Australia's own Will Power is a two-time IndyCar Series champion.
The once fiery Team Penske pilot was cool, calm and collected on his way to third in the season-finale at Laguna Seca to secure the crown.
Stablemate Josef Newgarden put in a valiant effort to snatch the title win away, but could only muster second behind Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou.
Stan Sport is the only place to watch the 2022 IndyCar Series. Continues September 4-5 with round 16 in Portland. All the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand
"Oh man, that sounds surreal, honestly, it sounds surreal," Power said over his radio as he took the chequered flag.
"I cannot thank you guys enough. It was absolutely a team effort this year. You guys were flawless all year.
"I owe it to you. I've driven my heart out today. Thank you and congratulations, guys."
Power ended the year with one race win and a phenomenal nine podium finishes in a year where he only finished outside the top 10 on only four occasions from 17 races.
"Let me tell ya, in the off-season my wife said to me 'I believe you're going to beat Mario's record and you're going to win the championship'," said Power.
"She said that to me and it actually gave me confidence that I could do it.. The fact that she said that, that's how much confidence I have in here gut feel. She said those words. I just couldn't believe that it's come true.
"From the beginning, it was just playing the long game. I said it to Tim Cindric, I said, 'man, I'm just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins this year'."
It wasn't all smooth sailing for the 41-year-old, who lost the lead to Palou early in the race and looked to struggle with tyre wear while Newgarden surged by.
In the end, third was enough to secure the title over Newgarden, who needed to win and have Power finish outside the top five.
"I just knew I just had to absolutely get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions," Power explained.
"Man, I had to drive the thing today. It was on the edge. Very loose. Man, what a relief huh?"
More to follow
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Australia's own Will Power is a two-time IndyCar Series champion.
The once fiery Team Penske pilot was cool, calm and collected on his way to third in the season-finale at Laguna Seca to secure the crown.
Stablemate Josef Newgarden put in a valiant effort to snatch the title win away, but could only muster second behind Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou.
Stan Sport is the only place to watch the 2022 IndyCar Series. Continues September 4-5 with round 16 in Portland. All the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand
"Oh man, that sounds surreal, honestly, it sounds surreal," Power said over his radio as he took the chequered flag.
"I cannot thank you guys enough. It was absolutely a team effort this year. You guys were flawless all year.
"I owe it to you. I've driven my heart out today. Thank you and congratulations, guys."
Power ended the year with one race win and a phenomenal nine podium finishes in a year where he only finished outside the top 10 on only four occasions from 17 races.
"Let me tell ya, in the off-season my wife said to me 'I believe you're going to beat Mario's record and you're going to win the championship'," said Power.
"She said that to me and it actually gave me confidence that I could do it.. The fact that she said that, that's how much confidence I have in here gut feel. She said those words. I just couldn't believe that it's come true.
"From the beginning, it was just playing the long game. I said it to Tim Cindric, I said, 'man, I'm just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins this year'."
It wasn't all smooth sailing for the 41-year-old, who lost the lead to Palou early in the race and looked to struggle with tyre wear while Newgarden surged by.
In the end, third was enough to secure the title over Newgarden, who needed to win and have Power finish outside the top five.
"I just knew I just had to absolutely get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions," Power explained.
"Man, I had to drive the thing today. It was on the edge. Very loose. Man, what a relief huh?"
More to follow
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
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