RACE REPORT: Bommarito Automotive Group 500

“Congrats to Kyle, but it was a super frustrating night for the Gainbridge team. We just lost the balance of the car. We had a very similar starting setup between us and the No. 27 team, so we need to go back and figure out what happened. Like I said, I’m happy for Kyle and the team, but just really frustrated for the No. 26.”

• Rolling off in 10th as the field took the green flag, Kyle Kirkwood quickly moved into the top five in the opening laps of the race and was running in fifth as the first yellow came out on Lap 4.
• As the race progressed and numerous strategies played out among the cautions, Kirkwood consistently ran in the top 10 throughout the 260-lap race and moved the Siemens Honda into the lead three different times throughout the race.
• With quick work in the pits by the Siemens crew, a perfectly executed strategy on the stand and a masterclass drive, Kirkwood took the lead for the final time with four laps to go in the race on the way to his first INDYCAR career oval win.

“To be honest, we were not too happy with the car yesterday, but we got some help from our teammates and ended up making the Siemens Honda really good. on track today. We just had an amazing car. I really didn’t think we had it in the beginning, but as it got dark and cooled down, the No. 27 Siemens Honda just came alive. Hats off to my crew – these guys killed it in pit lane. Everyone at Andretti Global deserves this. Third win on the year, man, that’s incredible, and it’s my first oval win. I’m over the moon right now. Ovals have eluded me for a very long time, so it’s nice to get that first one checked off. I didn’t want people to think of me as just a street course guy, so this is a big one for me.”

• With a qualifying result that started the No. 28 Fresh Connect Central Honda near the middle of the grid, Marcus Ericsson quickly moved up one spot from where he started as the green flag waved.
• After remaining in this area of the field for the opening stages of the race, Ericsson began moving his way up the field, but balance issues prevented the Swede from continuing his campaign forward.
• Despite clean pit stops throughout tonight’s 260 laps and pushing the limits at the end of the race on fuel conservation, allowing him to lead two laps, Ericsson was forced to pit with just 12 laps to go. The Fresh Connect Central Honda was shuffled back to mid-field after the late-race stop, ultimately taking the checkered flag where he began the race.

“Congrats to Kyle and the No. 27 crew. That’s a fantastic win for them. For us, it was a strange day. We went sort of back and forward. We started off very strong, then there were a couple of really bad things in the middle where the car’s balance was really out of the window. Then we sort of got it back towards the end and managed to salvage something. So, it was just a day that was swinging in many directions, and we ended up where we started, which felt like a lot of work for a little reward. But we’ll come back again next weekend and try and be better.”

“These are the performances that really show the depth of this team. To have Jeremy [Milless, No. 27 Siemens Honda Lead Engineer] out injured and then to have [Dave] Seyffert step in and successfully execute in his place, it’s just a machine that keeps going. I’m super proud of Kyle and the No. 27 crew in Victory Lane, and with a fantastic win in the INDY NXT race earlier, I’m just very happy for everyone. They’re just in the zone at the moment and keeping the dream alive, but the whole team worked together today, developing the setup.

On the other hand, it was a tough night on both the No. 26 and the No. 28 teams, but again, it’s a team effort, and everyone contributed to our success today. So, with back-to-back wins at Detroit and WWTR, the last two races have been pretty good to us. Now, we’ll try and keep it rolling at Road America.”