A two-stop pit strategy paid off for Helio Castroneves as he went on to claim the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, ending Team Penske teammate Will Power’s two-race reign atop the podium.
Castroneves assumed the lead for good when Marco Andretti had to go to pit road for a splash of fuel on Lap 82. But the Brazilian had to hold off Scott Dixon on a restart with two laps to go after a Simona de Silvestro spin in Turn 5 caused a full course yellow with less than five circuits remaining.
It’s Castroneves’ first victory since last June’s event at Texas Motor Speedway and with it, he managed to cut Power’s championship lead to 32 points going into next weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Dixon’s teammate at Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Dario Franchitti, finished third. He was followed by Power in fourth and Andretti had to settle for fifth place after leading a sizable chunk of the 90-lap race.
A full recap will be coming soon on IndyRacingRevolution.com!
