Conway, Ed Carpenter Racing Surprises with Win at Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. (Sunday, April 13, 2014) – Long Beach could have a new king.
Mike Conway won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the second time in four years, becoming the unexpected winner of the 40th annual race.
DOWNLOADS: Box Score | Lap Chart | Pit Stop Summary | Lap Leader Summary
Ryan Hunter-Reay dominated most of the race, but he triggered a seven-car accident 24 laps from the finish when he tried to overtake Josef Newgarden. The incident eliminated both Hunter-Reay and Andretti Autosport driver James Hinchcliffe – who were running 1-2 — as well as Newgarden, rookie Jack Hawksworth and Tony Kanaan.
The accident opened the door for Scott Dixon to win at Long Beach for the first time. But he was short on fuel by roughly half a lap and stopped for a splash of E85 with two laps to go. That gave Conway the lead, and the British driver cruised to his third career victory.
Will Power finished less than a second behind Conway with rookie Carlos Munoz third and Juan Pablo Montoya fourth. Simon Pagenaud finished fifth after rebounding from an early race spin after contact by Power.
Power has a sizable points lead (93-66 over Conway) heading to the April 27 race at Barber Motorsports Park, where he has won twice and started on the pole twice. Hunter-Reay is the defending race winner.
Selected quotes from the media availability with Roger Daltrey, who is attending today’s race as a guest of Honda to promote Teen Cancer America, whose logo will appear on the Dale Coyne Racing entry of Justin Wilson. Wilson, Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay will be ambassadors for the program, which supports teenagers who are battling or survivors of cancer. Daltrey, founder and lead singer of The Who, will ride in the “Fastest Seat in Sports” during the parade lap of today’s race.
ROGER DALTREY: “This effort started in Britain 25 years ago by a local doctor who realized that teens with cancer suffer from particularly aggressive and rare forms of cancer. He also realized that this age group under the healthcare system either classified you as a child or an adult. You still have that system in American and I’ve been working for 12 years to get the hospital system to realize there’s an enormous care gap. There are wonderful hospitals here. You have fantastic medicine. There’s criticism of that whatsoever. But if it’s right for a child to have a nursery with teddy bears and rainbows on the wall and all those little things that make a child’s experience better, and adults have lounges with TVs. I’d like to know the answer to the question, why is there nothing for a teenager can be comfortable? There are only a few – and that’s through the work we’ve done. The first is at UCLA, and it needs to be answered. It’s wrong. It needs to be changed and we’re going to do it.” (About his ride): “I’ve been in a race car before, so I have an inkling of what’s coming, but I hear Mario (Andretti) is one hell of a driver. I can’t wait for it. I’m sure it will be very exciting.”
JUSTIN WILSON: (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing): “I think we have some pretty excited team owners. I know that for sure. Dale is quite excited to have Teen Cancer America on the car for this event. It means a lot to everyone. I think it’s a fantastic cause. We were all talking about it earlier and it’s definitely something we can work on and it’s an understanding. The more we understand, the more we can do.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “It’s an honor to meet someone like Roger (Daltrey) but I think it’s more of an honor to see a person like him become interested and lend his support for such a great cause. For me, I’ve been working with CANTeen in New Zealand for so many years and there’s a gap in the healthcare system. There are so many changes going on for teens with their hormones and trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Cancer is something that is pretty tough for anyone fighting it is something that we believe in. Cancer as a whole is horrible and there are so many causes that are fighting it.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): “It’s great to have everyone here and pushing in the same direction in the fight against cancer. It’s great to have Roger at a Verizon IndyCar Series event and to get Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the front stage. He doesn’t have to be here. He’s here on his own accord pushing the fight against cancer and the promotion to help these people who face such an ugly fight. We’re all here doing the same thing.”
