Crash costs Will Power IndyCar title

DESPITE a near-miraculous rebuild by his pit crew, Australian Will Power has once again suffered final-day heartbreak in the IndyCar championship.

DESPITE a near-miraculous rebuild by his pit crew, Australian Will Power has once again suffered final-day heartbreak in the IndyCar championship.

The 31-year-old, holding a 17-point lead going into the 500-mile finale at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, suffered a heavy crash in the 57th of 250 laps.

And although an 18-man team was able to rebuild his stricken Chevrolet for Power to return to the action, American Ryan Hunter-Reay finished fourth to take out the championship by just three points from Power.

It's the third year in a row Power has crashed when leading the championship in the final race.

But unlike in 2010 and 2011, when crashes ended his championship bid, Power at least gave himself a slender chance this year by completing 12 laps with his rebuilt car to gain a position and make Hunter-Reay's task tougher.

The American initially needed to finish sixth or higher after Power's crash but the two points gained by rejoining the race changed that requirement to fifth or higher.

Hunter-Reay only moved into a championship leading position with just 21 laps left in the race, avoiding a couple of crashes around him in the closing laps to claim the title.

In the end Hunter-Reay held on, leaving Power to wonder what might have been once more.

Power crashed after an an apparent driver error, hitting the wall and wrecking his Penske Racing Chevrolet.

Hunter-Reay narrowly missed being collected by Power's spinning car.

Power says he was pushing to get around Hunter-Reay and his car slipped in a seam in the track. He said it took him totally by surprise.

“That's a tough one. It's depressing to lose a championship that way.

“I just said 'that's the championship gone' ... I'm so disappointed for all the guys, just to make a mistake like that, it's just bad.”

AAP/AP