2025 is the year Power finally gets that coveted Indy 500 pole position.

The good news is Power’s No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet doesn’t lack speed – on race days. He gained 22 combined spots in the last two races, finishing sixth in The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix after qualifying 21st and fifth at Long Beach after starting 13th. He was collected in an opening-lap crash in St. Petersburg.

The frustration is he’s fast at the right times, just not when it counts for grid position. The latest example is that he was quickest in the opening Long Beach practice session, made the fourth-most passes in the 90-lap race and was one of three drivers to not be passed at all on track en route to the top-five finish.