HERNAN BERANGAN (Filmmaker, Road to Rebellion tour): ” It’s amazing that anybody is listening to us and that you guys are listening to us. When I was 15 and knew that something was wrong with the system, all I could translate that to was anger. What I do is I should video profiles of teen cancer patients and I sit and I listen to them for a few hours and turn that story into something digestible for them and us. The magic that happens in that like, creates a strength between all of us that cannot be stopped. That’s why this road trip has to happen and why I’m starting it this week.
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Gabby Chaves of Bogota, Colombia won the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires race held earlier today. Chaves, who lives in Weston, Fla., earned his second career win. Series points leader Zach Veach finished second and Matthew Brabham finished third. Veach leads the point standings by one point over Chaves as the series heads to Barber Motorsports Park for a doubleheader on April 26-27.
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES WARMUP
At 9 a.m., the ambient temperature was 59 degrees with a relative humidity of 70 percent and winds from the east at 3 mph. Skies were overcast. The track temperature was 69 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.
9 a.m. – GREEN.
9:09 a.m. – RED FLAG. Debris in Turn 9.
9:11 a.m. – GREEN.
9:30 a.m. – CHECKERED.
FASTEST TIMES/SPEEDS OF SESSION:
Car Name Time
67 Josef Newgarden 1:08.3447
11 Sebastien Bourdais 1:08.7762
28 Ryan Hunter-Reay 1:08.9968
12 Will Power 1:09.3560
9 Scott Dixon 1:09.4165
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Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Sebastien Bourdais, Josef Newgarden, Jack Hawksworth, Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon, Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz and Juan Pablo Montoya have elected to start the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on red alternate Firestone Firehawk tires. All other drivers will start on the black primary Firestone Firehawk tires.
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TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH RACE SPECIFICS:
•The race is 80 laps, 157.4 miles on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street course.
•The race will become a timed race of two hours if there are wet conditions.
•The pit road speed limit is 50 mph.
•Pole sitter Ryan Hunter-Reay will grid drivers’ left.
•The standing start will after one parade and a formation lap.
•A stalled car will result in an aborted start. Two aborted start will result in a rolling start. Cars causing an aborted start will be moved to the back.
•Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford will drive the Honda Civic SI Safety Car.
•The race leader will accelerate for single-file restarts exiting Turn 11.
There will be no tow-ins or returns from the garage within 15 minutes of the checkered flag
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TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH PRE-RACE:
At 1:30 p.m., the ambient temperature was 63 degrees with a relative humidity of 61 percent. Skies were fair. The track temperature was 105 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.
1:44 p.m. – Six-time Long Beach winner and racing legend Al Unser Jr. gave the command “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.” All 23 cars are rolling on the formation laps. One of the two-seaters has spun on the parade lap.
TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH RACE RUNNING:
Lap 1: Pace car will take an additional lap in order to get the two seater assisted.
Lap 2: GREEN. Lights go out. Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is underway. #27 Hinchcliffe has a slow start from the front row. #17 Saavedra does not roll off the grid. Leader is #28 Hunter-Reay.
Lap 3: #15 Rahal on pit road for four red tires and fuel. #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 1.2 seconds.
Lap 5: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 1.5394 seconds. #7 Aleshin on pit road for four red tires and fuel.
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This is the fifth consecutive race that Ryan Hunter-Reay has led at least one lap at Long Beach.
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Lap 6: #14 Sato on pit road for four red tires and fuel.
Lap 7: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 1.3391 seconds
Lap 9: #10 Kanaan on pit road for four red tires and fuel. #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 3.0609 seconds.
Lap 11: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 3.0623 seconds.
Lap 13: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 2.6218 seconds.
Lap 15: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 2.8402 seconds.
Lap 16: #8 Briscoe on pit road for four red tires and fuel.
Lap 18: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 2.1773 seconds.
Lap 20: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 3.3804 seconds. #3 Castroneves on pit road for four red tires and fuel.
Lap 21: #12 Power on pit road for four red tires and fuel. #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 3.5664 seconds.
