Fittingly, a dogged effort from one of IndyCar’s grittiest drivers put a positive finish on what had been a frustrating month of May for Honda at Indianapolis 500.
Justin Wilson rebounded from a day where he fell as far back as 26th to finish fifth for the plucky Dale Coyne Racing team, in the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America/Sonny’s BBQ Honda. The top Honda finisher on the day recorded his third top-10 finish in his last four ‘500 starts, and also posted the race’s fastest lap (226.940 mph on lap 185).
Wilson was one of only three Hondas that ended the race in the top 10, and for a majority of the day, only one or two Hondas made it in. Wilson’s comeback came after his team, led by engineer Bill Pappas, reverted the setup back to what had been working earlier in the week.
“We put it back to where it was, honestly,” said Wilson. “We had blistered the right rear tire at one point. I maxed out all my tools to stop it from getting too loose. We were doing 212s just hanging on! But after that, the car was quick, and we caught up to the pack.”
The drive was all the more remarkable given the uninterrupted stretch of green flag running from lap 61 to 193. Wilson was 24th on lap 110, 16th by lap 150, and 10th by lap 175.
His pair of female teammates showed well enough; Ana Beatriz drove a trouble-free race for her best ever 500 result, from 29th to 15th, while Pippa Mann was caught up in a bottleneck effect on a restart and made slight contact with the Turn 4 wall. Mann ran as high as second during an off-sequence pit strategy and was comfortable with her car in the laps she did have on track.
Beyond the Coyne fairytale, it was a month to forget for Honda. Simon Pagenaud and Charlie Kimball drove good races to end eighth and ninth, but that was all the manufacturer could muster.
Alex Tagliani and Scott Dixon had been the strongest Hondas throughout the race, but Tagliani brushed the Turn 1 wall on lap 168, damaging his suspension and ending his chances, while Dixon ran between ninth and 15th all day, ending just 14th. Dixon’s Ganassi teammates Dario Franchitti and Ryan Briscoe were surprisingly non-factors.
A.J. Foyt’s pair was rarely a factor; Takuma Sato’s spun interrupted his race, while rookie Conor Daly made it home without incident.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing had insult added to injury to end its miserable month – both of its cars were fined for a blend line violation, James Jakes got a second penalty for a pit safety infraction, and Graham Rahal crashed on lap 194, which set up the eventual final restart.
Pagenaud’s Schmidt teammates couldn’t really show their full hand; Tristan Vautier ran smoothly but quietly to 16th while Katherine Legge’s early charge was stunted by Beatriz sliding up the road at the exit of Turn 2, which caused suspension damage.
Lastly, Josef Newgarden of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing had something happen to his car in the first stint, and he was never able to recover the lost laps.
