Will Power says he is going into the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the best shape of his career.
Power is angling to become the first Australian to win the race and supply his boss Roger Penske with his 17th win in the 50th year of the Team Penske squad.
The Toowoomba ace ran a close second to team-mate Juan Montoya in the 2015 Indy 500 which he says has given him the assurance needed to clasp his hands on the Borg Warner trophy.
“Yeah it does absolutely give me confidence,” Power told Speedcafe.com.
“I felt good in practice this last week and I know if I’m in that top two I have an absolute shot.
“2015 was a great race and that sort of thing builds your confidence for sure.
“I definitely learned from it. Everytime you come here you learn something new. It feels like it’s as strong as I’ve ever been on ovals.
“Last year Juan (Montoya) had a bit more downforce than me in that last run and the team asked me if I wanted more front wing and didn’t take it. I just wanted to get back out first.
“Also Montoya is very smart the way he races. He protects that line. He is very good at taking away my air.
Power, the 2014 IndyCar Series champion, will start from sixth ahead of team-mates Simon Pagenaud (eighth), Helio Castroneves (ninth) and Montoya (17th).
“My team-mates have been finding it a bit harder than they thought,” he said.
“I honestly feel like I’m going into the race better than most years including last year.
“If I won this race I would be very satisfied with my career.”
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