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INDYCAR MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 26, 2016

Will Power

THE MODERATOR: We are pleased to be joined by Will Power.

Will, pretty quickly you set a time, unofficially, under the track record and ended up finishing second in the session. What are your impressions of Phoenix and the differences that you've noticed so far?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I haven't been here before. Obviously I tested here. But, yeah, it's very smooth. It's fast. It's going to be interesting tonight to run in traffic. Obviously we've just been running by ourselves, probably qualifying-type trim.

Yeah, it's just one of those things you're going to have to work out, understand where you can pass, what lanes you can run, how it's going to behave in traffic. That's what tonight will be all about because it's the time that the race will be held, so we'll see.

THE MODERATOR: What are you expecting between how drivers and cars are running in the morning as opposed to what we'll see this evening? You mentioned you might see more drivers running in traffic.

WILL POWER: Yeah, you'll see the quickest times will have already been done today in the heat because people will be working on qualifying-type stuff. There were guys getting up to speed.

Tonight you'll see people running in groups, trying to work out the track, seeing how it rubbers up, that type of thing, seeing if the tires degrade, all the things you learn as you go through the process of understanding a track, a new track.

THE MODERATOR: Physically, what does the track demand of a driver? Is it all stops out there?

WILL POWER: Yeah. It's going to be the most physical race of the year, I'm pretty sure. Especially when you add all that downforce. I mean, the wheel is so heavy. Yeah, I have to say after the previous test, I was thinking I don't think it will be possible to do an entire race physically all green, but we'll see.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Will.

Q. Will, a question about another driver. What are your thoughts about James coming back from his crash, the recovery, rehab, what it takes to come back from something like that?
WILL POWER: Yeah, it's always interesting. You have a lot of time to think and wonder if you'll be good when you get back in, have the same confidence once you get back in the car after an injury like that, how it all comes back to you.

He's looking fitter than he's ever been, so I think he's going to have no problem.

Q. Will, can you talk a little bit about what you were saying about the driving, running a full race if you have all green? What happens, your arms get tired? I know you work out for that, but in actual race conditions, even with it being an evening race, I would think the heat wouldn't force you to steer as hard.
WILL POWER: The heat makes it easier because it takes some downforce away. Once the air gets thick, heavy and cold at night, the cars start to get real heavy.

It's the most downforce any open-wheel car has ever had. It's the most downforce ever run on an oval. That's why it's physical. It's as simple as that. It's insane the number that it is.

Q. Will, with all due respect, you've had at times some rather caustic comments about race control. This week they named three stewards, two former drivers and a guy who used to run Ford's CART effort. How do you feel about the three people they named?
WILL POWER: I think it's a good combination. I think all we ask for is consistency, more black and white. I think, you know, Mark Miles has done a very good job of putting together a great team in the off-season to make things run smoothly.

I think I just see all positives the direction it's going in. Yeah, I think it will be great, I really do. I think it will be fine. I think it's a good system and it's going to work well.

THE MODERATOR: Will, thank you very much.

WILL POWER: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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