Photo Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar
Going into the event, there were concerns for the Honda drivers on how they’d perform, given that they didn’t crack the top-10. When the race was over, though, some of the drivers showed that moves could be made, including Ryan Hunter-Reay.
The Andretti Autosport driver started the race twelfth but quickly moved his way up to the front on the first restart and was running solidly in the top-five. The race was still green heading towards Lap 117 which is when Hunter Reay made his green flag stop. Two laps later, though, the caution came out. As a result, he lost all of his track position that he’d gained, positioned as one of the last cars on the lead lap coming to the restart.
He got another good restart to jump back into the top ten. On Lap 193, he came in for another green flag stop only to have the caution thrown two laps later. As a result, he’d fall back in the running order once again.
A wave around, combined with a couple more restarts, allowed him to regain the track position once again as he finished the race in tenth.
“We had two cautions – TWO of them [just after pitting] – that put us laps down,” Hunter Reay said. “We just had a heck of a time out there. One of the best starts I’ve ever had, some of the best restarts I’ve ever had, and to come away from it with 10th is a pretty dejecting result. We should have finished second tonight. You have to move on and keep a good attitude about it. I wanted a better result for DHL and Honda, but racing is like this sometimes.”
