Andretti INDYCAR Road America Race Report
Road America Race Notes
After a history-making start to the day that saw Andretti INDY NXT driver Jamie Chadwick take not only her first INDY NXT victory but also become the first woman to win on an INDY NXT road course, the Andretti INDYCAR lineup took to the Road America circuit for their chance at strong results on the picturesque road course. While none of the Andretti INDYCAR drivers came away with a podium finish today at Road America, the team did leave Elkhart Lake with all three drivers in the top 10 and a top-five finish.
Kyle Kirkwood rolled off the grid today in his career-highest starting position at Road America taking the green flag in fourth. The AutoNation Honda avoided a multi-car incident on Lap 1 quickly moving into the lead before falling to second on Lap 4. Kirkwood remained steadily in the top 10 throughout the race before moving into his finishing position of fifth with six laps to go. Today’s finish is Kirkwood’s fourth career top-five finish.
Leading the Andretti INDYCAR team to the green, Colton Herta took today’s start from the front row after just narrowly missing out on the pole position yesterday afternoon. Despite a strong start at the line, Herta was immediately hit from behind by the No. 2 car in Turn 1, spinning the Gainbridge Honda to a stop and forcing the need for a restart from the AMR Safety Team. After getting restarted, the Gainbridge Honda was forced to make an unscheduled stop to assess damage and put on new tires. Two laps later, Herta was once again spun by a competitor but was able to continue without pitting. The Gainbridge Honda cycled through the field for the next 55 laps, leading nine laps and steadily moving forward from the early-race incidents to come away with a finish just outside the top five for Herta.
Rounding out the Andretti INDYCAR team, Marcus Ericsson took today’s start from mid-pack and remained there for the first half of the race. The second half of the race saw the Swede move forward into the top 10 and with just nine to go Ericsson had locked in his finishing spot in ninth.
After three consecutive race weekends, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is off next weekend before heading west to take on the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Race Results
Colton Herta No. 26 Gainbridge Honda
P6
Started: P2
Standings: 7th (176pts)
“Today was pretty frustrating for us. I don’t understand how they didn’t give out that penalty in the beginning, but that’s the decision they made and we’ll roll with it. It’s just disappointing because this is the third week in a row where we should have won and we didn’t. The Gainbridge Honda has been so fast and we have relatively nothing to show for it. We should have ended higher up with the car that we had today.”
Kyle Kirkwood No. 27 AutoNation Honda
P5
Started: P15
Standings: 13th (130pts)
“I’m not ecstatic, but I am not disappointed. Ultimately, we just didn’t have the outright pace to be able to win the race, but we definitely maximized with what we had. We got better as the race went on. I’m happy with the adjustments that we made, and we got into a good spot. Overall, we are getting there. However, there was just not enough at the end of the race for us to get into the podium range. We’ll take the points and move on from here.”
Marcus Ericsson No. 28 Delaware Life Honda
P9
Started: P15
Standings: 13th (130pts)
“I think it was a solid day for us in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. Ninth is not what we want, but I think it was a solid top-10 result. I think the team executed well with good strategy and we had good pit stops. So, it was a decent day and it gives us something to build on. We want more, but I think we executed well today.”
Rob Edwards Chief Operating Officer
“Obviously when we started two cars in the top four, we are a little disappointed with how the day went. That’s not through any fault of our own, though. Ending up with all three cars in the top 10 is a credit to all three drivers and teams given the challenges that everyone faced along the way. At this point, we’re just hoping for a nice, straightforward race next time we get to the race track.”
