Race Report: Verizon IndyCar Series

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES

IOWA CORN 300

RACE REPORT
07.08.18

The checkered flag went flying at Iowa Speedway late Sunday afternoon and completed the misfortune-filled race for Andretti Autosport. The team heads back to Indianapolis for a quick turn-around before heading north of the border to compete on the streets of Toronto.

Coverage for the Honda Indy Toronto begins Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS HONDA

STARTED 5th // FINISHED 9th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 3rd (370 pts.)
OF NOTE: Suffered through issues in the pits when the No. 27 machine stalled exiting the pit box // Fought back to earn a 24th career top 10 running two laps down at the checkered flag

“Today was difficult. From the beginning it seemed like we didn’t have the car that we had yesterday. I was really fighting it and we made some improvements throughout the race and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team stuck in there, so big credit to them. Our car was just too far out of the window to start with to be super competitive. I guess the one positive is some guys had a worse day then we did. So, we just have to take what we can get on days like this and look forward to Toronto.”

No. 98 U.S. CONCRETE / CURB HONDA

STARTED 19th // FINISHED 16th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 11th (246 pts)
OF NOTE: Battled through the entire race to see the checkered flag seven laps down

“Even though we weren’t fast last night, I felt a really good car balance – but, that car didn’t come back today. I’m not sure what happened. Our cars need to cope better with track [temperature]. That was one of the longest races for me, but big thanks to the U.S. Concrete guys for hanging in there.”

No. 28 DHL HONDA

STARTED 3rd // FINISHED 19th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 4th (359 pts.)
OF NOTE: Suffered through radio communication issues – The three-time Iowa winner could hear his spotter and the timing stand, however was unable to fully communicate back to the team // The 28 machine made three pit stops over a period of 12 laps due to a rear suspension issue that in the end led to early retirement

“We started strong from P3, but then the car started going loose anytime I came off the throttle. We came in a few times to try and find the problem and in the end we had a rear suspension failure – but it was too late, and I had already lost so much ground driving through a half stint with the issue. On top of that, we had radio issues and while I could hear the pit stand and spotter, I couldn’t communicate back to them outside of some radio signals. It was really frustrating and not the day the DHL team was looking for. I think we had a car good enough for the P5-7 range and are a bit disappointed with that to start with. We had higher hopes for Iowa but will move onto Toronto and keep focusing on points.”

No. 26 RELAY / GROUP 1001 HONDA

STARTED: 14th // FINISHED 20th
CHAMPIONSHIP: 17th (165 pts.)
OF NOTE: Charged through the field eight positions to run as high as sixth by Lap 50 // Battled through another pit lane fire on his first stop of the day // Made contact with the wall exiting Turn 3 but managed to salvage the car and finish the race 21 laps down

“We had a great first stint with the Relay car – we got up to sixth. Then we came into the pits and had a small fire, just like in Indy. After that, we dropped back outside of the top 10 and fought our way back up. We were getting a ton of pressure from Dixon – who was a lap down at that point, but that’s racing and not his fault – and I was just late in the tire life and got into [Turn] 3 in a little different way and hit a bump. I lost the car, caught it, lost it again and when I caught it the third time, I was already in the marbles and couldn’t turn. I hate it for my crew because they’ve given me cars capable of winning in Texas and here in Iowa, and we worked our way through the filed each time and a small mistake takes it out. I feel like today, I had the car to get the job done, I had the skill and the brain to get the job done and maybe just not the experience. It’s been a string of hard races for us and I hope people see the speed that we’ve shown and understand what’s put us in these situations. The speed is there, we just need a bit of luck and I need to do a little bit better of a job on being a little more patient. It’s all learning. These are the races that stick with you the most.”