

- TAKUMA BEST CIRCUIT RACER BUILD DRIVERS
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“It was a lot of fun, and obviously my teammates … I think about Juan Montoya. There was a lot of planning, a lot of brake drafting, as well. “Quite frankly I wasn’t really worried about getting back, I was just worried about the rhythm, when to get him back to finish first.

“We were able to get him back,” Pagenaud said. Next time by was the white flag and the lap after that, Pagenaud took the checkered flag in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in his career by just 0.2086 of a second. On Lap 199, Pagenaud passed Rossi for the win in Turn 3. But he couldn’t build a large enough gap over Pagenaud. With two laps remaining in the race, Rossi made the pass for the lead in Turn 1. One lap later, Pagenaud passed Rossi on the frontstretch.Īt this point, Rossi decided to stay as close to Pagenaud’s rear as he could, waiting for the right moment to make what he hoped would be the race-winning pass. Rossi returned the favor to regain the lead in Turn 1 on the next lap. On Lap 187, Rossi was the leader, and Pagenaud passed him for the lead on the frontstretch. The battle between Rossi and Pagenaud was epic. When the green flag waved and racing resumed, there were just 13 laps left, and Rossi was determined he was going to win. That brought out a red flag for 18 minutes.ĭuring the stoppage, Rossi radioed to his crew that he was “angrier than any other driver.” Moments later, a huge crash occurred in Turn 3 involving Graham Rahal, Bourdais, Charlie Kimball and Zach Veach. On Lap 178, Rossi passed Pagenaud for the lead. Rossi pitted one lap later and was in-and-out after just 9 seconds. Pagenaud pitted on Lap 169 with a flawless final stop. But this was far from a blowout with 29 lead changes in the race.
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Team Penske teammate Will Power was the first to accomplish that in 2018.īy the numbers, Pagenaud led 116 laps, the most of any driver in an Indy 500 since Dario Franchitti led 155 laps in 2010. He became just the second driver (and for a second straight season) to complete a “Month of May” Sweep at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by winning the Ind圜ar Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 Pole and the Indy 500 in the same season. The winner of the Indianapolis 500 is often the best driver with the best car and on this day, Pagenaud had both. The race culminated with a brilliant battle between the suddenly rejuvenated Pagenaud and the aggressive Rossi.

That emotion in front of the main grandstand packed with race fans brought a huge roar from the crowd. He displayed that anger when he believed he was blocked by Orio Servia when Rossi shook his fist at the driver from Spain while racing more than 220 mph down the front straightaway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rossi, who once again had a problem on a pit stop with the “Buckeye” of his fuel hose causing it to not engage properly into the tank, was seething with anger when he returned to the track. Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi engaged in a tremendous battle over the closing laps of the contest.
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In this high-speed drama, there were two drivers who battled each other to become the “Star of the Show,” but in the end, it was Simon Pagenaud who took a bow to the crowd after a blockbuster performance. It should come as no surprise that the biggest stage in racing once again put on its best event. It’s likely the readership of NBC Sports has their own list of five races they would consider the best of the season.ġ – The 103 rd Indianapolis 500, May 26, 2019
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So as the year winds down, here are the “Five Best Races from the 2019 NTT Ind圜ar Series season.”Ĭoming up with a list like this is purely subjective and open for much debate. Over the course of 17 races, there were many memorable moments, outstanding races, moments worth celebrating and more than a few heartbreaking moments. Other fans saw the action in person at some of the top racing venues on Earth.
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With all 17 contests on NBC or NBCSN for the first time in history, fans were treated to some outstanding action from the comfort of their own homes by watching on TV or streaming on NBC Gold or on. Before getting to NBC’s “End of the Decade” package, it’s time to wrap up the 2019 NTT Ind圜ar Series season.
