In a sim world that favors younger drivers who have extensive gaming knowledge, Team Penske’s Will Power has proven that age is irrelevant in the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge.

At 39, Power has won close to 1,500 virtual races in iRacing in a gaming career that began shortly after the platform became public in 2008. The 2014 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and winner of the 102nd Indianapolis 500 finished third in Saturday’s Firestone 175 at virtual Twin Ring Motegi.

Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud won the race, his second-straight win in the six-race INDYCAR iRacing Challenge. Pagenaud and Power are the only two drivers to finish every lap of the four races held so far in the sim racing series.

What made this race exciting, though, was the two Penske drivers weren’t afraid to bang wheels and sidepods in the battle for the victory. Power also had some wheel-banging from teammate Scott McLaughlin before that, which slightly damaged his virtual No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.

Pagenaud told Power that he had damage to his virtual race car when the two were side-by-side.

“Pagenaud was glued to my side pod,” Power recalled. “What's going on? He told me I had damage. I didn't know I had damage. He's like, ‘Dude, you've got damage.’

“I was having a great race with Scott Dixon the whole race, then I was fighting with Scott McLaughlin. Unfortunately, a lapper went on the inside, pushed me up into him, damaged my car, which pretty much ended my chances at the win.

“I really enjoyed it. We were getting full stints, tires were degrading. Dixon was really good on old tires. It was just a good old oval battle.”

Power has yet to win a race of the four contests held so far in the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge. He was third in the season-opening contest at virtual Watkins Glen International in the American Red Cross Grand Prix. Sage Karam was the winner of that contest. Power was second to Team Penske Virgin Australia SuperCar champion Scott McLaughlin the following week on the Barber Motorsports Park sim course in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

The 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner was fourth last week in the Chevrolet 275 at virtual Michigan International Speedway and third behind winner Pagenaud and second-place Dixon in the Firestone 175 at Twin Ring Motegi.

Power took a “less is more” approach to practicing for this week’s oval race. Instead of spending significant hours of practice, as he has done for the road course races, Power used his veteran experience that came from racing on the real Twin Ring Motegi oval in 2009 and 2010.

“I actually put the least amount of time in and I actually had what felt like my best result,” Power said. “I really couldn't believe I qualified second. That was actually the quickest lap I'd done all week, if you can imagine. Then the race just played out how it was, kind of straightforward.

“On an oval, you don't have to be on it every day, which is great. But road course, yup, you're probably going to have to be on it all week. I can't spend more than 45 minutes before my head starts to hurt.

“It was good, but also it was frustrating to have worked that

whole race for a young guy to come out from the inside. Remember, it's just a simulation, it's not for real. I'm actually getting some of my bad luck out of the way on the simulation so when I go to the real car, going to have a good run.”

That is one of the many benefits that can come from competing in the iRacing series for drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. When they return to real competition, the virtual series has helped keep their racing skills sharp. That could pay some major dividends once real racing resumes.