Lap 22: #20 Conway and #34 Munoz on pit road for four tires and fuel.
Lap 23: #25 Andretti on pit road for four red tires and fuel. #28 Hunter-Reay leads #11 Bourdais by 3.3030 seconds.
Lap 24: #98 Hawksworth on pit road for four black tires and fuel.
Lap 25: #11 Bourdais and #27 Hinchcliffe on pit road for four tires and fuel. #28 Hunter-Reay leads #77 Pagenaud by 7.0765 seconds.
Lap 26: Leader #28 Hunter-Reay on pit road for four tires and fuel. FULL COURSE YELLOW. #11 Bourdais has made contact with tire barrier in Turn 8. Pits are closed. Leader under caution is #9 Dixon followed by #19 Wilson. #11 Bourdais is able to be restarted by Holmatro Safety Team and rejoined.
Lap 27: #11 Bourdais on pit road to replace the nosecone. Car has entered a closed pit for service. #8
Lap 28: Pits are open. Leader #9 Dixon and #19 Wilson on pit road for four tires and fuel. New leader #28 Hunter-Reay, who had stopped before the caution. #9 Dixon wins race on pit road.
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#8 Briscoe has retired from the event with an electrical issue.
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Lap 32: GREEN. #28 Hunter-Reay leads the lead into Turn 1. #19 Wilson spins in Turn 11 after contact from #15 Rahal. #77 Pagenaud has made contact with the tires in Turn 7 after contact with #12 Power. Both cars are continuing on course.
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Verizon IndyCar Series officials have penalized #11 Bourdais with a drive-through for taking service in a closed pit.
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Lap 35: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #27 Hinchcliffe by .8708 of a second.
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Verizon IndyCar Series officials have penalized #15 Rahal with a drive-through for avoidable contact with #19 Rahal. The incident between #12 Power and #77 Pagenaud was reviewed. No action taken.
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Lap 37: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #27 Hinchcliffe by .7196 of a second.
Lap 40: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #27 Hinchcliffe by .7760 of a second. FULL COURSE YELLOW. #11 Bourdais has made contact with the tire barrier in Turn 10. Leaders under caution are: #28 Hunter-Reay, #27 Hinchcliffe, #67 Newgarden, #12 Power and #3 Castroneves.
Lap 41: #83 Kimball, running sixth, has pulled off with a mechanical issue.
Lap 44: Pits are open. Several cars on pit lane for four tires and fuel, including #25 Andretti, #9 Dixon and #19 Wilson
Lap 46: GREEN. #28 Hunter-Reay leads the field into Turn 1.
Lap 48: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #27 Hinchcliffe by .5691 of a second.
Lap 50: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #27 Hinchcliffe by .3769 of a second.
Lap 53: #28 Hunter-Reay leads #27 Hinchcliffe by .5536 of a second. #12, 3, 20, 18, 7, 2 on pit road for four tires and fuel.
Lap 54: Leader #28 Hunter-Reay on pit road for four tires and fuel. #27 Hinchcliffe also on pit road. New leader is #67 Newgarden.
Lap 55: Leader #67 Newgarden on pit road for four black tires and fuel. #11 Kanaan also pit New leader is #17 Saavedra.
Lap 56: FULL COURSE YELLOW. Multi car incident in Turn 4. Pits are closed. Cars involved are: #67 Newgarden, #28 Hunter-Reay, #27 Hinchcliffe, #10 Kanaan, #14 Sato, #3 Castroneves. Leaders under caution are: #17 Saavedra, #9 Dixon and #19 Wilson.
Lap 58: Pits are open. #17 Saavedra and #25 Andretti on pit road for four tires and fuel.
Lap 65: GREEN. #9 Dixon leads the field into Turn 1.LOCAL YELLOW. #19 Wilson is off course after contact with #9 Dixon in Turn 8. Car has suspension damage.
