Scott Dixon proved that it isn't where you start an IZOD IndyCar Series race. It's where you finish.
Dixon led a first-ever Chip Ganassi Racing podium sweep to win INDYCAR's return to Pocono Raceway after a 24-year absence.
Dixon earned his first victory since Mid-Ohio last August, while Charlie Kimball tied his career high of second and four-time series champion Dario Franchitti finished third.
It was the 100th win in all forms of motorsports for Chip Ganassi Racing and the 200th in Indy car competition for engine manufacturer Honda.
Dixon, who earned his 30th Indy car victory (his first was at Nazareth, Pa.), is the eighth different winner in 11 IZOD IndyCar Series races this season. He crossed the finish line .4572 of a second ahead of Kimball in a race slowed by only two cautions for 12 laps. The average speed of 192.864 mph bested Danny Sullivan's Indy car record 170.720 mph in the 1989 race on the 2.5-mile tri-oval.
The last 1-2-3 team finish was by Team Penske (Will Power, Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe) at Sonoma Raceway in August 2011.
Will Power placed fourth and Josef Newgarden matched his best finish of fifth at Sao Paulo in May.
Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan's prospects of claiming the $1 million Fuzzy's Triple Crown bonus vanished on Lap 107 when he moved to overtake Dixon's No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car for the lead on the inside entering Turn 1. The right-front wing sustained damage when it clipped the rear of the No. 9 car, and Kanaan pitted three laps later.
Still, Kanaan remains eligible for the $250,000 prize -- along with Dixon -- if either wins the MAV TV 500 on Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway.
Castroneves, who finished eighth, stretched his championship points lead to 23 over Ryan Hunter-Reay heading to the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader July 13-14, which pays full points in both races. Pole sitter Marco Andretti, who finished 10th after dominating the early portion of the race, remains third and Dixon, a two-time series champion, jumped three positions to fourth with eight races remaining.
DAY 2 NOTEBOOK:
Legendary golfer Fuzzy Zoeller is the grand marshal of the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco. Zoeller won The Masters in 1979 and the U.S. Open in 1984.
Zoeller owns Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka, the primary sponsor of the No. 20 Chevrolet driven today by 2013 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter Ed Carpenter.
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IZOD IndyCar Series officials announced the following teams will receive 10-spot grid penalties for today's race for an unapproved engine change:
#9 Dixon (Rule 15.5.1)
15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.
#10 Franchitti (15.6.8)
15.6.8. (Down on Power claim): Removing the Engine to test a Down on Power ("DOP") claim shall be classed as an Unapproved Engine Change-Out.
#5 Viso (Rule 15.5.1)15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.
#18 Mann (Rule 15.5.1)
15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.
#19 Wilson (Rule 15.5.1)
15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.
#98 Tagliani (Rule 15.5.1 and 15.5.4b )
15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.
15.5.4b (Indianapolis 500 engine use): Full-Season Entrants have the choice to use up the changed-out Engine or to use up the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Engine first. Should the changed-out Engine be refitted before the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Engine reaches its Change-Out Mileage, it must remain in the Car for the balance of its Change-Out Mileage. Both Engines must reach their Change-Out Mileages before another Engine can be fitted to the Car.
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Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford and his wife, Betty, are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today at the track. The Rutherfords received a special blessing from Rev. Phil DeRea during Catholic Mass this morning in Victory Circle. Johnny Rutherford won the Indy car race in 1974 at Pocono.
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Ryan Briscoe completed a successful first half of his racing double-header this weekend, winning the P2 class in the American Le Mans Series race Saturday at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.
Briscoe battled with Guy Cosmo for the lead with three minutes to go, making contact with Cosmo and causing him to go off course, before driving away to the victory. Briscoe earned his second class victory of the ALMS season.
2012 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter Briscoe will start 19th in the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco today in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet. He did not turn a lap in practice or qualifying Saturday at Pocono due to his ALMS duties at Lime Rock. He did test two days with Panther Racing at the track, including the Open Test on Thursday.
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Drivers who participated in the systems check from 8-8:05 a.m. this morning: #3 Castroneves, #5 Viso, #12 Power, #18 Mann, #19 Wilson, #55 Vautier, #98 Tagliani.
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Panther Racing is hosting Medal of Honor recipient James E. Livingston during the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco this weekend at Pocono Raceway. Livingston is a retired United States Marine Corps general who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in 1968 during the Vietnam War.
