STREETS OF DETROIT RACE NOTES
 | RACE RESULTS 10th: ALEXANDER ROSSI No. 20 Java House Chevrolet 24th: CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet NEXT RACE: Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at WWT Raceway, June 15 (FOX, 8 p.m. ET) |
ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 20 JAVA HOUSE CHEVROLET
ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 20 Java House Chevrolet, Finished 10th: “This was a challenging weekend from start to finish. I am proud of the team for sticking with it and salvaging something of a result with a Top 10. We will try to learn from it for next time.”
 RACE RESULTS: START: 15th FINISH: 10th STATUS: Running LAPS COMPLETED: 100/100 | OF NOTE: Alexander Rossi qualified 16th for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, but moved up one position to 15th after grid penalties were issued. Rossi was assigned to Round 1, Group 2 of qualifying yesterday afternoon. He started the 10-minute session on a set of alternate green Firestone Firehawks and switched to a second set after four laps. In the final moments, Rossi was bumped down the scoring sheets and ranked below the fastest six cars. After all drivers had completed their final lap, Rossi sat 8th and did not advance to the second round. Rossi began the 100-lap race on a set of primary black Firestone Firehawks. He did not stop under the first caution as he had plenty of tire life and plenty of fuel remaining. He made his first pit stop on Lap 36 from the 6th position, electing to complete his stint on the alternate green Firehawks next. Eleven laps later, Rossi stopped again for a switch back to primary black tires. Rossi brought the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet into the pits for the final time on Lap 70. With a final set of black tires for his final stint, Rossi hovered just outside the Top 10. He avoided all late-race incidents and steadily climbed the running order. By the checkered flag, Rossi had moved up to the 10th position and scored his 4th Top 10 finish of the season. |
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 21 SPLENDA CHEVROLET
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, Finished 24th: “It was a solid weekend for the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet team in Detroit. We made our first Fast 12 of the year and showed strong pace in every practice session. The race was going well too, we were the lead car on our strategy for a long stretch and even led 21 laps. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the checkered flag after we had a loss of power.”
 RACE RESULTS: START: 10th FINISH: 24th STATUS: Mechanical LAPS COMPLETED: 80/100 | OF NOTE: Christian Rasmussen turned in his best qualifying effort of the season to date yesterday, placing himself 12th on the grid for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Prior to qualifying, Rasmussen had set the 7th-quickest lap of the weekend. He carried that speed into qualifying, improving his lap times and setting the 4th-fastest lap of Round 1, Group 2. He advanced to the second round of qualifying for the first time this season. After Round 2, his best lap had him sitting 12th overall. Once grid penalties were issued, Rasmussen moved up in the starting order and rolled off 10th. The race remained green for the first 14 laps. As Rasmussen started on primary black tires and had only used a portion of his fuel load, he elected to not pit under the caution. He was already up to 7th but cycled to the very front. For the second time in his career and second time in as many races, Rasmussen led the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field. Rasmussen would ultimately lead the race for 21 laps in his 21st start. Rasmussen stretched his opening set of Firestone Firehawks to Lap 36, when he stopped for a set of alternate green tires and a full load of fuel. Minimizing his time in the greens, he made his next stop on Lap 47 to switch back to black tires. He remained solidly inside the Top 10 for both stints, making his final scheduled stop on Lap 70 for another set of primary black tires. While running 9th on Lap 80, the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet suffered a loss of power. Rasmussen safely guided the car into the Turn 4 runoff, but his promising day was over. He was credited with a 24th place finish. |