AUSTIN, Texas – A blend of pace and strategy proved the right ingredients for a trio of veterans in the inaugural INDYCAR Classic at Circuit of The Americas.
The NTT IndyCar Series collective was led by fifth-place finisher Sebastien Bourdais, followed by Marco Andretti in sixth and Tony Kanaan coming home a respectable 12th.
Bourdais, the 40-year-old Frenchman, came from 17th on the grid and was running a relatively quiet race. He never had the No. 18 SealMaster Honda in better than ninth through the first two-third of the inaugural event on the 20-turn, 3.41-mile permanent road course Bourdais’ final pit stop came on Lap 43 of 60, which proved pivotal since the yellow flag waved the next lap after James Hinchcliffe and Felix Rosenqvist came together on the exit of Turn 19, sending Rosenqvist into the inside barrier and blocking pit road.
Since several frontrunners hadn’t made their final pit stop, it allowed Bourdais to leapfrog to sixth when they did so under the caution. The Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan driver passed Patricio O’Ward for fifth place on Lap 51 and rode there until the checkered flag.
It gave Bourdais the 77th top-five result of his Indy car career and was a welcome turnaround from the last-place finish he suffered in the March 10 season opener at St. Petersburg, Florida. Things weren’t looking much brighter at COTA until he was leaving his pit on that last stop.
“I didn't have anything this weekend, just nothing,” Bourdais admitted. “We were en route for (finishing somewhere around places) 17-14 kind of deal. I'm just about here (pointing at the midpoint of pit road) and the yellow comes out on the last stop and I go, 'Are you're kidding me?!'
“Next thing you know, you cycle (to) sixth and I got Pato on the back straight on the restart and that was that.”
The outcome helps build some momentum for Bourdais, though he admitted to the fortunate circumstance.
“We don't deserve it,” he added. “I don't deserve it, at least. I feel terrible for the leaders, but in the meantime, I don't know why they stayed out (to pit as late as possible) because it really wasn't hard to make it from 17 (laps to go). A lot of them stayed out, again. I guess the leaders, when you're at the front, will just never learn.
“It always seems to be the same deal: not much to win, but a lot to lose. It bit them hard and it's a shame, but we'll take it. As far as we're concerned, better lucky than good sometimes.”
The run was slightly different for Andretti, who started 20th and said he was “flying” around the circuit on a scuffed set of Firestone alternate-compound tires. After pitting on Lap 42 and dodging the danger of the late caution, Andretti also managed to overtake a fuel-saving O’Ward to bring the No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda home sixth.
Andretti sits seventh in the standings after two of 17 races, and while it’s a small sample size, it’s better than he was at any time during the 2018 NTT IndyCar Series season.
“I think it just took us a stint or two to spool up,” the Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco & Curb-Agajanian driver said. “I knew in the warmup we were cruising. We knew the race car was going to be good, but here we go catching a red (flag) in qualifying again (on Saturday). We just need to keep up this pace. I'd rather have pace and bad luck then just luck into good results, right?
“So when we're faster than sixth, it feels better than lucking into a sixth.”
Kanaan may have endured the most eventful day after having to come the rear of the 24-car field in the No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet. Similar to Andretti, Kanaan pitted on Lap 42 and fought through the midfield battle on the final restart to grab a solid result.
“It was a good day,” said Kanaan. “We had a terrible weekend until today. A top-12 finish is actually quite good for us. We had a good day in the pits. We managed to be consistent. I don't think we had a fast car, but starting dead last, it's a pretty good result. It's all about building.
“Every weekend, my responsibility is to keep these guys together. It's very easy to lose motivation when you have a weekend that you struggle all weekend long and start dead last.
“The only way I'm going to keep this team together is giving it all on the racetrack and coming out with them knowing that, even though we were defeated from the start of the race, I didn't give up. And that, to me, is the most important thing.”
The NTT IndyCar Series resumes on Sunday, April 7 with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. Tickets for the April 5-7 race weekend are available at barberracingevents.com. The race airs live at 4 p.m. ET April 7 in NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.