IndyCar contested the second race in as many days on Sunday, with another full 250 laps on the schedule.
Sunday’s race was run in the heat of the day instead of the evening, which brought speeds down slightly but did not dramatically improve drivers’ ability to race side by side.
Gaining positions on pit stops was the name of the game, and Will Power, who started in the 22nd position, executed that strategy the best. Although his biggest gain was aided by a bit of luck.
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The veteran was able to save fuel and stay out the longest during the first pit stop cycle, and was gifted a caution period that came before he needed to come down pit road.
That fortunate event alone allowed him to leapfrog from 19th up into second place. A quick pit stop by his Team Penske crew later in the race allowed him to gain the final position he needed to pull off his unlikely victory.
Power’s win was second of the season, and allowed him to close the points gap to Alex Palou down to 35.
Palou finished second, which limited the damage in the championship standings. He reported after the race that he was very bored during the race, and hoped that Firestone could help find a way to make the second line more race-able in the future.
Saturday’s winner Scott McLaughlin earned another podium by crossing the line in third after continuing his strong form from the day before.
There was a final-lap crash that very nearly overshadowed the accomplishment by the drivers at the head of the field.
As they were taking the checkered flags, Alexander Rossi ran out of fuel on the back stretch which caught Sting Ray Robb off guard.
The young driver ran smack into the back of the slowing Arrow McLaren, and was launched into the air. He proceeded to land upside down and tumble a couple times down the track.
The Idaho-native slid to a halt, still resting on his Aeroscreen, and the AMR safety crew quickly rushed over to attend to the racer.
Robb was extracted from the car and loaded into a waiting ambulance. IndyCar reported that he was awake, alert, and in a good condition. He was still transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Kyle Kirkwood and Ed Carpenter also slid into Rossi, and the three cars tangled as they came to a rest. Carpenter’s car ended up on top of Kirkwood nearly trapping him in the cockpit.
All three of those drivers were able to walk away from the accident, looking in amazement at their broken cars as they did so.
Conor Daly stepped in for Jack Harvey during Sundays’ event, with the Briton suffering from a massive amount of pain in his neck and upper back.
Daly got up to speed quickly in the Dale Coyne Racing Honda, especially considering he had not driven the hybrid system at all since its introduction.
Mechanical issues derailed his run just past halfway, however, and he ended the day in the 27th and final position.
Felix Rosenqvist also retired early due to a mechanical issue, as his right rear damper failed while he was driving at speed.
Amazingly, the Swede was able to keep control of his car and he brought the Meyer Shank Racing #60 into the pit box with the left front wheel hanging high off the ground.
With two busy races in the books, the series now heads to Toronto next weekend for a sprint around the city streets.
