FONTANA, Calif. – After making an imprint with a used pair of driving boots in semi-firm concrete to mark his induction into the Auto Club Speedway’s Walk of Fame, Tony Kanaan reflected on how the racetrack has impacted his career.
“My championships I won here in ’97 (Indy Lights) and 2004 (Verizon IndyCar Series) so I have good memories of this place and I love this place,” said Kanaan, who won the 2014 MAVTV 500 on the 2-mile oval.
Kanaan installed a brass plaque with his likeness and signed his name in the concrete.
“It’s great to have a plaque with my face on it so people can step on me,” added Kanaan, who drove the No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Chevrolet in the 500-mile race June 27. “The fans are the best around here and it’s always fun to talk to people and all the hard-core fans around here.”
Mann posts career-best finish
Pippa Mann, driving the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, advanced nine positions relative to her starting spot to finish 13th in the MAVTV 500. It's her highest finish in 10 Indy car races.
"I'm glad to get a good result for these guys. We were not the fastest car out there, but the team did a great job improving the car for me during the pit stops," she said. "The car was better and better as the race went on. We also had a really great car over the long stints, so those little short runs at the end were not our forte today. I'm super pleased for the top 15 and really happy for the Dale Coyne Racing team."
Castroneves takes points hit
Light contact between the No. 3 Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet of Helio Castroneves and the No. 5 Arrow/Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda driven by Ryan Briscoe brought out the first caution of the race and ended Castroneves' day.
The crew of the No. 3 entry made quick repairs and the car returned to pit lane before the restart. After a few laps, Castroneves brought the car in for good. Castroneves, who led 43 laps, entered the race fourth in the championship standings (52 points out of first). He's now in fifth place.
“Unfortunately (Graham) Rahal was coming up on me, and then kind of like, he really squeezed on me at the top," Castroneves said. "So, as soon as I come into position that I think I was going to, that I was about to push, I started lifting because I didn’t want to crash. I think we touched, and one lap before he was already squeezing me. And I’m like, ‘Dude, you don’t need to do that.’ So I’m kind of like lifting, and all of the sudden people are coming and start chopping, and (Ryan) Briscoe and Will (Power) all of the sudden, they just closed it up.
"Briscoe didn’t have to do that. He just turned into me and as soon as he turned into me I was like, ‘This is a tough one.’ I’ll tell you what, there was a long ride of sideways. The AAA Chevy was unbelievable. We had a fantastic car. It’s a shame we have to finish like this, but we’ll see what happens. Right now, we went out, it looks like the toe links are bent, so we’re going to change and continue to keep going.”
Fifteen engines changed before 500-mile race
Crews for 15 Verizon IndyCar Series entries changed out Chevrolet or Honda engines before the start of the MAVTV 500.
The Honda engines of the Nos. 5 (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Ryan Briscoe), 15 (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Graham Rahal), 98 (Bryan Herta Autosport, Gabby Chaves) met their mileage threshold as did the Chevrolet engines of the Nos. 1 (Team Penske, Will Power), 9 (Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Scott Dixon), 10 (Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Tony Kanaan), 11 (KVSH Racing, Sebastien Bourdais), and 83 (Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Charlie Kimball). Both manufacturers will receive 10 bonus points for each engine that met the mileage meter.
The Chevrolet engines in the Nos. 2 (Team Penske, Juan Pablo Montoya), 3 (Team Penske, Helio Castroneves) and 4 (KV Racing Technology, Stefano Coletti) were changed before meeting the engine mileage limit. The Honda engines in the Nos. 7 (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, James Jakes), 14 (AJ Foyt Racing, Takuma Sato) and 28 (Andretti Autosport, Ryan Hunter-Reay) also were changed out before the mileage threshold. The manufacturers will receive a 20-point reduction for each unapproved engine change.
Of note
Sage Karam, who locked up the 2013 Indy Lights championship at Auto Club Speedway, led his first Verizon IndyCar Series laps in the No. 8 Comfort Revolution/Big Machine Records Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. Karam tied his season high by qualifying 10th. ... Marco Andretti surpassed his career laps led at Auto Club Speedway (seven) in the first quarter of the race. ... Dale Coyne Racing crewman Oren Trower was transported by ground to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center for further evaluation of lower extremity injuries sustained in a pit lane incident and released. Trower is the inside-front tire changer on the No. 19 entry driven by Tristan Vautier.