VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
CHASING THE CHECKERS.
The checkered flag went flying at Iowa Speedway late Sunday afternoon and completed the misfortune-filled race for Andretti Autosport. Alexander Rossi finished the highest Andretti driver, but suffered through issues in the pits when the No. 27 machine stalled exiting the pit box. The team pushed him back and re-fired the engine, getting the NAPA AUTO PARTS car back on track quickly. Rossi fought to earn a 24th career top 10 while running two laps down at the checkered flag.
Marco Andretti drove a quiet, but difficult race. Noting that the car wasn’t handling well, the U.S. Concrete driver battled his racing machine the entire race to see the checkered flag seven laps down.
DHL driver Ryan Hunter-Reay suffered through radio communication issues for the entirety of the 300-lap race. The three-time Iowa winner could hear his spotter and the timing stand, however was unable to fully communicate back to the team. The red and yellow Honda maintained position in the top 10 for much of the race before making three pit stops over a period of 12 laps due to a rear suspension issue that ultimately led to the 28’s early retirement.
Rookie Zach Veach started strong, charging through the field eight positions to run as high as sixth by Lap 50. Notably passing car after car, the young American reminded the fans that he has the speed and determination to keep up with the veteran drivers in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The Relay Rewards driver battled through another pit lane fire on his first stop of the day, but exited the pits safely and made his way back inside the top 10 quickly. Unfortunately, Veach made contact with the wall exiting Turn 3 but managed to salvage the car and finish the race 21 laps down.
NEXT.
With Iowa in the rear-view, the team heads north of the border for a race on the streets of Toronto. Round 12 of Verizon IndyCar Series competition will go green Sunday with coverage available on NBC Sports Network beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
Keep up to speed between the checkers and the greens with
AndrettiAutosport.com and via our suite of social media channels.
IN THEIR WORDS.
NO. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS HONDA
Verizon INDYCAR Series
“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
Verizon INDYCAR Series
“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
Verizon INDYCAR Series
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“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.”
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NO. 26 RELAY / GROUP 1001 HONDA
Verizon INDYCAR Series
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“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.”
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INDY LIGHTS PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES
CHASING THE CHECKERS.
The sun was out over Iowa Speedway’s short oval as the Indy Lights field took to the green flag Sunday. After 100 laps, it was
Patricio O’Ward who topped the podium after leading flag-to-flag, marking 228 laps led in his rookie Indy Lights season.
Teammate Colton Herta also made his way to the podium after battling Santi Urrutia for the second position and finally taking the P2 spot with just seven laps to go .
Ryan Norman and Dalton Kellett maintained position after being passed by Santi Urrutia on the first lap and settled for fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively.
Andretti Autosport has now claimed victory and pole positions at eight of this season’s 10 races, as well as stepped on the podium 17 times between the team’s four drivers.
NEXT.
Two rounds of international racing will take place next as the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series heads to the hometown of Dalton Kellett. The drivers will have the opportunity to score more points on the streets of Toronto when Round 11 and Round 12 of competition go green on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
IN THEIR WORDS.
NO. 27 MEXICO #AWorldOfItsOwn MAZDA
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Series
“My engineer Mark put the car right on point. I honestly didn’t feel any nervousness in the rear [of the car], I was just playing with my bars during the race. The car was just on rails. Nothing was wrong with it. I’ve got to give a big thanks to the whole 27 crew for giving me an awesome car to start from the pole and take the win. I’m super excited.”
NO. 98 ANDRETTI-STEINBRENNER RACING / CURB MAZDA
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Series
“That was intense – for the whole race really, just trying to get by Santi [Urrutia]. We eventually did and it just minimized the [points] gap that Pato [O’Ward] would have had. It was tough. We were back and forth a lot of the time and he was quick.”
NO. 48 JOURNEY MAZDA
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Series
“I thought we had good overall pace – I got a good start and then I lifted way too much going into Turn 1. I was expecting to not have as much grip, and Santi [Urruita] went around the outside. That put us fourth, otherwise I think we would have held onto a podium finish. Otherwise it was a pretty good race and I’m happy with the result.”
NO. 28 K-LINE INSULATORS USA MAZDA
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Series
“Overall it was a good weekend for the team, we were consistently fast. As far as the race goes, we just lost a little track position and slid back off the start. We had a ton of understeer in the car and couldn’t challenge anyone for passes. I think if we had a bit more front end, a bit more ability to get under gearboxes, I could have maybe gotten by Ryan and maybe pushed more. But there wasn’t a whole lot we could do. Congrats to my teammate for the win and I’m looking forward to my hometown race in Toronto next weekend.”
