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Will Power goes for a third straight win at Pocono Raceway

The Australian has won three of the last four 500 mile races in the IndyCar series.

Will Power competes in the IndyCar Series auto race, Sunday, July 29, 2018, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Will Power competes in the IndyCar Series auto race, Sunday, July 29, 2018, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)Read moreAP

Will Power likes to race fast and likes to race for a lot of miles.

Perhaps that's why the 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion is looking forward to the IndyCar Series' ending a three-week hiatus at the ABC Supply 500 on Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

With qualifying speeds that can approach 200 mph, a race at "The Tricky Triangle" is going to have one of the fastest average speeds on the circuit. With 200 laps around the 2½-mile triangle, ABC Supply 500 joins the Indianapolis 500 and the DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway as one of the three 500-mile races.

Power, a 37-year-old native of Australia, is the two-time defending champion at Pocono. He has also won three of the last four 500-mile races in the series.

"I really enjoy racing, I guess, 500 miles, the super-speedways, just experience," Power said. "Obviously, Pocono is a track I really enjoy. Indianapolis is, as well — just superspeedways in general. I won at Texas last year, Pocono. I won obviously Indy this year.

"But, yeah, just experience, understanding what I want from the car. I enjoy the tracks. I think that's what makes me do well there.

"Love superspeedways. Really, really feel right at one with them."

Pocono has become a favorite of Power for good reason. In addition to his victories in 2016 and '17, he has placed fourth there twice and finished 10th since the IndyCar circuit first came to Long Pond, Pa., in 2013.

That's five top-10 finishes in five races.

"The most similar track [to Pocono Speedway] is Indianapolis for the fact that you take a total road-course race line," said Power, who has won at least one IndyCar race in each of the past 12 seasons. "That's true of Pocono, but it's a superspeedway.

"I think the thing that differentiates the track is its three very different corners. There's one with a lot of banking, one that's very open — pretty much wide-open every lap — and then one that's kind of like Indianapolis and the car slides around."

Pocono's three turns are patterned after the old Trenton Speedway (Turn 1 with 14-degree banking),  Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Turn 2 with 9-degree banking), and the Milwaukee Mile (Turn 3 with 6-degree banking).

"It is a great race circuit," said Power, who won the 2014 IndyCar Series championship and has been runner-up four times. "It's really, really cool, a lot of fun. I really enjoy racing there. It's one of my favorite tracks."

What: ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway

When: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19

Television: NBCSN

2017 winner: Will Power