Graham Rahal’s ascent from 19th on the starting grid of the MAVTV 500 to Victory Circle at Auto Club Speedway proved to be the most positions gained in the 250-lap race on the 2-mile oval.
Rahal, driving the No. 15 Mi-Jack Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, earned his second career Indy car victory and his first since April 2008 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.
It was the third race this season in which Rahal posted double-digit advancements – all resulting in top-five finishes. It also was the third victory of the season for Honda.
“Congratulations to Graham for a well-deserved win after coming so close several times already this year, and providing a great boost for our hard-working associates at HPD,” Honda Performance Development COO and vice president Steve Eriksen said. “Now we’re looking forward to the new challenges presented by the short ovals at Iowa and Milwaukee.”
James Jakes, driving the No. 7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, moved up in the closing laps to finish seventh after starting 23rd. He did not make a qualifying attempt a day earlier because of an engine issue in the second practice session.
It was Jakes’ third top-10 finish of the season.
“A big thanks to the No. 7 MAVTV MediaTech Oculus crew on this one,” Jakes said. “My pit stops were awesome. Every time I came in the pits we beat the guys in front of us. It’s just good to get some points. We have strong oval cars and we’re looking forward to the next few races.”
Pippa Mann advanced nine positions in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda to record a career-best 13th-place finish, and Stefano Coletti also gained nine positions to finish 12th in the No. 4 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet.
"We were not the fastest car out there, but the team did a great job improving the car for me during the pit stops. The car was better and better as the race went on,” Mann said. “I'm super pleased for the top 15 and really happy for the Dale Coyne Racing team."
Jack Hawksworth picked up seven positions to finish 10th – his fourth top 10 in the No. 41 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda.