2013 Pocono IndyCar 400

Last updated
Flag of the United States.svg 2013 Pocono IndyCar 400
Race details
11th round of the 2013 IndyCar Series season
2013PoconoLogo.jpg
DateJuly 7, 2013
Official name Pocono IndyCar 400
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.5 mi / 4.023 km
Distance160 laps
400 mi / 643.737 km
WeatherTemperatures up to 91 °F (33 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h) [1]
Pole position
Driver Marco Andretti  (Andretti Autosport)
Podium
First Scott Dixon  (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Second Charlie Kimball  (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Third Dario Franchitti  (Chip Ganassi Racing)

The 2013 Pocono IndyCar 400 fueled by Sunoco , the twentieth running of the event, was an IndyCar Series race held on July 7, 2013, at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race was the eleventh in the 2013 IndyCar Series season. The event made a return to the IndyCar schedule after a 23-year hiatus. Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport won the pole position, while Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon won the race.

Contents

Report

Background

Pocono Raceway held an IndyCar race from 1971–1989, though as a 500-mile race, with the event ending after Pocono owner Joseph Mattioli chose not to return, citing the rivalry between the USAC and CART as a factor. [2] The final race at the track was won by Danny Sullivan. [3]

Brandon Igdalsky, Dr. Rose Mattioli, Randy Bernard, Mario Andretti, and Ed Carpenter announce IndyCar's return to Pocono Pocono Raceway IndyCar returns announcment.JPG
Brandon Igdalsky, Dr. Rose Mattioli, Randy Bernard, Mario Andretti, and Ed Carpenter announce IndyCar's return to Pocono

On October 1, 2012, IndyCar announced that the Pocono race will make a return for 2013. [4] However, the race was shortened by 100 miles to 400, as a request by ABC to fit the time window. [5] The race became a part of the IndyCar Triple Crown of Motorsport, in which if a driver wins the Indianapolis 500, the Pocono IndyCar 400, and the season-ending MAVTV 500, they will win $1 million. [4]

The first ten races of the 2013 season were split by Andretti Autosport and other teams, with Andretti drivers James Hinchcliffe winning three races [6] and teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay winning two. [7] The other five races were won by Takuma Sato (A. J. Foyt Enterprises), [8] Tony Kanaan (KV Racing Technology), [9] Mike Conway (Dale Coyne Racing), [10] Simon Pagenaud (Sam Schmidt Motorsports) [11] and Hélio Castroneves (Team Penske). [12]

Qualifying

Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport won the pole position after recording a lap speed of 221.273 mph (356.104 km/h), breaking the record set by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989, who had a speed of 211.175 mph (339.853 km/h). [13] Andretti's teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay (220.892 mph (355.491 km/h)) and James Hinchcliffe (220.431 mph (354.749 km/h)) started second and third, respectively. The last time a team swept the front row in qualifying was in the 1988 Indianapolis 500 with Penske Racing. Will Power (220.286 mph (354.516 km/h)) started fourth, while Tony Kanaan (219.625 mph (353.452 km/h)) and Hélio Castroneves (219.581 mph (353.381 km/h)) started fifth and sixth, respectively. Scott Dixon (219.500 mph (353.251 km/h), Takuma Sato (219.124 mph (352.646 km/h)), Simon Pagenaud (218.859 mph (352.219 km/h)) and Simona de Silvestro (218.590 mph (351.787 km/h)) rounded out the top ten. [14]

Meanwhile, the fourth Andretti driver, E. J. Viso, was in position to start in fourth until he hit the wall during qualifying; Alex Tagliani had also hit the wall while qualifying. [15] Viso and Tagliani started 22nd and 24th, respectively. [14] For Dixon, despite qualifying in seventh, was penalized ten spots due to conflicts between manufacturer Honda and IndyCar regarding the 2,000 miles (3,200 km) engine change rule. [14] Dixon was not the only driver penalized for unapproved engine changes; among those forced to move back were: Dario Franchitti, Pippa Mann, Justin Wilson, Viso and Tagliani. [16]

Race

Dixon talking to the press after winning the race. Scott Dixon, Post race press conference Pocono 2013.JPG
Dixon talking to the press after winning the race.

Singing the National Anthem was Christian Porter, a Pennsylvania-native and contestant on season 4 of The Voice. The command to start engines was given by Fuzzy Zoeller, winner of the 1979 Masters Tournament, whose company Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka was sponsoring IndyCar's Triple Crown Award. NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon was in attendance after racing in the 2013 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway the night before.

When the green flag was waved, the front row got into single file formation by the end of the frontstretch. After starting third, James Hinchcliffe lost control in turn one and impacted the wall with the left side of the car. Hinchcliffe was checked by the medical crew and joined the ABC broadcast booth to call the rest of the race on television.

When the race restarted, Andretti extended his lead. By leading the race and not conserving fuel, Andretti was forced to refuel earlier than other teams. He made his first pit stop on lap 29 and returned to lead when all other cars pitted by lap 35.

