After starting from pole position, Helio Castroneves has been able to stay up front in the first half of today’s Race 2 of the Shell/Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston.
Today’s 90-lap race began with a rolling start under dry conditions, and pole sitter Castroneves was able to keep the field behind him on the run into the Turn 1/2 chicane. However, Simon Pagenaud was able to take second spot behind the Brazilian from rookie Mikhail Aleshin.
Damage on Lap 1 forced Mike Conway to the pits to get a new nose, while two laps later, Josef Newgarden made a strategy call and flipped to primary “black” tires after starting on the alternate “reds.”
As Newgarden got his blacks, Saturday’s Race 1 winner Carlos Huertas slowly made his way off the course. Race strategist Darren Crouser told NBCSN’s Kelli Stavast that Huertas’ No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda simply “shut off” and also confirmed that Huertas was done for the day. It’s the Colombian rookie’s first DNF of the season.
Around 10 or so laps later, more drivers began to trickle into the pits including Scott Dixon on Lap 21. But two laps later, Dixon came back to the pits with possible brake problems on the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
It bears noting that Pagenaud suffered brake issues in yesterday’s Race 1. In his case, they involved large temperature splits between the rotors keeping him from using the brakes effectively in the wet.
On Lap 29, Graham Rahal came out of the pits ahead of Mikhail Aleshin, who ended up going into the back of Rahal’s car as they headed for Turn 3. Aleshin sustained front wing damage and needed to pit, but a short time later, Rahal came in too – not for the contact, but because of shifting problems.
Meanwhile, Castroneves and Pagenaud pitted together on Lap 32 and maintained their top two positions. But running third after the cycle of stops was Will Power, who made steady progress from 18th on the grid in his opening stint before his stop at Lap 30.
The race finally saw its first yellow at Lap 42 when Carlos Munoz slid at Turn 10 and slapped the outside wall. Munoz, who finished third in yesterday’s Race 1, eventually came to a stop with apparent suspension damage to the right-rear of his car.
At the halfway point (Lap 45 of 90), your Top 5 is Castroneves, Pagenaud, Power, Sebastien Bourdais in fourth, and Juan Pablo Montoya (second in Race 1) in fifth. Out of the Top 5 at this juncture of the race, only Bourdais is running with the softer “red” tires.
