LONG POND — Will Power masterfully protected the inside line and blocked Josef Newgarden from ever making the decisive pass over the final 10 laps Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

Power pumped his fist and celebrated another win that moved him up in the Indycar record book. His focus soon shifted from the way he held off Newgarden to catching him: Power thrust himself into the Indycar championship picture and stuck his aim on the series points leader, Newgarden.

“I’m going for it,” Power said.

Power and Newgarden gave Penske Racing a 1-2 podium finish at Pocono. It could serve as a preview for the final standings.

Power’s third win of the season — and second at Pocono in two years — inched him within 42 points of Newgarden for the lead with three races left.

Power won the 2014 championship and wasted his bid at a second title last year with disastrous finishes in the final two races. Newgarden has been positioned as Indycar’s next big thing and had won two straight races, at Toronto and Mid-Ohio, to stake his claim as a legitimate championship contender.

“When one car wins, we kind of all win. That’s the way we view it,” Newgarden said.

Let’s see what he says after the finale at Sonoma.

The 26-year-old Newgarden has some of Indycar’s top veteran drivers nipping at his No. 2 Chevrolet headed into the series’ return to the Midwest.

Newgarden has an 18-point lead over Scott Dixon and a 22-point advantage over Penske teammate Helio Castroneves. Defending series champion and Penke driver Simon Pagenaud is 26 points out of the lead.

Power believes he can be the driver who wins it all.

He looked every bit a championship driver at Pocono. The Australian rallied from a lap down, forced to pit early in the race to repair a broken wing.

Power also won on the road course at Indianapolis and the Texas Motor Speedway oval this season. He has 32 career victories to move into ninth place on Indycar’s list. Power zipped past Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy on the list and is two wins shy from catching Al Unser Jr.

“It was a seriously dramatic day,” Power said.

Power refused to budge when Newgarden tried to dart his way toward the lead. Power knew if Newgarden could maneuver his way inside, the race was over.

“Just had to be smart, be in the game at the end, and that was the result,” Power said.

Power was familiar with big moves down the stretch at Pocono; he held Mikhail Aleshin at bay after a final restart to win at the track last year. He became the first Indycar repeat race winner at the track.

Newgarden knew he had little room to seriously test Power.

“From a points standpoint, you don’t want to wreck your teammate and you don’t want to give up where I’m at,” Newgarden said.

Newgarden’s first season driving for Roger Penske has already been a massive success. The Tennessee native has tried to promote Indycar in every avenue and is one of the few 20-something stars the sport can bank on to lead it into the future.

Stamping himself a champion would be the ultimate reward.

Alexander Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion, was third. — AP