Second Thoughts: Can Will Power, Christian Rasmussen Move on From Phoenix Crash?

Christian Rasmussen and Will Power had a quick conversation following last weekend’s INDYCAR race at Phoenix. There probably wasn’t much to say. Rasmussen was the class of the field, tried to make a pass on the outside and Power pinched him toward the wall. They banged tires and Rasmussen slapped the wall and came back to Power. Both drivers were able to continue, but their wounded cars had no chance of winning. In watching video of the accident, Power knew he was more to blame than Rasmussen. Power told me he felt if he could just hold off Rasmussen for a few more laps, the significant advantage Rasmussen had with fresher tires could potentially dwindle. Power interrupted talking to reporters when he saw Rasmussen team owner Ed Carpenter and he went over to apologize. [HARVICK: Open-Wheel Crashes at Phoenix ‘Could Have Been Prevented’] There was no penalty for avoidable contact, that it was considered a standard racing incident. Could Rasmussen have lifted? Sure. But he had the faster car and the lane was there. Could Power have conceded the spot? Sure. Rasmussen is known for his bold moves, and Power needed a good finish, and he instead finished 16th. His hope to keep Rasmussen behind him was somewhat faint, and it certainly is debatable if he could have continued to hold off Rasmussen. It is pretty much a that’s racing incident that each driver will keep in mind the next time a similar situation — or if roles are reversed — and how to race the other. Maybe Power does Rasmussen a solid as an acknowledgment that he was more to blame. Maybe Rasmussen treats Power with an even more give-than-take attitude than he already brings. “You can’t just run people into the wall,” Rasmussen said after the race in his television interview. [INDYCAR FREEDOM 250: Course Unveiled with Seven Turns, View of Capitol] So how does Rasmussen move on? He talked to me and other reporters in a Zoom session Tuesday. “It stings, especially when you have such a strong package and you’re so strong throughout the whole race,” Rasmussen said. “At the end of the day, that’s racing. That’s how it is sometimes. Racing is 95 percent losses, then you live for the last 5 percent.” Rasmussen said he doesn’t have a pick-me-up jam or workout to get him through any funk. “The way I’m looking at it, we have been the car to beat in two out of the last three oval races,” Rasmussen said. “There’s no reason that we can’t make that three for four or four for five, et cetera, going forward.” Power is going to feel that he needs to execute better. He has crashed four times in his first two weekends at Andretti Global. “My guys deserve better than what has been these two races, for sure,” Power told me after the Phoenix race. “I feel really bad that I haven’t executed, but … ooofff, it’s a cruel sport at times. “But it is a fantastic job to be doing, getting to race for a living. So I can’t complain.” Rasmussen has not relented despite a reputation that he makes potentially risky moves. He figures that if his reputation results in another driver giving him a little more space, that’s a good thing. But that probably only happens when the opponent knows Rasmussen is clearly better, that the driver has no hope in keeping Rasmussen at bay. If he feels like he could potentially race at Rasmussen, he might not get the benefit of the doubt, the benefit of a little bit of grace from another driver. And, that, too, is OK, as long as Rasmussen is willing to live in the bed he makes where his style creates some great moments but also can deliver its share of disappointment.