Livingston is the latest in a long list of Medal of Honor recipients who have been an instrumental part of Panther's program to fight veteran unemployment. During the week of the Indianapolis 500 in May, Panther hosted seven Medal of Honor Recipients, who were all included in the pre-race ceremonies for the iconic event.
Operation: Hire Our Guard is a Panther Racing initiative to raise awareness and educate business leaders around the country about the increasing unemployment crisis facing the National Guard, with the ultimate goal of making the connections necessary between the military and business leaders to secure quality employment for National Guard soldiers.
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Panther Racing has named SSG Michael Kacer, from Throop, Pa., as its honorary Hometown Hero for the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco race weekend.
Panther began its Hometown Hero program in 2008 to help highlight an extraordinary soldier from each respective state's National Guard.
Kacer joined the Pennsylvania National Guard in 1999 while still a junior in high school. He suffered multiple injuries, including wounds that required the amputation of his left arm, while serving in Afghanistan. Kacer is retired from the military but still represents the Army in the military Paralympics competition.
Kacer has received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, two Army Commendation Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, two Army Reserve Component Medals, the NATO Medal, the NATO ISAF Medal, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the Thomas J. Stewart Medal, the Keystone Freedom Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and many other recognitions.
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Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon and his son, Leo, are visiting the track today to watch the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco.
JEFF GORDON: "I'm so excited to be here for Leo. He's the one who saw the cars on TV and said to my wife, Ingrid, "Race car, race car." So we were in New York and said, "Heck, let's go!" To be back here in Pocono with the Indy cars, how could we miss that? It's so cool. I'm being here as a race fan and enjoying it."
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POCONO INDYCAR 400 FUELED BY SUNOCO RACE SPECIFICS:
The race distance is 160 laps, 400 miles.
Pit road maximum speed is 60 mph.
Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford is driving the 2014 Corvette Stingray Pace Car during the pace laps and caution periods.
Tom Hansing is the starter in the flag stand.
The field will take the green flag to start the race on the third time by the flag stand.
The start of the race will be in three-wide formation. All restarts will be single-file.
The estimated fuel window is 25 to 28 green-flag laps.
The Firestone Pocono tire specification features the same left-side tire specification used in May at Indianapolis, combined with the same right-side tire spec run in June at Texas. This is a change in specification from what was run at the June 25 manufacturer/team test at Pocono. Following analysis of data from the testing, it was decided a more durable right-side tire specification is necessary for the race weekend.
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POCONO INDYCAR 400 FUELED BY SUNOCO RACE RUNNING:
At 12:15 p.m., the ambient temperature was 83 degrees with a relative humidity of 54 percent and winds from the south at 10 mph. Skies were partly cloudy. The track temperature was 128 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.
All 24 cars are fired after command to start engines by golf legend Fuzzy Zoeller.
#6 Saavedra not running due to stuck throttle. #20 Carpenter rolls late from grid, rejoins starting position on pace laps.
#6 Saavedra leaves starting grid, enters pits after first pace lap.
Lap 1: GREEN. #25 Andretti leads into Turn 1.
YELLOW. #27 Hinchcliffe does half-spin to left in Turn 1, hits outside SAFER Barrier with left side of car. Car slides backward along barrier and does half-spin to left, pointing forward, before sliding down track and stopping near apron of track at start of back straightaway. Hinchcliffe climbs from car without assistance from Holmatro Safety Team. Heavy damage to left side of car.
#6 Saavedra remains in pits due to stuck throttle.
Lap 5: GREEN. #25 Andretti leads into Turn 1.
Lap 6: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .3489 of a second.
Lap 12: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .6121 of a second.
Lap 13: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .5902 of a second.
Lap 14: #9 Dixon up to 11th after starting 17th.
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Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR medical director: James Hinchcliffe has been evaluated and released without injury from the infield care center. He is cleared to drive.
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Lap 18: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .6287 of a second.
Lap 20: Top 10 -- #25 Andretti, #11 Kanaan, #1 Hunter-Reay, #12 Power, #14 Sato, #3 Castroneves, #55 Vautier, #83 Kimball, #78 De Silvestro, #77 Pagenaud.
Lap 21: #6 Saavedra out of race due to stuck throttle.
Lap 22: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .6147 of a second.
