Andretti INDYCAR Laguna Seca Race Report

Laguna Seca Race Notes

After a weekend sweep by Andretti INDY NXT driver Louis Foster, the success of the Andretti Global team continued as the team’s INDYCAR lineup secured strong results on the iconic Laguna Seca road course.

Colton Herta showcased an impressive weekend in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda running consistently in the top five throughout the race, and ultimately finished second after a yellow was issued on Lap 87. This marks Herta’s 15th career podium and third podium finish at the Northern California circuit. Herta climbed three positions in the Championship points standings with today’s result. 

Kyle Kirkwood took the track this afternoon in his first front-row start of the season and best start at Laguna Seca. Kirkwood charged off the grid to take the race lead on Lap 1 and continued to lead 24 laps of the 95-lap event. Despite cycling back during the race, Kirkwood was able to secure his best finish at Laguna Seca and moved into the top five in points standings.

After not advancing to the second round of yesterday’s qualifying session, Marcus Ericsson was able to navigate the No. 28 Delaware Life machine up eight positions and make a total of 31 on-track passes during the race. The No. 28 Delaware Life Honda recorded the fastest lap of the race on Lap 20 with a time of 1:08.9728. Today’s results marked Ericsson’s third consecutive top-10 and fourth of the season. 

The INDYCAR schedule takes a break next weekend before teams take on three different circuits over a three-week stretch of consecutive races. 

Race Results

Colton Herta No. 26 Gainbridge Honda

P2

Started: P4

Standings: 4th (217pts)

“I’m really happy to come away with a good result here today. The podium is fantastic, and we had a good fight back from where we started. We gained two positions, so it hurts a bit not to get the win at Laguna Seca. But you know, you still have to be happy with a good podium finish, and I’m happy with this one for sure.”

Kyle Kirkwood No. 27 AutoNation Honda

P5

Started: P2 

Standings: 5th (210pts)

“Today was a good day overall for the No. 27 AutoNation Honda crew. We led a ton of laps there in the first stint, but unfortunately, no cigar today. We still got another top five, so we’ll take that result and the Championship points that come with it. Great day for Colton and the No. 26 crew, so congrats to them on an awesome run. It was a good day for the team and we’re leaving here in good spirits.”

Marcus Ericsson No. 28 Delaware Life Honda

P10

Started: P18 

Standings: 13th (150pts)

“It was an eventful race for us. I got to say, the No. 28 team did a really good job with strategy and being aggressive out there today. Unfortunately, I made a mistake there after our first stop that cost us some positions. It was a tricky race and a lot of people were going off track which just made things more difficult. This wasn’t easy, so I’m proud of our fight back and how we never give up on our team. We got another top 10 today but we want more, so we have to keep working hard to make that happen, but I’m happy with our comeback.”

Rob Edwards Chief Operating Officer

“It was disappointing not to get a win today, but all in all, we’re still very happy with our performances. Having all three team cars in the top 10 at the end of the race shows that we’re competitive. We had great pit stops across the team and the drivers drove really smart in their respective situations. We come here to win, but we can still say we did some good today and look forward to Mid-Ohio based on that performance.”