Lap 66: #25 Andretti on pit road for four tires and fuel.
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Verizon IndyCar Series officials have penalized #18 Huertas with a drive through for passing before the green on the Lap 65 restart.
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Lap 68: FULL COURSE YELLOW. #16 Servia has spun in Turn 11. Leaders under caution are: #9 Dixon, #20 Conway, #12 Power, #34 Munoz and #2 Montoya.
Lap 69: Pits are open.
Lap 71: GREEN. #9 Dixon leads the field into Turn 1.
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Verizon IndyCar Series officials have penalized #3 Castroneves with a drive through for passing before the green on the Lap 65 restart.
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Lap 72: #9 Dixon leads #20 Conway by .5641 of a second.
Lap 75: #9 Dixon leads #20 Conway by .4933 of a second.
Lap 77: #9 Dixon leads #20 Conway by .6122 of a second.
Lap 78: Leader #9 Dixon, on pit lane for fuel only. New leader is #20 Conway.
Lap 79: WHITE: #20 Conway leads #12 Power by .6208 of a second
Lap 80: CHECKERED: #20 Mike Conway wins the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach by .9005 of second.
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TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH POST RACE NOTES:
This is Mike Conway’s first win of 2014 and the third win of his Indy car career. His first win came here in Long Beach in 2011. He also won at Belle Isle-1 in Detroit in 2013.
This is Ed Carpenter Racing’s second win in the Verizon IndyCar Series. It previously won with Ed Carpenter Racing at Auto Club Speedway in 2012.
Will Power finished second, his second podium finish of 2014 and his sixth podium finish in nine starts at Long Beach.
Power has now finished either first or second in last four IndyCar Series races and is the current points leader with 93 points.
Carlos Munoz finished third, his second podium in five Verizon IndyCar Series starts. He previously finished on the podium at Indianapolis where he finished second.
Juan Pablo Montoya finished a season-best fourth, his second top-five finish in three starts at Long Beach.
Simon Pagenaud finished fifth, his second top-five finish at Long Beach in four starts.
TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH QUICK QUOTES:
MIKE CONWAY (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m actually here (in Victory Lane). Just an awesome job by the team. I can’t believe it. Two times a Long Beach winner. It’s unbelievable. It’s good to be back here. My face is somewhere over there. Now there will be two of them.” (How are you here after braking your front wing on Lap 1?): “You never know where you’re going to be, so you just have to push as hard as you can all the time. I pushed because I knew Will (Power) was going to be close and he was good off the last corner. I knew I had to keep it clean there. I wasn’t sure Scott (Dixon) was going to pull in there. I couldn’t see he was saving fuel where he should have been saving. Second would have been good, but awesome. Awesome.”
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): (About getting through the incident on Lap 56) “I could see that whole thing happening because when (Ryan) Hunter-Reay went to go up the inside (of Josef Newgarden) he wasn’t quite there. I was hanging back and waiting for something to happen because they were all on cold tires. A good day. I regret not using that Push-To-Pass on that last restart. I thought I’d save it and get Mike (Conway) later, but he was quick and a deserving winner.” (About incident with Simon Pagenaud post race): “”Man, I’m really sorry about what happened. I honestly thought he had a problem because he went back really slowly and so I went up his inside and then realized he was just going to turn and try to back out. I got him. My bad. I feel bad. I don’t like to be raced like that and I’m surprised I didn’t get a penalty. But I honestly thought he had a flat tire or something because he was really slow and I didn’t understand why. My bad.” (He seemed quite angry. Did he not want to hear your apology?): “He should be angry. I’d be the same.”
CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 34 Cinsay AndrettiTV.com HVM Honda): “It went pretty well. It’s not the way I’d like to earn my third place with so many accidents, but this is racing. Anything can happen, especially on this track, especially in IndyCar, anything can happen. But I’m really happy. It was a really nice race. In the first turn we were struggling a lot with the rear tires. I was fighting with the car trying to maintain the position. After that my guys, my crew guys did an awesome job on the pit stops and everything.
