Photo Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher
During the fourth caution during the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Andretti Autosport drivers Townsend Bell, driving the No.29 California Pizza Honda, and Ryan Hunter-Reay, driving the No. 28 DHL Honda, were coming off pit road when Bell hit into (Helio) Castroneves, forcing him into Hunter- Reay sending them both into the wall. Both had minimal damage that could be repaired and would return to the race multiple laps down.
Hunter-Reay had a great car and had been running in the top-five all day, even leading some laps prior to the fourth caution coming out. After the incident on pit road with Bell, the No. 28 crew repaired the car and got RHR back out on track but ended the race two laps down in the 24th position.
“Something out of our control happened,” Hunter-Reay stated. “They said, ‘Go, go, go!’ It looked like Townsend (Bell) got into Helio (Castroneves) and bounced into me. At that point I would have just have waited until they got by. As a driver you can’t see anything (beside you in the pits). When you’re released, you go. The car was so strong. The only time we ever spent any time (slower) was because I was saving some fuel. Other than that, it was a rocket ship. Such a shame when you have a car like that. The car was great. We could have won this thing today.”
Bell also had a good car as well as he was actually leading the race when the caution came out. He lost track position following the incident, though, as he was issued a penalty and served a drive through. He ended up finishing the race a lap down and the 21st position.
“He (Ryan Hunter-Reay) was pulling out and I’m not going to stop,” Bell said. “What a shame. We had a great race car and we were saving fuel early on. The pit stops seemed pretty good. All of a sudden I’m leading, I think, when I come in. We pit, I get out before Ryan and he starts going. So I’m going around him outside and I didn’t know a car was coming down. I guess the three of us were trying to occupy space for two cars. It took me and Ryan out. I’ll look at it but I don’t know what I could have done differently. “
