Will Power, who is off-contract with Team Penske at the end of the 2025 season, has been the subject of intense speculation.
At the most recent round, the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner showed he is among the best – qualifying third before racing through to the win in an enthralling 110-lapper.
The stats paint a picture that suggests Power is the best of the Team Penske trio at the moment ahead of Kiwi Scott McLaughlin and American Josef Newgarden.
The winless duo have looked threatening at times this year, but for bad luck or otherwise, neither has been able to convert.
Still, Power is the only driver of the three to win a race this year. In doing so, Team Penske avoided going winless in a season for the first time since 1999.
Rahal, who finished fourth at Portland, backed Team Penske to re-sign Power.
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“I don’t know where Will goes, I don’t know what Will does, but all I can say is there are not many guys better in the series than Will Power and if I were Penske, I wouldn’t let him go – but that’s just me,” Rahal told reporters post-race.
“He’s been better than his teammates the last couple of years. You can’t say any opposite of that. I think Scotty Mac, in particular, is as top-tier of a talent as there is in the world.
“I mean, for Will to do what he’s doing is very impressive for an old man and gives us all hope. We’ll see what happens though. I really have no clue. He’s a stud, and obviously today he was on it.
“I could see him on the big screen. At one point, I was entering [Turn] 1 and he was going through [Turn] 7 and I was like ‘Shit, how the hell did he get that far ahead?’ — just gone. In the end, we ended up catching back up to him, but still, very impressive.”
Power didn’t offer much insight into his future after winning at Portland on Monday.
Curiously, when asked if his future lay in someone else’s hands – ie Team Penske – the Australian suggested it might be up to him to decide his future.
“Maybe it’s my decision,” he chimed in.
Having made his IndyCar debut in 2005, Power is one of the series’ longest tenured full-time drivers only beaten by Scott Dixon who debuted in 2001.
Power joined Team Penske in 2009 and was full-time with them in 2010 – a relationship that has been uninterrupted since.
Power’s wife Liz told Indy Star the uncertainty of his future had been frustrating.
“We’ve been very fortunate the last 17 years that Will has had the consistency and a solid home at Penske,” Liz Power told IndyStar.
“This has been the longest — and really the first time. We’ve never gone through this before like this.
“After May, seeing Will going through this rollercoaster of the emotions, it’s been more melancholy.
“Not mad; just disappointed because, as he’s said, ‘I’ve been loyal,’ and we haven’t gotten a lot of answers, and it’s been hard to watch him go through that.
“But on the flipside, it’s been a fun experience for us.”
When asked why it had been “fun” she explained it was good to see “a lot of interest” in Will’s services.
Power can begin negotiating with other teams on September 1.
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