You know, I just pushed pretty hard on the last two laps to try to overtake Will, but it was really difficult. Even though I had some push to pass. But I’m happy, second podium in the IndyCar, and first podium this year. So I’m going to keep pushing.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “It was a tough situation for the Target team to be in there leading at the end and not make it. We ended up being about a half of a lap short on fuel and didn’t get a break with a yellow flag. We could have stayed out and tried it but then we would have risked running out of fuel and wrecking the field. I feel bad for the accident with Justin Wilson. I didn’t expect him to be there on the outside so I will go talk to him. Not the day we wanted but we’ll regroup and be ready for Barber.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “My wrist is a little sore from the accident. It’s a shame for the Target team. They told me to take it easy on the radio when the accident happened but I guess I didn’t take it easy enough. I didn’t expect to have four cars there and when Sato hit, I couldn’t avoid it. It’s a shame overall but we were up there and what ever happened there in front of us today didn’t look smart.”
RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 TNT Energy Drink Chevrolet): “We had some major mechanical issues throughout the race and we thought we might actually be done for the day. We came back to the garage and our engineers were able to work with the Chevy engineers to get some things figured out and we were able to get back out there to make up some positions. Obviously finishing 17th isn’t where we wanted to be, but it is encouraging that we were able to get back out there and get back some points. It’s just disappointing because Long Beach is one of my favorite races and we had such a good start by making up all of those positions so early.”
JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 98 Charter/Castrol Edge Honda): “It was a disappointing end to the day, getting taken out by the accident. It’s a shame. We struggled a little bit for speed in the race but we were hanging up front. Thanks to the team for all the hard work. They put in a big effort and it’s a shame we didn’t get the result.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Novo Nordisk Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “We’re not sure what exactly happened today with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet yet. We still need to get the car back and look over all of the data to figure out the exact problem. We started the race out exactly as we planned by picking up a lot of spots early and getting through the standing starts cleanly. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew did a great job in pit lane by getting me in and out quickly and just as the yellow fell. We had the right pace and the right tires to run a good race today, it just didn’t go our way with mechanical issues. The team did a great job today and even though it wasn’t a great end to our weekend in Long Beach, I’m confident going into Barber here in a few weeks.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 AAA Southern California Chevrolet): “The Automobile of Southern California boys did a great job. Unfortunately we got caught up in an accident in Turn 4. That was very disappointing. Then we got a penalty on one of the restarts late in the race. We need to figure out what happened with that. It was a very crazy race after the crash. We were taking it easy trying to save the car. We were just saving fuel and trying to make it to the end. It was a great job by everyone at Team Penske. Now let’s go to Barber.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): “Tough weekend for us but thank you for all the support from the fans this weekend. Really tough weekend, didn’t get away on the start. There was a lot of congestion at the fountain & I got hit from behind into the car ahead & it damaged the wing. It was unavoidable. The strategy worked in our favor & we were able to move up positions. The car was better today too. Unfortunately when I turned into Turn 4 there were 3 cars tangled together and I couldn’t avoid it and I clipped it and that was the end of our race. Very disappointing. But we have to take the positives from this race to the next round.”
