Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park
Verizon IndyCar Series
RACE NOTES/QUOTES – August 25, 2018
A CAUTION FLAG FOILED SATO AND RAHAL’S THREE-STOP PODIUM-CONTENTION STRATEGY AND THEY ULTIMATELY FINISHED 9TH AND 10TH
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Mi-Jack Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “If the yellow hadn’t come out, we were sitting beautifully. I think there was only a few of us that were going to be able to actually make it in three stops. We were average but better than those we were around but we couldn’t get track position. We couldn’t get track position through strategy and we couldn’t get track position on track by passing so we were kind of stuck behind Takuma and Spencer, who we were definitely better than, but there was nothing we could do. Then the yellow came out and really hurt us. We just tried to salvage our strategy and to do that last run that long, the fuel number we had to get was so extreme that I couldn’t keep up with the pack. It’s frustrating.”
- FAST FACTS: Started seventh in the race which immediately went yellow for a crash by Bourdais. On the restart, he reported a big wiggle that forced him to lift and he lost three spots to run 10th. He was passed a few laps later by Veach. Once those who were on a four-stop strategy began to pit he cycled up to second place by Lap 62/248 before he made his first stop on Lap 63 on a three-stop strategy. He returned to the track in 13th and was up to P10 on Lap 114. On Lap 116, he was told he could use more fuel to pass Hinchcliffe, who had a pack backed up behind him. A driver dive bombed him in Turn 1 and a few cars passed him including his teammate Sato. As the next pit cycle started he moved up to second place by Lap 123 before he made his second stop on Lap 126. Other than Sato, who pit a lap later, he was looking on target for at least a podium finish if the race stayed green. He returned to the track in 15th place, took over 14th after passing Hinchcliffe, and then cycled up as others pit. He was in 11th place on Lap 173 when Hunter-Reay slowed on track right after a pit stop and brought out a 10-lap caution between Laps 173-182. His three-stop strategy meant a slower pace and he had dropped a lap down. Once he was given the pass around to get back on the lead lap, he pit on Lap 181 and was now on the same strategy as the field without the advantage the previous strategy afforded. The race restarted and the team elected to try to salvage the strategy by saving fuel. He held ninth place but was passed by Ed Jones, who had pit on Lap 226 and was able to use full power without saving fuel. He held 10th place until the checkered flag. Was his second Indy car race here…. In 2017, he started 13th but during the pace laps, Kanaan spun and Rahal moved into 12th before the green. Once the race started, pole sitter Will Power spun and collected Carpenter and Sato to move Rahal into ninth place. He was able to stay out longer than a few cars and cycled into fifth before his first stop on Lap 61 of 248. He returned to the track in eighth place and held the position until his second stop on Lap 104 during a full course caution for JR Hildebrand. After the restart he passed Ryan Hunter-Reay for seventh on Lap 113. He held the spot until the next pit cycle approached and took over sixth place when Rossi pit before he made his third stop on Lap 158. He returned to the race in sixth place and held it through a full course caution for Chilton who spun. He passed Hinchcliffe for fifth on Lap 183 when the Canadian had to check up behind Dixon and Rahal got around him. During his fourth and final stop under caution for Hunter-Reay who hit the wall, Rahal pitted from fifth place but left the pit with the fuel probe still attached to the car. At the start of the race, telemetry showed that the fuel probe sensor wasn’t working so the team had to take extra precautions for the stops. The probe sensor ensures that the car cannot go into gear to depart until the fuel nozzle is out of the car. Race control ruled that Rahal had to go to the back of the field due to the incident and he moved back to 14th place. He passed Andretti on the restart and later passed Jones for 12th, which he held until the checkered flag… His top finish this season is second at St. Pete and top start is fifth at Long Beach… Rahal is eighth in series point standings with a total of 371, 50 points behind fifth place Ryan Hunter-Reay.
TAKUMA SATO, No. 30 Mi-Jack / Panasonic Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a frustrating night to be honest. Yesterday we almost lost the first session due to the mechanical problem and virtually only got one practice session which put us behind. There was no qualifying, no data, and you have to guess the setup. Coming into today we had an opportunity with a three-stop strategy and we were looking good. We were one of the latest to pit and it was looking good but the last yellow, the only yellow basically, blew our strategy. We had an option to go for it like everyone else or try to save fuel and stretch the stint. We tried to stretch the stint but the car didn’t have enough pace for the fuel and that’s why we lost a position after the restart. We tried and the guys did a good job. Clearly we need to find speed but it was a solid night.”
- FAST FACTS: Started 13th in the race which immediately went yellow for a crash by Bourdais. On the restart, he was passed by Veach and Pigot but was back in 12th by Lap 8. Once those who were on a four-stop strategy began to pit, he cycled up to second place by Lap 62 and into the lead on Lap 63/248 before he made his first stop on Lap 64 on a three-stop strategy. He and Rahal were last to make their first stops. He returned to the track in 15th and was up to P12 on Lap 114 and 10th by Lap 117 after he passed Rahal and another. As the next pit cycle started he led the race again on Lap 124 before he made his second stop on Lap 126. He pit a lap later than anyone and was looking on target for at least a podium finish if the race stayed green. He returned to the track in 14th place, took over 13th after passing Hinchcliffe, and then cycled up as others pit. He was in 10th place on Lap 172 when Hunter-Reay slowed on track right after a pit stop and brought out a 10-lap caution. His three-stop strategy meant a slower pace and he had dropped a lap down. Once he was given the pass around to get back on the lead lap, he pit on Lap 181 and was now on the same strategy as the field without the advantage the previous strategy afforded. The race restarted and the team elected to try to salvage the strategy by saving fuel. He held eighth place but was passed by Ed Jones, who had pit on Lap 226 and was able to use full power without saving fuel. He held 9th place until the checkered flag. Was his second Indy car race here… In 2017, He qualified a strong sixth but the race went yellow when Tony Kanaan spun on the pace lap. Once the green flag flew, pole sitter Will Power lost control of his race car as did Ed Carpenter and collected Sato as he was spinning. Sato only completed six of 248 laps. He finished third at the previous short oval race this season at Iowa Speedway and is hopeful for a strong performance at Gateway… His highest start of the season is fifth at St. Pete and his highest finish is third at Iowa… Has TWO IndyCar Series wins (2013 – Long Beach street course, 2017 – Indy 500 oval) and SEVEN poles (2011 Iowa oval, Edmonton street; 2013 Houston Race 1 street; 2014 St. Pete street, Detroit Race 2 street; 2017 Detroit Race 2, Pocono oval… He is ranked 13th in series point standings with 290, only 44 back from 10th place Bourdais.
NEXT UP: Indy car racing will return to Portland International Raceway next weekend for the first time since 2007. It will be the first race there for Takuma and the fourth overall for Graham who competed in the 2007 Champ Car World Series race where he started eighth and finished ninth in his rookie season for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. He started from pole in the Atlantics race there in 2006 but was hit by Simon Pagenaud on Lap 1 and finished 27th. He earned his first professional win there in the Star Mazda race in 2005 after starting fourth and winning by a margin of 0.0317 seconds. Bobby Rahal won at the track on June 14, 1987 after starting third.
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