Source: Team PR

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INDIANAPOLIS (May 13, 2023) — The good news is that AJ Foyt Racing made gains in the performance of their cars. The bad news is that they weren’t able to capitalize on it due to some gremlins that surfaced before and during the GMR Grand Prix.

For Benjamin Pedersen, the issue was the radio which became evident during the pace laps when he couldn’t hear the team.. The team switched out the car radio and the driver’s ear buds but it set the rookie back four laps before he could join the race.

Pedersen ran a clean race and was laying down fast lap times in the No. 55 Sexton Properties Chevrolet. However, with just one caution period, there was little opportunity to make up his lost laps. Although he finished 24th, Pedersen was driving more competitively as he continues to improve with each race weekend.

“Tough day,” Pedersen summed up. “We were super fast honestly. I think we were the seventh fastest average lap time the whole race, so unfortunately we went four laps down at the start due to the radio giving us issues. As a rule, we can’t be out there if the radio’s not sorted. Big bummer, just due to the fact we were really fast. I think the potential to be top-12 is there after starting P23, so we’re making huge gains from a driving perspective in car. That’s the most important thing. We’ve just got to get all the other little details for Indy.”

Santino Ferrucci was looking strong in the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet but a miscue on his final pit stop on lap 60 of the 85-lap race saw him stopped at the end of pit lane with a loose wheel. He had to wait until the pit stops cycled through before the team could fix his car and get him back in the race. He lost several laps and finished 23rd.

“Long day for us at AJ Foyt Racing,” said Ferrucci. “We were having a really solid day, and probably would have wound up with a pretty easy top-15. But that’s racing. A wheel nut just came off when we put the gun down, so that happens. That happens to the best of us. Other than that, the Sexton Properties Chevrolet was really strong. Looking forward to getting back out to the next road course, but now we’ve got the (Indianapolis) 500.”

Alex Palou won the race after a tight battle with runner-up Pato O’Ward. Rounding out the top five were: Alexander Rossi, Christian Lundgaard and Felix Rosenqvist.

The teams return to the track’s garages on Monday as they prepare for the Indianapolis 500 with four days of practice starting on Tuesday. Qualifying for the 500 takes place next weekend which will be streamed on NBC’s Peacock and aired on NBC from 2:30 to 4:30 pm ET on Saturday. Pole qualifying will take place on Sunday and will be aired on NBC from 4pm to 6pm ET and streamed live on Peacock. The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will be broadcast live on NBC on Sunday, May 28, starting at 11 a.m. ET.