Lap 27: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .7072 of a second.
Lap 30: #25 Andretti to pits, four tires and fuel. #11 Kanaan takes lead.
Lap 31: #55 Vautier black-flagged due to radio problem. #14 Sato, #67 Newgarden, #15 Rahal, #4 Briscoe to pits.
Lap 32: #83 Kimball takes lead. #11 Kanaan, #1 Hunter-Reay, #3 Castroneves, #78 De Silvestro, #7 Bourdais, #20 Carpenter, #98 Tagliani to pits.
Lap 33: #12 Power, #16 Jakes, #19 Wilson to pits.
Lap 34: #55 Vautier spins in pit lane, continues. #83 Kimball, #77 Pagenaud, #9 Dixon, #10 Franchitti to pits. #25 Andretti regains lead.
Lap 35: #18 Mann to pits.
Lap 38: #25 Andretti leads #1 Hunter-Reay by 1.3901 seconds.
Lap 40: Top 10 - #25 Andretti, #1 Hunter-Reay, #14 Sato, #11 Kanaan, #3 Castroneves, #12 Power, #83 Kimball, #77 Pagenaud, #9 Dixon, #78 De Silvestro.
Lap 53: #25 Andretti leads #1 Hunter-Reay by 3.3891 seconds.
Lap 59: #25 Andretti leads #1 Hunter-Reay by 2.5804 seconds. #7 Bourdais to pits.
Lap 61: #25 Andretti, #3 Castroneves, #1 Hunter-Reay, #14 Sato, #77 Pagenaud, #4 Briscoe, #15 Rahal, #55 Vautier to pits. #14 Sato hits #1 Hunter-Reay at entrance of pit lane, sending Hunter-Reay into outside pit wall. Left side of Sato's car hit right side of Hunter-Reay's car after Sato approached Hunter-Reay from rear, with tires locked up and smoking. Damage to right front wheel and front wing of Hunter-Reay's car. Sato in pits for extensive repair attempts.
Lap 62: #11 Kanaan, #78 De Silvestro to pits. YELLOW due to pit road accident between #14 Hunter-Reay, #1 Sato. Pits closed.
Lap 65: Pits open. #12 Power, #9 Dixon, #83 Kimball, #10 Franchitti, #16 Jakes, #19 Wilson to pits. #20 Carpenter, #55 Vautier and #67 Newgarden must re-enter pits for entering closed pit between Laps 62-64.
Lap 66: #55 Vautier to pits.
Lap 67: #67 Newgarden, #20 Carpenter, #78 De Silvestro to pits.
Lap 71: GREEN. Restart order - #11 Kanaan, #25 Andretti, #3 Castroneves, #77 Pagenaud, #12 Power.
Lap 72: #25 Andretti passes #11 Kanaan on straightaway entering Turn 1 on restart for lead. #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .4327 of a second after complete lap.
Lap 77: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .5037 of a second.
Lap 78: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .4663 of a second.
Lap 80 (halfway): Top 15 - #25 Andretti, #11 Kanaan, #3 Castroneves, #77 Pagenaud, #9 Dixon, #12 Power, #83 Kimball, #10 Franchitti, #19 Wilson, #20 Carpenter, #67 Newgarden, #16 Jakes, #7 Bourdais, #4 Briscoe, #18 Mann.
Lap 83: #1 Hunter-Reay returns to race after repairs from pit-road accident.
Lap 84: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .6061 of a second.
Lap 85: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .6416 of a second.
Lap 86: #25 Andretti leads #11 Kanaan by .6000 of a second.
Lap 90: Top 10 -- #25 Andretti, #11 Kanaan, #3 Castroneves, #77 Pagenaud, #9 Dixon, #12 Power, #83 Kimball, #10 Franchitti, #20 Carpenter, #19 Wilson.
Lap 94: #7 Pagenaud to pits.
Lap 95: #25 Andretti to pits. #11 Kanaan takes lead.
Lap 96: #3 Castroneves, #4 Briscoe to pits.
Lap 97: #11 Kanaan, #77 Pagenaud to pits. Pagenaud beats Kanaan out of pits for position.
Lap 98: #16 Jakes, #98 Tagliani to pits.
Lap 99: #12 Power, #20 Carpenter, #19 Wilson to pits.
