SONOMA, Calif. -- Will Power won’t lose any sleep over what could have been Aug. 24 in the penultimate race of the Verizon IndyCar Series season at Sonoma Raceway. If anything, three consecutive unfulfilled title years taught Power that such mental expenditure is wasteful if not debilitating.

So the 33-year-old Aussie will take the 10th-place finish secured in the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, along with a 51-point championship lead, into the MAVTV 500 on Aug. 30 at Auto Club Speedway and “see what we can do.”

Power, the pole sitter who led a field-high 33 laps on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn road course, could have effectively wrapped up his first series title. But a spin on cold tires after a restart midway through the 85-lap race left the door ajar for Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves to swoop in and seize the prize.

To accomplish the feat, however, in the double-points finale of the Triple Crown Series under the lights on the 2-mile oval, Castroneves would have to win and Power place eighth. Other scenarios include Castroneves finishing second and Power finishing 16th and Castroneves placing third and Power coming in 21st. All are exclusive of the bonus points on the table for the Verizon P1 Award (one point), leading a race lap (one point) and leading the most laps (two points).

Want the easy math? If Power finishes sixth or better, he's in.

Click it: Points possibilities entering the championship race

“We maintained the points lead, and we’re going to Fontana,” said Power, who increased the advantage over Castroneves by 12 points through was a disappointing outing for both drivers.

Power was in control to win at Sonoma for the fourth time in the past five years before the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car spun in traffic exiting the slow-speed Turn 7 right-hander. He lost eight positions on the lap but didn’t create further tumult by panicking. After pitting for fresh tires on Lap 61, Power steadily made up ground in the race that featured 20 cars on the lead lap and 10 lead changes.

“He did a pretty good job keeping his cool and his head in the game and we’ll go to Fontana and battle it out," said Power's race strategist, Tim Cindric. "We just have to keep fighting."

“Anything can happen,” said Castroneves, who also is seeking his first series title after finishing second or third five times. “We are not giving up. We will keep on it and give everything we have next weekend to try and

Simon Pagenaud advanced 12 positions relative to his starting spot to finish third in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports car, which kept him in title contention – 81 points back. Race runner-up Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 series champion, and 2013 champion Scott Dixon, the race winner, also are mathematically eligible until Power takes the green flag for what he hopes will be a triumphant evening after three years of heartache.

“I’ve just got to focus on the job at hand and get the most out of every situation,” said Power, who scored his first superspeedway victory in the 2013 finale at Auto Club Speedway from the pole.