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 Snapple Honda): “Definitely not as high as I would have liked but I’m not sure we had more, that’s the unfortunate part. That’s what I’m really bummed about. I think we need to definitely find some pace so I’m really disappointed. And then I misjudged and lost the front wing on one of the hair pin passes. So overall not the day we were looking for with the Snapple car, but we’ll move ahead to Barber.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 11 Mistic KVSH Racing Chevrolet): This one really hurts. I had a great car and I just made a mistake. The rear tires were going during the first stint and I started compensating with brake bias. When we put on new tires for the second stint I wound it back a bit, but not enough. During the out lap the rear tires were coming in, but the fronts were still not in. I touched the brake pedal and didn’t even slow down. I didn’t brake late, but was nowhere near making the corner. It was a very bad judgment call. I want to thank my sponsor Mistic Electronic Cigarettes for all their support this weekend. I also especially want to thank the crew for sticking with it all day. It is just the second race and we know we are fast. We will make this work together as a team.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “That was an interesting race. What an amazing team and I really have to thank Verizon and Chevy. I could’ve been a little more aggressive at the end but I really wanted to make sure we didn’t get in any trouble and got a decent finish in the Verizon car. We had some close calls out there but we kept pushing and to come out of Long Beach with a top-five finish is pretty good.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda): “It’s a tough day. It’s a difficult day when you have an incident, especially at the front. I never expected to leave here with a crashed race car. There are positives to take away. We had an incredible car, the crew was solid all weekend. When you leave [the pits] on cold tires and you have guys coming up behind you on hots you’re definitely a sitting duck. The problem is, we just came out of the pits, we got the lead, you’re struggling to control the car because you’re on cold tires. It’s too difficult to place the car. On top of that, an incident in Turn 4 should never happen. You just can’t pass in 4 no matter what, it’s never happened before, it just doesn’t work. So I was surprised that we ended up in the fence. It definitely ruined a lot of guysdays. It’s just a shame for us that it had to happen there. I knew we were a sitting duck probably later on in the lap, but would have never expected something to happen in Turn 4.”
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 17 AFS KVAFS Racing Chevrolet): “It was quite an interesting race. I made a big mistake at the start, stalling the car, but we kept calm and focused. We had a great car with great pace and that enabled me to move back through the field. I was also able to capitalise on the mistakes by others. Unfortunately with 10 laps to go we had a mechanical situation and then our main goal was to bring the car home. I was able to pick up some great points and am real proud of all of the KV AFS crew for keeping their heads in the game and not panicking when we got into those situations. I also need to thank my engineer for a great strategy and for getting me back in the race. We move on to Barber in a couple of weeks and I look forward to getting another great result.”
CARLOS HUERTAS (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda): “The race was good and the pace was good. The pace on the black tires was pretty OK, you know, not fantastic and then we switched to reds. It took four or five laps to get good and then the pace was good. I was able to follow the people in front of me. We mostly moved up through strategy. It is really difficult to pass here.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 National Guard Honda): “It was a crazy day for us. The National Guard guys did a great job for us. I must say the engineering staff and all of the mechanics were down because we were starting where we did and to charge up like that feels awfully good. When we stopped out strategy was working perfectly. We were able to click by guys, going and going. I hit Justin and they called a penalty on me and then I got hit by Aleshin and he doesn’t get a penalty. Same exact situation but I got one and he doesn’t. Honestly I feel like we had a great car today. The National Guard guys did a fantastic job and I really cant be disappointed. We could have won this race because the car was definitely quick enough but on a day like today, you just have to take what you’re given.”
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 United Fiber & Data Honda): “It’s a tough break, just because obviously we didn’t have a great start, but we made some moves to get back up to P2 there, we were chasing Ryan and the Andretti Autosport cars were rocking it… and to be running up front in the United Fiber & Data car, we were so happy. I guess at the end of the day patience is a virtue and someone wasn’t very virtuous today and it cost both of us, and this team, a lot. I feel bad for everyone involved. I just sucks to throw away such a strong race. But we’ll bounce back and get the UFD car up front again. (About hand injury): “When I made contact, I was in full opposite (wheel) lock and the wheel just snapped around and sprained (my hand). Nothing is broken, so we’ll be OK I think.”
