Two-time IndyCar champion Will Power's father, Bob Power, suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest during the 2026 Indy 500 weekend in May. The 80-year-old former racer was swimming in their hometown in Queensland, Australia, when it happened.

Will's brother, Damien, a professional comedian, broke this news in an Instagram video post on Sunday.

"My dad was swimming laps at a pool here in Queensland, had a cardiac arrest, died, face down in the pool," said Damien. "The guy swimming next to him happened to be like someone who has paramedic training, pulled him out, resuscitated him using the defibrillator, and all that. And then he went into a coma."

It just happened to be that Damien wasn't in Australia when it unfolded. He had flown to the US to watch Will Power compete in his first Indy 500 as part of Andretti Global, and 19th overall.

"We woke up like on the weekend of the Indy 500 to find out our dad's in a coma, and my brother had to race that race knowing that," Damien added in the Instagram post. "My brother got into racing 'cause my dad was a racing car driver and he's obsessed with cars. That's kind of the point of this story."

Bob Power, who is now out of the coma, raced Formula Ford cars back in the day, and Will Power followed in his footsteps, eventually making it big in IndyCar. In 2026, the 45-year-old opened a new chapter in his racing journey, ending a 17-year stint with Team Penske to join Andretti Global on a multi-year contract.

Unfortunately, he had a DNF at the Indy 500 with a mechanical failure on his No. 26 Andretti Global Honda on lap 91 of 200.

Will Power utterly disappointed with his first Indy 500 outing with Andretti Global

The hype surrounding Will Power's move to Andretti Global slowly faded as the 2026 season moved ahead. He suffered repeated issues with the front locking of his tires and brakes.

The month of May was no kinder to him. He remained in the bottom half of the drivers throughout the practice sessions and only qualified in 19th. The DNF on lap 91 of the Indy 500 was the cherry on top of the undesirable cake.

"Not a great way to end an already tough month of May," Power said (via Speedcafe). "We were running so strong, saving fuel and moving forward, and then it was just over. I heard a loud noise, and then I just spun."

Fortunately for Power, the races after the Indy 500 have been better. Though he DNFed at Detroit, he has finished the last three races in the Top 10, including a podium at Road America.

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Written by

Yash Kotak

Edited by

Yash Kotak