Will Power wins in Milwaukee to strengthen IndyCar lead

Australian Will Power closed in on his first IndyCar series title on Sunday with a victory in the 250-mile race at the Milwaukee Mile.

Power started on the pole and delivered a dominant performance, leading 229 of 250 laps. He held off late race challenges from Brazilian Tony Kanaan and Colombia`s Juan Pablo Montoya -- his Penske team-mate -- beating Montoya across the line by 2.794 seconds. Kanaan finished third, 4.4 seconds back. With just two races remaining, Power holds a 39-point lead in the championship standings over team-mate Helio Castroneves of Brazil, who finished 11th. It`s the first time Power has won at Milwaukee, a flat one-mile racetrack, and just his third victory on an oval in IndyCar competition. "Oh man, I love winning on ovals," Power said over his team radio as he crossed the finish line. He notched his third victory of the season and the 24th of his IndyCar career. But he`s never won the series title, coming up empty-handed in 2010 and 2012 despite leading the standings with three races remaining in each of those years. New Zealand`s Scott Dixon, the three-time and defending series champion, finished fourth and American Josef Newgarden was fifth. The series heads to Sonoma Raceway in northern California next weekend and concludes at Fontana, in southern California, the following week with a race that offers double points. "It`s a perfect way to start this three-race chase," said Power, who took over the lead for good on lap 193 following the final round of pit stops. "If we have a couple more days like this of course it`s going to be a great finish. We`re going to keep our head down, don`t think of points, and execute."