Lap 100: #9 Dixon, #10 Franchitti, #83 Kimball, #67 Newgarden, #78 De Silvestro, #18 Mann to pits.
Lap 103: #1 Hunter-Reay to pits.
Lap 107: #11 Kanaan passes #9 Dixon for lead with inside move just before entrance to Turn 1. Right side of Kanaan's front wing made contact with left-rear wheel guard of Dixon during pass. Wing wiggled but did not dislodge or appear to have damage. #12 Power passes #9 Dixon for second on back straightaway between Turns 1 and 2.
Lap 110: #12 Power passes #11 Kanaan for lead in Turn 3. #11 Kanaan slows, enters pits for front wing change. Kanaan returns to race in 16th, one lap down.
Lap 112: #25 Andretti passes #12 Power for lead.
Lap 113: #25 Andretti leads #12 Power by .5597 of a second.
Lap 118: #25 Andretti leads #12 Power by .2134 of a second.
Lap 119: #25 Andretti leads #12 Power by .0093 of a second. Andretti has clinched two bonus points for most laps led in race.
Lap 121: #25 Andretti leads #12 Power by .0913 of a second.
Lap 122: #12 Power, #9 Dixon pass #25 Andretti for first, second, respectively.
Lap 123: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .5152 of a second.
Lap 125: #83 Kimball dives under #77 Pagenaud in Turn 1 for fourth.
Lap 126: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .4544 of a second. #4 Briscoe, #7 Bourdais to pits.
Lap 127: #25 Andretti to pits.
Lap 128: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .3907 of a second. #3 Castroneves, #18 Mann to pits.
Lap 129: #77 Pagenaud, #15 Rahal to pits.
Lap 130: #12 Power, #20 Carpenter, #19 Wilson, #78 De Silvestro to pits. #83 Kimball takes lead.
Lap 131: #9 Dixon, #67 Newgarden to pits.
Lap 132: #83 Kimball, #10 Franchitti to pits.
Lap 139: Top three cars, #9 Dixon, #83 Kimball, #10 Franchitti, are fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.
Lap 140: #11 Kanaan to pits.
Lap 143: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .8296 of a second. Lapped car of #11 Kanaan between Dixon and Kimball on track.
Lap 145: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by 1.9213 seconds.
Lap 147: #11 Kanaan passes #9 Dixon to get lap back. #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .7392 of a second.
Lap 149: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .3768 of a second.
Lap 150: Top 10 - #9 Dixon, #83 Kimball, #10 Franchitti, #77 Pagenaud, #12 Power, #67 Newgarden, #3 Castroneves, #20 Carpenter, #25 Andretti, #19 Wilson. #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .8748 of a second.
Lap 153: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .4024 of a second.
Lap 154: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .8019 of a second after both cars pass lapped car of #18 Mann.
Lap 155: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .8010 of a second.
Lap 156; #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .5726 of a second.
Lap 157: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .5921 of a second.
Lap 158: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .6375 of a second.
Lap 159: #9 Dixon leads #83 Kimball by .6387 of a second.
Lap 160: CHECKERED. #9 Scott Dixon wins Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco by .4572 of a second over #83 Charlie Kimball. #10 Dario Franchitti finishes third. Chip Ganassi Racing cars swept top three positions.
#25 Marco Andretti ran out of fuel on his cool-down lap, stopping car along inside of track just past entrance to pit lane. Andretti finished 10th after starting from pole.
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POCONO INDYCAR 400 FUELED BY SUNOCO QUICK QUOTES:
SCOTT DIXON (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, winner): "Going into this morning, I was not thinking we could win. The team definitely hasn't given up, and you've got to hand it to Honda, as well. I think fuel mileage was the key today. And we still had speed up front without having to save all the time. I don't know what to say. It's the 100th win for Target, as well, which is just fantastic. I'm just so happy. I love this place. Pocono, the fans, just everyone has been fantastic. It's great to be back. It's been a long drought, almost a year, so it's fantastic to be back in winner's circle."
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda, second): "Both Thursday at the test and then yesterday, we really focused on our race car. The NovoNordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team, the whole Chip Ganassi Racing crew as evidenced by 1-2-3, was focusing on race day, knowing that's when it mattered. So throughout today, the guys made it better on each pit stop, and the car just got quicker and quicker. A lot of credit to Honda, they gave us the fuel mileage and speed today."
DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Energizer Honda, third): "We went for a very aggressive setup, very low downforce. When I get some kind of gap, I could run some fast laps. The Honda today, it's so good on fuel mileage, and that really, really helped us. I could catch back up Charlie in spots, but I couldn't do anything with him because of the aggressive setup we ran."
CHIP GANASSI (Team owner, #9 Dixon, #83 Kimball, #10 Franchitti): "It's pretty big, I'll tell you. I had no idea we'd go 1-2-3. I was just hoping for a decent finish today. Everybody across all of our teams contributed today. It's nice. Hopefully we've turned the corner.
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POCONO INDYCAR 400 FUELED BY SUNOCO POST-RACE NOTES:
This is the first time Chip Ganassi Racing drivers have finished 1-2-3 in any form of competition - IZOD IndyCar Series, CART, NASCAR or GRAND-AM.
The last time Chip Ganassi Racing finished 1-2 in a race was June 2012 at Belle Isle when Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti finished first and second, respectively.
This is the first 1-2-3 finish by one team in IZOD IndyCar Series competition since Team Penske swept the first three spots in August 2011 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., when Will Power, Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe finished 1-2-3, respectively.
This is Scott Dixon's first IZOD IndyCar Series victory since Mid-Ohio in August 2012, a span of 13 races.
This is the 30th career Indy car victory for Scott Dixon, moving him to 10th on the all-time career Indy car win list.
This is the fifth top-five finish this season for Scott Dixon. His previous best finish was second at Barber. His other top five's came at St. Petersburg and Belle Isle 1 and 2.
Honda's last victory on an oval came in June 2012 at Texas Motor Speedway, where Justin Wilson won.
Charlie Kimball finished second, tying his career-best IZOD IndyCar Series result. He also finished second in 2012 at Toronto.
This is the first podium finish and second top-five finish of the season for Charlie Kimball. His previous best was fourth at Barber.
Dario Franchitti finished third, his first podium finish and third top-five finish of the season. He also finished fourth at Long Beach and fifth at Belle Isle 2.
Will Power finished fourth, his third top-five finish this season.
Josef Newgarden finished fifth, tying his IZOD IndyCar Series career-best finish of fifth, set earlier this season at Sao Paulo.
This is the 100th victory for Target as a primary sponsor in motorsports.
This is the 200th victory for Honda in North American open-wheel racing.
This is the first time James Hinchcliffe has not finished since Long Beach, ending a streak of seven consecutive races of running at the finish.
This is the fifth race this season in which Marco Andretti has led and fourth oval race he has led. Andretti remains winless in the 2013 season.
When Will Power led today, it was the 16th time a Team Penske car has led an Indy car race at Pocono.
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POCONO INDYCAR 400 FUELED BY SUNOCO POST-RACE QUOTES:
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Sunoco "Turbo" KVRT-SH Racing Chevrolet): "I apologized to the crew several times. I made a mistake, and it cost us big. I had a run on Dixon but didn't really think that I was closing that fast on him. We had a car that was capable of winning this race and putting us in a position to contend for the Fuzzy's Triple Crown and the $1-million prize. We still have a chance to win in Fontana and collect $250,000, but I just feel bad for the crew because they worked so hard to give me a very competitive car."
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 SFH Racing/Rotondo Weirich Honda): "What a great team effort by SFHR. They did a killer job; they work really hard. We have some great engineers, great mechanics. It's an incredible group, and they showed exactly what they've been putting in for our program. I'm really pleased for the whole team. It's good to get representative results, and today we got a great one."
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "I mean, it just snapped. We got loose. We've been battling understeer with a hot day. We were planning on the car being a bit more pushy than I guess it ultimately ended up being. We went a little aggressive on setup. I don't know, maybe we went too much or what. It's just so weird. I had a moment almost like that in qualifying, and I guess I used up all my luck/talent saving it; we didn't have enough this time. With the downforce level we were running and the setup that we had, there is just no way I thought that was the kind of accident that would have taken us out, especially on lap one, especially when the tires are fresh and everything was good. It is devastating, man, to have the GoDaddy car out; Andretti Autosport one-two-three didn't last too long. I feel bad for the team; the guys worked so hard."
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KVRT Chevrolet): "The car was awesome. It was a really good race. This is a tricky place; you had to time your passes just right. I had a lot of fun out there, and the team was great. They gave me a fantastic car, and we were able to move forward and make a lot of moves toward the end of the race. I'm really happy that we were able to get a good result for the Nuclear Clean Air Energy car."