On lap 61, Ryan Hunter-Reay was hit from behind by Takuma Sato while entering pit lane, [17] suffering right front wheel and right wing damage, and was forced to go to the garage. It brought out the second and final caution of the day.

Tony Kanaan took the lead by virtue of being on pit road at the moment the caution flag was displayed. He exited pit road before Andretti passed him on the race track. The lead was short-lived as Andretti passed Kanaan as soon as racing resumed. Andretti held the lead for the next 23 laps until making a green flag pit stop. During the cycle of pit stops, Kanaan passed Andretti for the lead. Scott Dixon took the lead after Kanaan pitted. Dixon entered pit road on lap 101 and returned to the track in the lead.

Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan led portions of the race, but at lap 109 he clipped his front wing passing Scott Dixon for the lead. While Kanaan was able to continue, the team was forced to change the front wing under green flag conditions, ending any chance Kanaan had at winning the second leg of the Triple Crown. Kanaan finished a disappointing 13th.

Marco Andretti, led a race high 88 laps, but was informed by his crew to begin saving fuel with 39 laps remaining. It was unclear if Andretti could make it to the finish with just one pit stop. He pitted for the final time with 33 laps remaining. He was forced to conserve fuel to make the finish but ran out of fuel as he took the checkered flag.

Scott Dixon made his final pit stop with 29 laps remaining and did not need to save fuel to reach the finish. He was followed on track by his teammates Charlie Kimball and Dario Franchitti.

Scott Dixon, who had led only one lap all season (at the Indianapolis 500), [18] led 38 laps, including the final 28 laps, [19] and won the race by less than half a second.

It was the 100th win for Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda's 200th win in Indy car racing, and Dixon's 30th career victory. [20] The win was Dixon's first since 2012 at Mid-Ohio. [19] His teammates Charlie Kimball and Dario Franchitti finished second and third, marking the first time a team swept the podium since 2011, when Team Penske had Will Power, Hélio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe in the top three at Sonoma Raceway, [19] and at a Triple Crown race since Bobby Unser, Rick Mears and Mario Andretti of Team Penske finished in the top three spots at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1979. [21] Power finished fourth, Josef Newgarden fifth, Simon Pagenaud sixth, Justin Wilson, Castroneves, Ed Carpenter, and Andretti closed out the top ten. Hunter-Reay finished 20th, and Hinchcliffe finished 24th. [22]

Finish PositionDriverCar #
1Scott Dixon9
2Charlie Kimball83
3Dario Franchitti10
4Will Power12
5Josef Newgarden67
6Simon Pagenaud77
7Justin Wilson19
8Helio Castroneves3
9Ed Carpenter20
10Marco Andretti25
11Simona De Silvestro78
12James Jakes16
13Tony Kanaan11
14Ryan Briscoe4
15Pippa Mann18
16Sebastien Bourdais7
17Alex Tagliani98
18Graham Rahal15
19Tristan Vautier55
20Ryan Hunter-Reay1
21E.J. Viso5
22Takuma Sato14
23Sebastian Saavedra6
24James Hinchcliffe27

Broadcasting

The race was broadcast by ABC with lead announcer, Marty Reid, and color commentators Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever Jr. Reporting from pit lane were Jamie Little and Vince Welch. After his crash on lap one, James Hinchcliffe joined the broadcast booth to call the conclusion of the race.

In the United States, ABC's broadcast had a 1.1 overnight TV rating, tied with the June 8th race at Texas for most watched race outside of the Indianapolis 500. [23] The final rating was 0.9, with approximately 1.3 million viewers. [24]

This would ultimately be the final IndyCar race for ESPN color commentator Marty Reid after 31 years working with ESPN. Reid would later call his final race at the NASCAR Nationwide Series 2013 Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway, before retiring at the end of 2013.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 IndyCar Series</span> 18th season of the IndyCar Series

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series was the 18th season of the IndyCar Series and the 102nd season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 97th Indianapolis 500 held on Sunday, May 26. The 2013 season was the second to feature the Dallara DW12 chassis. Ryan Hunter-Reay entered the season as the defending drivers' champion. Chevrolet entered as the defending Manufacturers' Cup champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Prix of St. Petersburg</span> Annual auto race held in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener. The race is held annually in the spring, with the exception of 2020, when it was postponed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Indianapolis 500</span> 98th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 98th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 25, 2014. It is the premier event of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Tony Kanaan entered the race as the defending champion. Ed Carpenter won the pole position, his second consecutive pole at Indy. The race was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay, the first American-born winner since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006. Hunter-Reay held off second place Hélio Castroneves by a margin of 0.0600 seconds, the second-closest finish in race history. At an average speed of 186.563 mph (300.244 km/h), it was also the second-fastest 500 in history. Marco Andretti, Carlos Muñoz, and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five. Kurt Busch, in sixth position, claimed Rookie of the Year honors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Iowa Corn Indy 250</span> Motor car race