ORIOL SERVIA (No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda): “It was one of those races where you feel frustrated no matter where you finish because I basically ran two thirds of the race with a broken front wing. I broke two front wings actually. On the first one, out of the hairpin I think Conway went into neutral or anti-stall because all of a sudden he slowed down when I was out of the hairpin so I kind of nailed him on exit and broke the front wing. We ran around 15 laps like that and I was really struggling so on the next pit stop we changed the front wing which cost us some positions but at least the car felt great then. And three laps into it, Marco tried a bonzai move in the hairpin and I had to move and hit Pagenaud and broke the second one so I was without a front wing again. I was amazed about how the car was still great. I had a lot of under steer but I was able to keep the pace. I wasn’t able to pass anybody because I was slow in the corners but the car was strong. It’s just frustrating because there was not one lap where I could show how fast the car was and I think it was really fast. It’s encouraging that we found a good pace for the next street race, which I hope I will be in.”
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda): “The team did a fantastic job all day, had great pit stops, we had the fuel to make it to the end, we were making great fuel mileage under the yellows and great fuel mileage on track, and had a fantastic restart. I had a couple of looks, tried to go down the inside in turn one and got blocked, which is fine, he moved first, I went to the outside and got squeezed on the outside. I was like ‘hang on a minute.’ Then coming out of five the same thing happened. He [Dixon] chose the inside so I took the outside and nearly got put in the wall then so I did the old switchback out of six climbing the hill to seven and then to eight Scott had the inside but he wanted the outside as well and I got sandwiched between him and the wall, bent both sides of the car and the end of our day. I just feel for the Boy Scouts of America guys. We worked so hard, had fantastic strategy. We gambled and could make the mileage and we should have been at least on the podium. I think we are there and we have got what it takes. We have some great people and the car runs flawlessly and we are out there trying to win races. It is just frustrating when something like this is taken away from you.”
MIKHAIL ALESHIN (No. 7 SMP Racing Honda): “We had a really good day in Long Beach despite everything that happened in a very eventful race. We knew we were going to have good race pace after morning warmup when we finished sixth on the Firestone black tires. I had a good start in the race and gained two positions. We spent a lot of time fighting with the other drivers for every position we could get. Unfortunately our strategy got thrown off when I pitted only two laps before the first caution came out. On the second restart I broke my front wing because someone spun in front of me and there was nowhere to go. Our pace was really strong, and I think we had the third quickest lap time overall. It’s great to know that we had a pace to compete with everyone else today. I was able to pass several drivers and the big shunt in Turn 4 moved us up as well. On the last restart my teammate Simon (Pagenaud) got me. It was actually a really good move and showed me that I still have a lot to learn on the rolling restarts. Overall today was a very positive day and I want to congratulate the team on us getting our first Top 10 finish of the season. Now it’s time to relax and get ready for our oval test at Texas Motor Speedway this week. I have so much to learn on oval tracks and I need to use every opportunity in testing and practice before we get to our first oval race in Indianapolis.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): “We had a strong car and (Josef) Newgarden came out of pit lane and I knew he was on cold tires. He was really struggling to get up to speed through Turn 1, and then through Turn 3 he had some wheel spin so I went for it. I started to back out because he was closing the door – I could have waited a little later, maybe that’s my fault but at the same time I had at least a half a car up along sides of him so I went for it. If we had given each other a little bit of room we both maybe would have gotten through there. It’s down to me to make the pass I guess, I’m not sure… a lot of people say that was my fault. I made the decision at that split second, when he had some wheel spin, to go for it knowing that I was on hot tires. That’s the type of driver I am, I go for it. I feel bad for everybody involved. Obviously it was a bit of a bottle neck there, and it got others involved that didn’t deserve to be involved and that’s what I feel really bad about. But thank you to DHL and Honda; the 28 car was so strong today… just very, very disappointed. I’ll look at it again, but a racing driver, when he’s in the moment, and he sees a chance to go for it… I went for it because I want to win the race.”
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The next Verizon IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 27 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The race will be telecast live at 2:30 p.m. (ET) by NBCSN. The IMS Radio Network will also carry the race live on Sirius and XM channels 211.
Sources: Mike Kitchel/INDYCAR PR