JAMES JAKES (No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda): "To be honest, it (the car) was better than I expected. We made some great improvements overnight. There is still work to do, but considering how much we struggled generally, the car was good, and we were able to trim out during the race. It's a shame we are not starting the weekend now, but we'll move on. I'm looking forward to Toronto. Obviously, we had a good result in Detroit, the last street race, so we're excited to get to Toronto."
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "I'm very disappointed. There were times today when I thought our car was very competitive and really good, and unfortunately we just never had the speed to make the most of that. It seemed like we were down on a little power, and to be honest, we were having to take a little more extreme measures with the downforce levels to try to make up for it. At the end, we trimmed enough to where the rear tires were going off on me. We also got unlucky too with the first yellow. When the first yellow came out, the leaders had just pitted in front of us as we did, so everybody else, in effect, got an entire lap lead on us, and we weren't going to make up 50 seconds, no matter what. We reached our mileage minimum on the motor and will have a fresh one when we go to Toronto."
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 7 Dragon Racing Chevrolet): "It was a tough day. We were running up front well in the top 10. The second run was really strong for us, just running flat out. We caught Viso, and I made the call to come in a lap early, so we came in. Then the track went yellow, and that killed our race. We went completely out of sequence with that yellow and never caught a break. After that, we tried to save fuel and not make another stop, but we couldn't make it all the way without a yellow. At this place, you cannot save fuel being flat out and wide open the whole race. The No. 7 McAfee car deserved better today, and the crew did an amazing job today."
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 6 Dragon Racing Chevrolet): "A very rough day. We ran into the exactly the same issue as in qualifying, with our throttle getting stuck as soon as we turned on the car. With that, we couldn't race. So we came in to change the throttle, and that was the end of our day. It's been a very tough season for us, and we cannot seem to catch a break. All we can do is stay focused with a positive attitude and see what happens next."
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "The car was awesome today. It turned out to be a fuel-consumption race, and we were running up front for most of the day, going as high as third. I'm happy to have a solid finish, but I'm also very disappointed because Pippa Mann was in the middle of the racetrack five laps before the end of the race, and she completely parked me in Turn 1. That allowed the guys right behind me to get great runs and drive by me. I think our car was good enough to finish fourth, which is frustrating because we're trying to win this championship. You can also look at it from the perspective that the HP car had a sixth-place finish when many of the championship contenders finished behind us, though, so we'll take it. I'm very happy for Honda, too. For them to get a 1-2-3 finish here is huge. They've done a great job with calibrating the engines to make them perform well here in Pocono. Their engineers have been working so hard, and it's great to see them rewarded."
TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 coastal.com Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "We had a radio issue at the end of our first stint today. Padding came loose in my cockpit and unplugged my radio so that I couldn't hear my team talking to me. I ended up running out of fuel, so I rolled back into the pits. Then I had an issue trying to put the car on a manual gearbox because I was rolling the car on the clutch into the pit box and couldn't downshift. I ended up spinning in pit lane, which cost us even more time and lost us two laps. We had such a strong car, though, and our start was fantastic. We were running seventh, and the guys I was running with then all finished around the top five. We just weren't able to put everything together today, which is too bad because the Coastal.com car could have earned a great finish today. The team was awesome all weekend, and they gave me the car I needed to do well, but we'll be back next week in Toronto with another good car."
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda): "The balance was poor early. The first stop made big changes. Tire pressure and the front wing. The draft was big. It was like Indianapolis. The race was lots of fun. I enjoyed every minute of it. Next time we're going to come back, and we're going to win."
RYAN BRISCOE (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet): "Very different circuits between Le Mans, Lime Rock and Pocono. You're basically racing at all ends of the spectrum. I love Lime Rock. It makes for great racing, but without Thursday's test, we would not be able to do this today. I was thankful to Panther for allowing me to skip practice and qualifying, and we were able to get the job done today. We had a decent race. The car came to us late. We did lose the pack, but we could have had a run in the top six. No mistakes in the pits today. It's great to be back in IndyCar. It was an awesome crowd, impressive, and I hope they enjoyed it. I look forward to running here again."
TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "I think I misjudged it. We came off the corner, and I lost the back end and slid into Ryan. Extremely sorry to Andretti Autosport and their crew and my crew."
E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA Citgo Chevrolet): "It was a pretty disappointing weekend from qualifying on; things never went the right way for me. In the race, since Lap 1, it was extremely difficult to drive. We still don't know what the problem is. During the race, the car was wandering on me in the straights, in the corners, going from side-to-side. I just needed to stop to have a look at the car, to see if there was anything wrong. But obviously, at that point, it was very late in the race, and we lost plenty of ground. From here on, there are many street and road courses coming. I believe we have everything it takes to be in the front in those upcoming races."
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "We had a great car today. Just a little too much understeer to start with, so we were just going to add front wing as we went. I really think we had a great car to challenge for the win, was really looking forward to the rest of the race; I love this racetrack. Then we were just coming in to pit lane, minding our own business, and we get creamed from behind. It's unfortunate, but we've come from further back to win the championship, and we're determined to do it again. The DHL Chevy boys got me back out on the track. We tried to salvage some points, and I think we got one position. It's so frustrating when you're running top three, top two, really happy with your car, and then somebody comes from out of nowhere to take you out."
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet): "Oh, man, I mean we knew early (about our fuel mileage), but not early enough. I think we should have responded quicker, but it's so hard to be reserved right now. I'm so frustrated for RC Cola and everybody. We were just so dominant, and I'm just absolutely gutted."
ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): "It was a tough race for us. We started 14th and finished ninth. I felt we had a better car than that result. We didn't have a fast car in the beginning of the stints, but we came on strong at the end of them. We made the car a lot better for the race. We were just missing a little something. We were a little inconsistent with the tires. They felt a little different with each run. I guess we shouldn't be down about a top-10 finish, but I felt we had a shot for a top five. I thought we were charging in some portions of the race. But then the car didn't react as quickly after a pit stop. We might have run a little too much downforce, but we need to look at it back at the shop. It was fun to race at Pocono. It is hard to pass, but you do it. I hope the crowd liked the Indy cars here. I loved coming to this track. The track does a goes job promoting the race, too. It is great to have Pocono as part of the Fuzzy's Triple Crown. We'll have to defend our title at Fontana and stop Tony (Kanaan) and Scott (Dixon) from taking the $250,000 from Fuzzy's Vodka."
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was a good day and a good finish for the Verizon team. The boys gave me some great pit stops today, and it was really important for us to score some good points and continue to make up ground in the championship. I really like this track here at Pocono. It seemed like it was a good crowd, and we gave it all we had out there. A very physical race but a good result for us in the end."
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet): "Well, it's definitely good to come out of this race building our lead in the championship. The Hitachi team did a fantastic job this weekend. The race was very challenging. For us, as a team, we had to make a lot of decisions during the race. Ultimately, the key was saving fuel for a good result, and we'll take a top-10 finish and move on to Toronto with the good points we earned here. Thanks again to the fans here. They were awesome, and it's good to be back racing at Pocono."
CHIP GANASSI (Owner, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing): "When I got out of bed this morning, I wouldn't have guessed this. I actually forgot that the next win would have been our 100th; it's been so long since we've had a win. It's a really great place to do it. In Pennsylvania, in my home state. It's great for the series to have a 1-2-3 (finish) and Honda. You know, Honda needed a boost, and they stepped up and did a great job. The drivers did a great job, and the team did a great job."
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2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan and 2013 Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco winner Scott Dixon are eligible to win a $250,000 bonus for winning two of the three races in the Fuzzy's Triple Crown if either can triumph in the season-ending MAVTV 500 on Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
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Today's race was the fastest Indy-car event in Pocono Raceway history, with an average speed of 192.864 mph for 400 miles. The previous record was 170.720 mph in 1989 when Danny Sullivan won a 500-mile event, the last open-wheel race at Pocono before today.
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Today's race featured the second-closest margin of victory in an Indy-car event at Pocono Raceway, as Scott Dixon beat Charlie Kimball to the checkered flag by .4572 of a second. The record is .2700 of a second, the gap between winner Danny Sullivan and runner-up Rick Mears in 1984.
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The next IZOD IndyCar Series event is the Honda Indy Toronto, a double-header with races Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14 in Toronto.
The next Firestone Indy Lights event is the Streets of Toronto on Saturday, July 13 at Toronto.
