Insider: Will Power achieves immortality with Indy 500 win

INDIANAPOLIS -- Nearly every day of his professional life, Will Power is besieged by racing greatness. It envelops his whole world. 

His boss is Roger Penske, a living legend and unarguably the most successful Indy car owner in the sport's illustrious history.

His predecessors at Penske are among the most revered drivers of their eras, legendary names like Mears, Unser and Fittipaldi.  

His colleagues have been the best of the best in racing's modern era, as he's battled against Castroneves, Montoya, Dixon and Franchitti. 

More on Will Power:Doyel: Will Power was a dry, boring winner until he poured that Indy 500 milk

The end of an era:Danica Patrick crashes in Indy 500, ends groundbreaking career on down note

Oh so close:Stefan Wilson's prayer for yellow goes unanswered, but that Indy 500 lead 'felt amazing'

Bittersweet:Ed Carpenter: The pole-sitter has his best Indy 500 ever

During Power's 14-year Indy car career, he has racked up 34 wins and 51 poles, seemingly earning a spot at the table with those all-time greats. Yet some skeptics did not believe he deserved that invitation. In fact, Power himself doubted it at times, knowing that all of them had achieved something he never had: immortality. 

Wins and poles and even a championship earn you acclaim. But only an Indianapolis 500 victory earns you immortality. 

Every one of those drivers he's compared to has had his face canonized on the legendary Borg-Warner Trophy. Yet after 10 shots at the historic oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- and some oh-so-close calls -- Power had come up wanting. 

Until Sunday, lucky No. 11. 

On Sunday, Power secured his place among not just the Penske greats, but the all-timers. On Sunday, Power won the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 and ticked the final unmarked box on his sensational racing resume. 

"He deserves this," said Roger Penske, who collected his 17th Indy 500 victory. "He's been trying to get this for years. He's got more poles, more wins, and now he has the big one.

"And he earned it. He won that race. This wasn't a case of fuel mileage or anything like that. He won't it fair and square. He was the fastest car out there." 

At times this month, a Power victory felt almost inevitable. It felt like May was the month of Power. 

After dominating practice for the IndyCar Grand Prix, Power cruised to a pole and a victory to kick off his nearly picture perfect May. When 500 practice began, Power again bounded to top of the speed charts, his No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet looking like the best in class. He came up a little short of perfection in qualifying, losing out on the pole to Ed Carpenter, and had to settle for a spot on the front row. 

But he'd edge Carpenter when it counted.

During Sunday's sweltering race, he and Carpenter manged to wrangle an Indy car that gave so many others fits. They avoided getting swallowed up in the mid-race crash spree that eliminated fan-favorites Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan. The two of them jockeyed for the lead, combining to pace 124 of 200 laps (Carpenter 65; Power 59).

However, it was Power who found himself in position to pounce with four laps to go. When Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey abandoned their posts at the front of the field, diving into the pits for fuel, it was then that Power realized he was about to silence anyone who had ever doubted his greatness and his ability to win IndyCar's crown jewel. 

"When they pitted, I was like, ‘Man, I think I’m going to win this!’ Power said during his post-race news conference. "I was screaming with one to go, 'Man, I got this!' Unbelievable. I was wondering if I was ever going to win it, and thoughts went through my mind during the month like that. In my career, I’ve had so many wins, so many poles. But everyone always talks about the ‘500.’ And I finally won it."

As Power crossed the yard of bricks, he let out long, wailing screams, unleashing years of pent-up frustration and fear of failure. For too long, he had to live with this one black mark against him. When compared to some of the sport's other all-time greats, Power's sentence always began with, "Yes, but."

Now there are no more caveats. No more pocks on his record. Known early in his career for his road-and-street course acumen, Power has evolved into an oval master and one of the most-well rounded drivers in the world. 

"This closes the book for what he wanted to accomplish in IndyCar: win a championship, and now he is tied (with Al Unser Jr.) for winning the most races as an Indy driver for the team (32)," Penske said. "But the Indy 500 is something that he wanted to do from the very beginning. He's had some ups and downs. Championships slipped away from him, two or three almost in a row. You'll talk to him. He's in a different world right now." 

Three days before his life-changing victory, Power explained to media that he couldn't imagine what it would be like driving into Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of hundreds of thousands of cheering fans. Though he'd seen others do it, teammates even, he couldn't quite picture it for himself. He didn't know how he'd react, what it would feel like. 

He didn't know what he'd do if he got the chance to release some of those inner demons that have haunted him for a decade. On Sunday, he found out. 

"I just screamed like I've never screamed before," Power said. "It was just amazing. The last two laps, the last lap, seeing the white flag, the checkered, I mean, you can't explain it.

"(This win), it's what I needed so badly, what I wanted so badly, and it finally came true." 

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter and Facebook: @jimayello.