By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud had the best strategy and maximized his fuel mileage to win the IndyCar iRacing Challenge Chevrolet 275 at the virtual Michigan International Speedway.
Pagenaud was one of the last to pit in his No. 22 DXC Technology Chevrolet during the first round of green flag pit stops. His stop on lap 45, along with teammate Scott McLaughlin and NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Dale Earnhardt Jr., put the trio ahead of NTT IndyCar field.
While Sage Karam and Will Power dominated the race, they pitted three and four laps earlier than Pagenaud respectively. That put the two iRacing veterans on a fuel saving strategy that ultimately did not pan out. Karam pitted with 14 laps to go, and Power a lap later, handing the race lead to Alex Palou. Although Palou had enough fuel, he bounced off the wall with nine laps to go, handing the strategy lead to Pagenaud.
As Andretti Autosport drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Zack Veach peeled off, Pagenaud was left with an enormous lead over McLaughlin. He took the checkered flag with 13.388 seconds to spare. Earnhardt Jr. just barely held off Power to take the final podium position.
“I cannot believe this just happened,” exclaimed Pagenaud. “Wow, that is incredible. All the credit to Ben Bretzman (race engineer) and my Team Penske teammates. We worked together to understand fuel consumption. And I have to say it’s a pleasure to bring the DXC car into victory lane this year.
“I was actually thinking about (staying in the back to avoid wrecks) during the race. I was really thinking that I lost it. We were just saving fuel and out of trouble. At the start of the race we were trying to avoid it and got ran into. I qualified in the back and went with ‘option B’ which was saving fuel and tires as well.”
At the drop of the green flag, Oliver Askew attempted jump to the outside of Scott Dixon. However, he clipped Dixon’s right rear, setting off an accident reminiscent to the start of the US 500 in 1996. At least 10 cars were involved, and the accident virtually ended the day for Askew, Dixon, Robert Wickens, Colton Herta, and Marco Andretti.
That accident ultimately put Pagenaud, McLaughlin, and Earnhardt on their fuel mileage strategy. The trio pitted under the ensuing caution. Pagenaud and McLaughlin used their quick repair while Earnhardt saved his, anticipating another caution. The NASCAR driver fought a tight No. 3 Nationwide Chevrolet for the remainder of the race.
“It was a lot of fun,” admitted Earnhardt. “We got a little damage in that wreck on the front straightaway at the start of the race. We saved our quick fix and never ended up using it, so I had a real bad push in the car. I couldn’t really run with the lead pack after that.”
Of note, the Chevrolet 275 marked the first time that an Indianapolis 500 winner, Pagenaud, Bathurst 1000 winner, McLaughlin, and a Daytona 500 winner, Earnhardt have finished first, second, and third in the same event.
The next event for the IndyCar iRacing Challenge will be at a track of the driver’s choice. The track choice will very likely be on an oval, which Earnhardt said he “would absolutely” compete once again if that is indeed the case.
The Finish
1. Simon Pagenaud [22], 2. Scott McLaughlin [4], 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. [18], 4. Will Power [4], 5. Graham Rahal [11], 6. Jack Harvey [28], 7. Alexander Rossi [14], 8. Ryan Hunter-Reay [29], 9. Ed Carpenter [13], 10. Alex Palou [5], 11. Zach Veach [23], 12. Kyle Kaiser [7], 13. Conor Daly [27], 14. Sage Karam [9], 15. James Davison [17], 16. Dalton Kellett [21], 17. Felipe Nasr [3], 18. Tony Kanaan [25], 19. Marcus Ericsson [1], 20. Sebastien Bourdais [31], 21. Felix Rosenqvist [6], 22. James Hinchcliffe [19], 23. Santino Ferrucci [24], 24. Josef Newgarden [16], 25. Patricio O’Ward [20], 26. Robert Wickens [10], 27. Max Chilton [15], 28. Colton Herta [30], 29. Marco Andretti [26], 30. Scott Dixon [12], 31. Oliver Askew [8].
Lead Changes: 18 among nine drivers.
Lap Leader(s): Marcus Ericsson 1-5, Will Power 6-9, Sage Karam 10, Will Power 11-13, Sage Karam 14-21, Will Power 22, Sage Karam 23-29, Will Power 30-31, Sage Karam 32-38, Will Power 39-40, Felipe Nasr 41, Alexander Rossi 42-43, Simon Pagenaud 44-45, Sage Karam 46-71, Will Power 72, Alex Palou 73-76, Ryan Hunter-Reay 77-80, Zach Veach 81-82, Simon Pagenaud 83-85.
Laps Led: Sage Karam 49, Will Power 13, Marcus Ericsson 5, Simon Pagenaud 5, Ryan Hunter-Reay 4, Alex Palou 4, Alexander Rossi 2, Zach Veach 2, Felipe Nasr 1.
Hard Charger(s): Jack Harvey (+22)
Cautions: One for four laps.
Margin of Victory: 13.388 seconds
Time of Race: 53 minutes, 50.180 seconds.
Average Speed: 189.463 mph
Fastest Lap: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 223.596 mph (32.201 seconds).
Pole Speed: Marcus Ericsson, 219.747 mph (32.765 seconds).