IndyCar Could Benefit by Will Power Not Winning Championship

It sounds crazy to say it, but Will Power failing to win the championship again this year would be a great thing for the IndyCar Series.

I think every IndyCar fan would agree that he is going to win a championship in the very near future. Despite his lack of success on the ovals, it’s safe to say he is the best driver in the Series.

The Australian already has 29 career poles and 18 wins in the sport, and he is only 31 years old.

I liken Power’s path to that of LeBron James in the basketball world.

For years, James had been labeled as the best in the sport, but he was never able to win a championship. Seemingly every year the biggest question entering the NBA season was if he would finally win it all.

The same could be true for Power heading into the 2013 IndyCar season.

We know LeBron finally captured his first championship in 2011-12, and the world has been talking about him ever since.

If Power has a major breakdown and loses it again this year, the racing world will surely take notice. That would create some serious buzz around the sport.

If Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves or, improbably, Scott Dixon wind up winning their first title this season, it could also create some great media coverage for IndyCar. Power currently holds a 36-point advantage over Hunter-Reay with just two races remaining.

It is an interesting debate, but it probably won’t matter after this weekend’s race at Baltimore. Power won the inaugural event from the pole last year, and he might very well do the same thing again this year.

Depending on what happens to the other contenders, it could almost make him a lock for the championship before the season-ending 500-mile race at Fontana on Sept. 15.