Ryan Hunter Reay Wins Third IndyCar Race in a Row on Streets of Toronto

After two wins on short ovals, Andretti Autosports driver Ryan Hunter-Reay proved he could do it on the street, taking first at the IndyCar Honda Indy Toronto. Hunter-Reay started sixth, then pitted early on lap 26, just before Graham Rahal put his Service Central Ganassi Dallara into the tire wall, bringing out a full-course caution. Hunter-Reay restarted second as the other frontrunners pitted, then took the lead from Simon Pagenaud on lap 49 when the Schmidt-Hamilton Racing driver came in for tires and fuel.

Hunter-Reay never surrendered the lead again except to pit; in fact, he managed to pit and rejoin in the lead after his last stop. The AA driver had a gap of seven seconds when a Full Course Caution on lap 79 brought everything back together.

Hunter-Reay handled the restart well; behind him, several drivers did otherwise as numerous collisions brought out another yellow flag on lap 83, and the race finished under yellow.

Hunter-Reay moved into the points lead as previous leader Will Power collided with Joseph Newgarden and finished 15th.

“All day, the DHL/Sun Drop team had the right strategy and the right race car,” Hunter-Reay said on his website. “We had good pit stops and I got things done on the track. I think these past three races have been my best ones ever.

“This is really a testament to the Andretti Autosport team. Everyone did an awesome job and I have found a great home here. It is about continuity and chemistry and we are firing on all cylinders right now. Like I said last weekend, when we get it right, we’re tough to beat. This is all so much fun to be a part of and I want it to continue.

“Thank you to all of the fans for your support. I love IndyCar and my dream is to be winning here and to be a championship contender. It means a lot to win in Toronto, especially since my mom is from Hamilton, not too far from here.”

Penske’s Power started second. He lost the place to Justin Wilson on the first lap, then took it back. The Penske driver then moved to the lead on lap six. Power held the lead until the first caution on lap 28; he rejoined in 12th and spent most of the race midfield until he collided with Newgarden, breaking the Penske Chevrolet’s left front wing.

Power pitted for tires but didn’t get a new wing, as he didn’t want to lose a lap. His car wouldn’t handle, however, and he had to repit.

Helio Castroneves was the best-finishing Penske driver in sixth. Briscoe could have had a top five, had he not hit Franchitti on the final restart

Target-Ganassi had a terrible race. Scott Dixon blew an engine on lap eight. Not only did this end his race, he will have to give up ten grid spots for the next race for going through six engines already.

Dario Franchitti started from the pole but an error in the pits—he overshot his mark and the fuel hose wouldn’t reach—cost him track position. Then, on the final restart. Penske’s Ryan Briscoe collided with Franchitti, ending both their races.

Joseph Newgarden drove an excellent race and was fighting for a podium position when he was severely blocked by Simon Pagenaud on lap 79. Newgarden avoided Pagneaud, but went into the tires. This brought out a full-course caution, setting up a final sprint which turned into a final pile-up.

While Briscoe was hitting Franchitti near the front of the field on the restart, Pagenaud got into a three-car tangle with Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter. Pagenaud lost places pitting for a splash of fuele, and was due to serve a drive-through penalty anyway, so his 12th-place finish wouldn’t have been much better had he not crashed.

Charlie Kimball, driving for Novo Nordisk Ganassi Racing, turned in an excellent performance, finishing second, the best result of his IndyCar career. His previous best finish was eighth. Kimball made a masterful  move on lap 73, going from fourth to second by cutting inside of Simon Pagenaud as Pagenaud attempted to pass Tony Kanaan. Kimball squeezed by both cleanly to earn his spot.

Mike Conway also surprised everyone by finishing third in the Foyt ABC Supply car. A good final restart earned Conway several positions.