RECAP: DXC Technology 600
6.11.18
QUALIFYING.
One by one the field of 22 took to the 1.5-mile oval to score their two-lap averages and set the starting grid. A clean qualifying session for the Andretti stable locked the quartet into mid-field but left the team striving for more while rival Team Penske stole the show.
CHASING THE CHECKERS.
All four Andretti cars went to work quickly with the falling of the green flag, storming their way to the front of the field. In the end, it was Alexander Rossi taking the top spot for the team, securing his fifth podium of the season.
Fresh off victory at Detroit, Ryan Hunter-Reay put forth a solid race effort, but came up shy in the end – nonetheless, the veteran collected a 60th career top-five finish, narrowing the points gap. Rossi leaves Texas second in the points standings with Hunter-Reay sitting fourth.
U.S. Concrete driver Marco Andretti challenged his way to fourth before clutch failure during his second stop resulted in the loss of valuable laps and forcing the No. 98 to settle for a 14-place result, taking the checkered four laps down.
Rookie Zach Veach was the big gainer during the first 65 laps, racing his way from P16 to third before entering pit lane for fresh Firestones and full fuel. The No. 26 went on to have trouble after contact exiting Turn 2 resulted in a damaged rear toe-link. Veach ended the day P16 after spending time in the pits for repairs.
NEXT.
Following a five-weekend stint, the series now breaks for Father’s Day weekend and will return to Road America for Round 10 in two weeks time. The Kohler Grand Prix will go green Sunday, June 24 at 1:05 p.m. ET with live broadcast on NBCSN beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Keep up to speed between the checkers and the greens with AndrettiAutosport.com and via our suite of social media channels.
IN THEIR WORDS.
No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda
Verizon INDYCAR Series
“Simon did a good job defending. We tried to go up high, and I would have taken it if it was an easy one, but I couldn’t force the issue. We came home third. The NAPA AUTO PARTS car was awesome from the get-go. We were able to pass some cars and go long on fuel. The tire life was great, so all-in-all a great effort from the 27 team.”
No. 28 DHL Honda
Verizon INDYCAR Series
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“The day was solid, but that’s kind of all it was. We just really couldn’t get the car up in the mix at the end – just too much understeer. I couldn’t get close to those guys to join the party. It looked like they were having fun, I just couldn’t get in there. We’ll take the top five for the DHL team. We gained a little in points and that’s what we’re really keeping our eyes on.”
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No. 98 U.S. Concrete / Curb Honda
Verizon INDYCAR Series
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“We were running a legitimate fourth and the clutch failed during our stop. From them on we had no clutch the whole race. I had the clutch in, grabbed first and then it just stalled and wouldn’t restart for five laps. We had just gotten by Ryan and the car was coming into its own. The U.S. Concrete car had the pace to win the race and we just had to cruise the rest of the way.”
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No. 26 Relay / Group 1001 Honda
Verizon INDYCAR Series
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