RACE RECAP: BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500

CHASING THE CHECKERS

Yellows were the name of the game for the 248-lap Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Saturday night. Pit strategies and yellow flags played a heavy hand in delivering IndyCar an unexpected podium cast while fans packed the stands for a reported sell-out crowd.

DHL driver Ryan Hunter-Reay led the way to the green flag for the team, and brought home the team’s top spot at the end of the night with a 126th top-10 finish for this 250th start. The 28 team was on it’s way to top, running as high as second and leading their fuel strategy before a late-race caution threw a kink in strategy and settled Hunter-Reay into an eighth-place finish.

Marco Andretti took the grid in 22nd after a gutsy save of the 98 car during qualifying, and fought the Oberto Circle K car to a 10th-place result at night’s end. Andretti was credited with leading four laps for the Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco Andretti and Curb-Agajanian team.

The NAPA Racing team and Alexander Rossi ran inside the top three during the second stint of the night, after starting from the 11th grid spot. The team then gambled on a fuel saving strategy following the last caution period but was unable to conserve the fuel need and Rossi was forced to pit with 20 laps to go. He now leaves Gateway third in the championship, 46 points behind the leader.

Sophomore driver Zach Veach made impressive passes on the outside and inside of cars all race long, running as high as fourth place with pit sequences. The No. 26 ultimately fell on the wrong side of the yellow flags and was not able to gain enough track position. Veach came home 14th.