IndyCar Detroit: Hunter-Reay takes first victory since 2015
Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay grabbed his first IndyCar win for three years in the second Detroit race, passing team-mate Alexander Rossi in the closing laps

The race was defined by a mix of two and three-stop strategies. As was the case in the opening race of the weekend, Hunter-Reay made an early first pitstop after starting 10th.
Polesitter Rossi led the race at this point, the two stop approach proving popular with the majority of the front-runners.
When the strategies converged after the final stops, Hunter-Reay emerged in second, 7.6 seconds behind Rossi.
He reeled in the race leader at over a second per lap and caught Rossi with 10 laps to go. Four laps later, Rossi locked-up in the heavy braking zone at Turn 3 and drove into the escape road, allowing Hunter-Reay through to win for the first time since Pocono 2015.
The 2012 series champion made up significant ground prior to his second pitstop, crucially overcutting Robert Wickens, who was also on a three-stop strategy after starting second.
Hunter-Reay recorded consecutive fastest laps, which put him in position to take advantage of clean air and overcut Penske's Will Power after his final stop.
Rossi, who entered the race as the championship leader and led the most laps, finished an unrepresentative 12th after returning to the pits with a puncture.

This allowed Power to inherit second and reclaim the championship lead. The Indianapolis 500 winner was the only Chevrolet-powered car in the top six.
Ed Jones equalled his best finish of the season in third, holding off his Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Scott Dixon in the closing stages. Until a slow final pitstop, Jones had controlled a comfortable margin over Dixon.
Race one winner Dixon had battled with Sebastien Bourdais at mid-distance of the 70 lap race. However, the Dale Coyne Racing-prepared car spun out of contention with a left-rear tow link failure. He finished three laps down.
Last year's double-winner Graham Rahal made up for his race one DNF by finishing fifth, while Wickens finished sixth, unable to match Hunter-Reay's pace on the same strategy.
Tony Kanaan rose from 22nd on the grid to finish seventh for AJ Foyt Racing, after an opening lap pitstop when a caution was called for a spin by Spencer Pigot.
Charlie Kimball recorded Carlin's best IndyCar finish in eighth, while race one poleman Marco Andretti and Simon Pagenaud completed the top 10.
The race was delayed by nearly 40 minutes when the safety car spun into the wall at Turn 2 on the formation lap.
Both the driver, GM executive Mark Reuss, and IndyCar official Mike Sandy, who was the passenger, were unscathed.
Result - 70 laps
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1h33m50.5784s |
2 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 11.3549s |
3 | Ed Jones | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 13.2291s |
4 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 13.7652s |
5 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 16.6280s |
6 | Robert Wickens | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 34.9398s |
7 | Tony Kanaan | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 41.6328s |
8 | Charlie Kimball | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 47.3553s |
9 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 56.6293s |
10 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 59.5891s |
11 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m04.6868s |
12 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m06.6419s |
13 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m07.6438s |
14 | Matheus Leist | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m11.6742s |
15 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m14.2820s |
16 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 1m17.3729s |
17 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 1 Lap |
18 | Jordan King | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
19 | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
20 | Santino Ferrucci | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1 Lap |
21 | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 3 Laps |
22 | Rene Binder | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 4 Laps |
23 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | Mechanical |

IndyCar Detroit: Points leader Rossi dominates wet qualifying
Chevrolet describes IndyCar Detroit pace car crash as 'unfortunate'

Latest news
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Why IndyCar title glory is just the start for Ganassi's new star
Newly-crowned IndyCar champion Alex Palou has been lauded as a complete driver and veteran-like in only his second season. The 24-year-old is still in the early days of his career, but the parallels are there for all to see with his six-time champion Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate who has been CGR's team leader since 2014