THE TEAM
Colton Herta led the Andretti Autosport qualifying efforts with an average speed of 181.946 mph putting the Gainbridge Honda in third. However, following the assessment of grid penalties, Herta moved to the front row, taking the green flag from second. Executing a four-stop pit strategy, Herta led 13 laps of the race and ultimately took the checkered in sixth.
After being assessed a nine-position grid penalty for an unapproved engine change following the last race, Kyle Kirkwood’s 13th-place qualifying result was reduced to a 22nd starting spot. Even with an unscheduled pit stop for low fuel with 17 laps to go, Kirkwood advanced seven positions for a 15th-place finish.
Like teammate Herta, Romain Grosjean benefited from numerous grid penalties moving the No. 28 Zapata AI / DHL Honda from a ninth-place qualifying position into the top five. The No. 28 ran consistently in the top 10 until a call to fuel save resulted in a 12th-place finish.
After starting 18th, Devlin DeFrancesco maintained his position in the middle of the pack for the majority of the race. Due to low tire pressure, DeFrancesco was forced to pit on Lap 177.
THE RACE
The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 weekend faced multiple schedule changes due to inclement weather on Saturday, which canceled the NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice session and moved qualifying to Sunday morning.
This was the first-ever oval race that utilized Firestone’s alternate-compound tire.
In the qualifying session this morning, grid positions through the field were shifted due to engine related grid penalties assessed to six cars, including the No. 27 of Kyle Kirkwood, each penalized driver was set back nine grid spots from their qualifying position.
The 260 lap race saw two caution periods in 22 laps and 10 lead changes among six drivers.
START–2nd
FINISH–6th
CHAMPIONSHIP–10th (331 pts)
“The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 was a fun one. It was a little up and down for us starting second and moving back. We were all over the place at some points so it was definitely a rollercoaster ride, but we were still able to finish in the top 10. Now, we just move forward from here, and I’m ready to get out to Portland.”
START–22th
FINISH–15th
CHAMPIONSHIP–1st (327 pts)
“Today was an okay day. P15 isn’t where we wanted to finish, but we still went forward. This was the one weekend that we had to take a penalty, so I’m glad that we were able move up a little bit considering that. It was super hard to pass out there today, and starting that deep on the grid made it that much more difficult. I also think that I could’ve performed better on the restarts, but ultimately we had a really fast race car, we just got stuck in position. From here, we’ll look on to Portland and Laguna to finish off the season where we know we’re going to be really fast.”
START–5th
FINISH–12th
CHAMPIONSHIP–12th (271 pts)
“The car was very good today. I just think that the yellow in the middle of the race was bad timing for us and our strategy. But overall, the car is in a good place and we’re ready to show its full potential out in Portland next weekend.”
START–18th
FINISH–19th
CHAMPIONSHIP–22nd (156 pts)
“It was a tough day for the No. 29 Sapphire Gas Solutions Honda. We had an issue that slowed us down on one of our stops, and then a tire went down during one of the stints. So, just overall a tough day for all of us. However, I’m looking forward to going to Portland and Laguna to hopefully get some strong finishes out there.”
“Across the team, we had varying strategies across all four cars that made for an interesting race today. Certainly hats off to Scott (Dixon), he and the 9-team did what they needed to do today. Obviously, it’s good that we got our cars to the finish today and in reasonable shape, particularly with the tight turnaround to the final West Coast stint. I know there were a few issues with the No. 29 car during the race, but the good news is we are going to reassess and do it all over again next week in Portland. We’ve had strong road course pace this year, and with the final oval behind us we are looking to close out the season on a high note.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
