Photo – Kyle Magda
Juan Pablo Montoya is back in victory lane as an IndyCar driver after Sunday’s Pocono IndyCar 500.
When Tony Kanaan had to pit for fuel with three laps to go, Montoya headed to his first CART/IndyCar victory since Gateway in September 2000.
“It’s been a long road,” Montoya said after the win. “It’s a lot harder than people realize because driving open-wheel is so different what I was driving (in NASCAR) the last few years. It was gonna take time.”
Montoya’s weekend began with sitting on the pole with a new track record of 223.871 mph for his two-lap average. His Penske Racing teammate, Will Power, started beside him in second.
Power jumped out to the lead on the start as Marco Andretti powered his way to second before being passed by Montoya shortly afterward.
The Nazareth, Pennsylvania native Andretti didn’t make much noise after the start when the Andretti Autosport driver was given a drive-through penalty for speeding on pit road on lap 32. Andretti finished ninth in his Honda.
Andretti’s teammate James Hinchcliffe had the same fate for a speeding penalty on lap 63.
Most teams were playing the strategy game to see how the race would play out in the later stages.
The race started out with 158 green-flag laps, the most to any start of a 500-mile IndyCar race. The only caution of the day came out when Graham Rahal wrecked between turns two and three.
Kanaan’s car was most dominant on the day by leading a race-high 78 laps. While everyone else was saving fuel, the Brazilian-born driver had other thoughts.
“We had a very strong Target car and I think that shows a lot about what this team and I are capable of when we get the setup right,” he added.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver decided to bring his No. 10 Honda down pit road during the only caution on lap 159 and try to make it the rest of the way on fuel, but it wasn’t meant to happen as Kanaan brought his machine down pit road with three laps to go for a splash of gas.
“It’s obviously frustrating to dominate a race like that and not win,” Kanaan said. “We just missed going to full 500-mile distance by a few laps and it heartbreaking when those things happen but that is racing as they say and we will focus on Iowa on and put it behind us.”
Fisher-Hartman Racing driver Josef Newgarden also came in with Kanaan and led late in the race before coming in for fuel five laps shy of the finish.
After crashing in qualifying Saturday, Newgarden rebounded for an eighth-place finish in the Pocono IndyCar 500.
Some of the best racing came right after the lap 159 restart, especially between Penske teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves.
Power tried to slow down the momentum of the No. 3 car from behind, but IndyCar assessed the Penske driver a drive-through penalty for blocking.
The Australian-born driver also battled with his other teammate Montoya. As Montoya tried to pass the No. 12 car for the lead, he made slight contact with Power’s car, damaging No. 2 car’s front wing.
“I went right at the same time he did,” Montoya said. “I actually got out of the gas and ran wide-open again. He went so shallow in turn one he lifted and lifted too early and I just held it wide-open and thought I don’t clear him I’m not lifting.”
It wouldn’t slow him down as Montoya became the first IndyCar driver to win from the pole since his Penske teammate Power won last year’s finale at Auto Club Speedway.
With Castroneves finishing second and Will Power tenth, the two have moved into a tie for the points lead since the Pocono IndyCar 500 awarded double points.
“It’s great news (to be tied for the championship),” Castroneves said. “It was a tough race. You have to be really patient, and that’s what we did.”
Sunday’s Pocono IndyCar 500 was the fastest 500-mile race in series history at 202.429 mph, breaking the previous record of 197.995 mph at Auto Club Speedway in 2002, a race won by Jimmy Vasser. 11 cars finished on the lead lap in Sunday’s race.
Rookie Jack Hawksworth took a hard hit in Saturday’s second practice and went to the hospital for further evaluation. Afterward he was officially ruled out of Sunday’s IndyCar event after suffering a myocardial contusion (heart muscle bruise).
After the Pocono IndyCar 500 Sunday, the hospital released Hawksworth and he will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.
Pocono IndyCar 500 Results