Will Power has scored his first IndyCar Series race win in 34 starts, strategising his way to victory at Road America.
The Team Penske driver was the surprise packet of the 55-lap race, jumping into the lead with just over 10 laps to go when his team made the right call to pit late.
The race, by and large, was dominated by his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden who traded the lead throughout.
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However, pitting after McLaughlin and Newgarden to short-fill and execute an overcut netted the Toowoomba-born driver the victory.
It marked win 42 in his career, tying him for fourth on the all-time winners list with Michael Andretti.
"I felt good about today and I had a very fast car. I've got to thank all the guys. Great strategy," said Power post-race.
"Massively special. We've worked so hard to try get wins and I worked really hard in the off-season."
In 2023, Power went winless. It was the first time in 16 seasons that the Australian spent an entire year without standing on top of the podium.
The 43-year-old has been open about his wife's health problems, which were a distraction.
"Obviously last season was very stressful and I had half a mind at home and half a mind at the track, so it's very difficult to perform at a high level there," said Power.
"Just stoked. That was very, very well-deserved for the whole team. We worked so hard for that.
"I just know how lucky I am. I'm lucky to drive for Penske and I'm lucky that my wife got through that last year and I've got a great family," he added.
"I'm lucky, man. I'm lucky to do this. Anyone that complains when they've got a job like this needs a kick in the backside."
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The race was punctuated by a series of incidents early on.
Pole position winner Linus Lundqvist had his hopes dashed when Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Armstrong hit him into a spin at turn one.
Armstrong spun in sympathy while Andretti Global's Colton Herta got caught in the melee when he was centre-punched by Newgarden.
That gifted Herta's teammate Kyle Kirkwood the lead ahead of McLaughlin and McLaren's Alexander Rossi.
Kirkwood lost the lead to McLaughlin on the lap four restart, which was short-lived after debris from Herta's car was spotted at turn one, which brought out another safety car.
There was more drama on lap seven when Chip Ganassi Racing's Kyffin Simpson copped a whack from Christian Rasmussen.
Simpson was sent into a high-speed spin at the final corner and slapped the concrete wall hard, damaging the suspension beyond repair.
The first round of pit stops began on lap 16 with McLaughlin leading the way. He led a Team Penske one-two-three after the field was cleansed.
The second round of pit stops brought McLaughlin into the lane for soft compound tyres, a move which didn't pay dividends.
By lap 36, Newgarden got past into the lead on the run to turn one and set about stretching his legs.
The decisive sequence began on lap 42. Newgarden led McLaughlin by one and a half seconds. McLaughlin pitted in a bid to undercut the race leader.
Newgarden responded and pitted a lap later, returning to the track well clear of McLaughlin.
Power's pit stop on lap 44 was the killer blow, however. He leap-frogged McLaughlin and Newgarden and shot into the lead.
From there, he cruised away and took the chequered flag more than three seconds clear of Newgarden.
McLaughlin was third ahead of quiet achiever Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing and a resurgent Herta.
"We probably misstepped there at the end," said Newgardenn.
"I feel bad that I came in (to the pits) a lap early. I probably should have stayed out.
"You're going to get killed on the (pit stop) sequence. The undercut is not working on a day like today. That was the real miss, just coming early."
Power has shot to the top of the points, five points clear of Palou and 11 clear of Scott Dixon.
The IndyCar Series takes a short break before returning on June 24 at Laguna Seca.
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