Focus forward to 2013, Power says, at Chevy test

Eleven weeks had passed since Will Power left his crippled race car and broken heart in a garage at Auto Club Speedway.

The driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car fell three points shy of securing his first IZOD IndyCar Series championship after the combination of a crash in the season finale and a fourth-place finish by his title rival gave the crown to Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport.

But that's all history, according to Power, who wound up the series' championship runner-up for the third consecutive year. Preparing for the 19-race 2013 season — on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval — is somewhat cathartic. Power and five other drivers whose cars are powered by the Chevrolet 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 engine used a clear and comfortable day at the track for testing.

"We're putting in some miles for Chevy and seeing how we can progress for next year. It sure is good to get back into the Verizon No. 12 car; we've spent too much time apart," Power said. "I spent about a month after the season ended in Australia and ran the V-8 Supercar race and spent time with family, but it sure is good to get back into a familiar car — an IndyCar.

"Chevy has given us great support and they continue to work hard to get us the best engine in the field. I am really looking forward to 2013 and putting it all together. We keep getting close but not quite there for the championship. I think we know what we need to do to win a championship, and with me, the team and everyone focusing we can hopefully do it."

Power was joined by Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves, who will join Tony Kanaan and Rubens Barrichello to compete in a Brazilian stock car race this weekend for charity, Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport, Sebastien Bourdais of Dragon Racing, and Ed Carpenter of Ed Carpenter Racing. The testing window for 2012 closes Dec. 14, and several drivers will be on the Sebring International Raceway short course Dec. 12-13 to test. IndyCar.com