In what has been a wild IndyCar season filled with parity and surprises, perhaps the biggest shocker has been Will Power’s goose egg. This is a driver that has finished runner-up in the championship standings in each of the last three seasons. This was supposed to be the year he got over the hump, giving Roger Penske his first series title since 2006.

While The Captain does currently have a driver leading the points standings with just 6 races remaining, it’s not the one you might expect. Helio Castroneves has had a great year, but Power has not been himself in a long time. Will is currently 10th in the overall standings, just 1 point ahead of Charlie Kimball.

So far this season, Power has won 2 poles (St Petersburg, Texas) but hasn’t had the finishes we have all come to expect from the Australian driver. His winless streak has now reached 23 races, heading into the August 4 race at Mid-Ohio. He hasn’t won since April 29 of 2012, and has just 1 podium finish (Milwaukee) since that race win in Sao Paulo.

In 2011, Power stormed onto the scene, dominated nearly every weekend. He won a total of 6 races that year, and grabbed an impressive 8 poles during the season. There were 7 races in 2011 where he led the most laps of the race. His 2012 season was good too, winning 3 races and 5 poles en route to another runner-up finish in the championship.

There is another eye-opening statistic about Will’s 2013 campaign. Through 13 races this season, Power has finished worse than 15th place 8 times. That is unheard of, given his success over the past few years. He’s currently 5th on the all-time wins list among active drivers, but the big question everyone is asking is when will the next one come?

Looking at the 5 tracks remaining on the schedule this season, Will has a good shot at breaking his winless streak. He won pole at Mid-Ohio in 2010. The last 2 years at Sonoma, he won both the pole and the race. In 2011 he won both the pole and the race at Baltimore. In fact, this time last year, Power won 3 straight poles at these tracks (Mid-Ohio, Sonoma, Baltimore). He also led the most laps in each of those races.

Will has raced on the streets of Houston before, although it was a different track layout when the Champ Car series ran there. Still, he finished 7th in 2006, and started on pole in the 2007 race. The memories at Fontana are not good, but he has shown he can be strong on the ovals this year. It might be his last chance to break the winless streak before 2014, so desperation may play a factor in that one.

What we do know is that when Power finally does return to victory lane, no one will be happier than him. Unfortunately for him, time is running out. If he fails to win one of these final 6 races, the baggage that he will carry into next season is going to be incredibly heavy.

About a month ago, Power told Autoweek magazine that the expectations and pressure of winning the championship are gone, and he is free to just race. It makes sense, but it sounds strange because this is a guy that has never even won a title. Still, the pressure to win a race has to be weighing on his shoulders right now.