The 2013 Iowa Corn Indy 250 Presented by DEKALB, the seventh annual running of the event, was an IndyCar Series race held on June 23, 2013 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The race was the tenth round of the 2013 IndyCar Series season, and was won by James Hinchcliffe of Andretti Autosport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Milwaukee IndyFest</span> Motor car race

The 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest was an IndyCar Series race held on June 15, 2013 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. The race was the ninth in the 2013 IndyCar Series season, and was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 IndyCar Series</span> 19th season of the IndyCar Series

The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 19th season of the IndyCar Series and the 103rd season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 98th Indianapolis 500, held on Sunday, May 25. Scott Dixon entered the season as the defending IndyCar Champion, while Chevrolet entered as the reigning Manufacturers' champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio</span> Motor car race

The 2013 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, the 35th running of the event, was an IndyCar Series race held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 4, 2013. It was the 14th race in the 2013 IndyCar Series season. The pole position was held by Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport, while Chip Ganassi Racing's Charlie Kimball won the race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma</span> Motor car race

The 2013 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma was an IndyCar Series race held on August 25, 2013 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. The race was the fifteenth of the 2013 IndyCar Series season, and was won by Will Power of Team Penske.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore</span> Motor car race

The 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore, the third running of the event, was an IndyCar Series race held on September 1, 2013 on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. The race was the sixteenth of the 2013 IndyCar Series season, and was the final running of the Grand Prix of Baltimore. Scott Dixon started on the pole position, while Simon Pagenaud of Sam Schmidt Motorsports won the race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 IndyCar Series</span> 20th season of the IndyCar Series

The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 20th season of the IndyCar Series and the 104th season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 99th Indianapolis 500, which was held on May 24. Will Power returned as the reigning champion, while Ryan Hunter-Reay was the defending Indy 500 champion. Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturers' champion. Indianapolis 500 and the season finale counted for double points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Pocono IndyCar 500</span> Motor car race

The 2014 Pocono IndyCar 500 was the twenty-first running of the event, and was an IndyCar Series race held on July 6, 2014, at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race was the eleventh in the 2014 IndyCar Series season. Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole and later went on to win the race, which was the fastest 500 mile automobile race of any kind in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Indianapolis 500</span> 100th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 2016 Indianapolis 500 took place on Sunday, May 29, 2016, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the premier event of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. In a shocking finish, 24 year-old rookie Alexander Rossi of Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian won the race on fuel mileage over Carlos Muñoz and Josef Newgarden. Two-time winner Juan Pablo Montoya entered the race as the defending champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 ABC Supply 500</span> INDYCAR Motor car race

The 2015 ABC Supply 500 was an IndyCar Series event that was contested at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race served as the penultimate race of the 2015 IndyCar Series season, and was the third and final leg of the season's Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka IndyCar Triple Crown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2016 Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans was the only doubleheader event of the 2016 IndyCar Series, consisting of both the seventh and eighth rounds of the championship. The event took place at the Raceway at Belle Isle, a temporary street circuit in Detroit, Michigan. Both races were contested over 70 laps. The race marked the seventh time that the course had been used for IndyCar Series racing and the fourth time that the venue had featured a doubleheader weekend with two races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 ABC Supply 500</span> Motor car race

The 2016 ABC Supply 500 was the 13th round of the 2016 IndyCar Series. The event took place at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It was the fourth consecutive year that the Verizon IndyCar Series had visited the track. The race also marked roughly one year since the fatal accident of Justin Wilson in the previous year's edition of the event. The race was originally scheduled to be run on Sunday, August 21, but heavy thunderstorms forced it to be moved to the following day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach</span> IndyCar Series auto race

The 2017 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was the second round of the 2017 IndyCar Series and the 43rd annual running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The race was contested over 85 laps on a temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 9, 2017. Hélio Castroneves won the pole, while James Hinchcliffe won the race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 IndyCar Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2017 IndyCar Grand Prix, officially known as the 2017 IndyCar Grand Prix presented by Sea-Doo for sponsorship reasons, was the fifth round of the 2017 IndyCar Series season. The race took place over 85 laps on the infield road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Will Power, driving for Team Penske, won the race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Indianapolis 500</span> 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 2018 Indianapolis 500 was a Verizon IndyCar Series held on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the premier event of the 2018 IndyCar Series. The race was won by Australian Will Power of Team Penske. Car owner Roger Penske collected his record extending 17th Indianapolis 500 victory. Chevrolet swept nine of the top eleven spots during qualifying, and finished 1st-2nd, Chevy's first Indy victory since 2015, and tenth overall. However, despite entering the month as prohibitive favorites to dominate the race, Chevy managed to place only two other cars in the top ten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Honda Indy Toronto</span> Motor car race

The 2017 Honda Indy Toronto was an IndyCar Series event held on July 16, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The race served as the 12th round of the 2017 IndyCar Series season. Frenchman Simon Pagenaud qualified on pole position, while American Josef Newgarden took victory in the race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 ABC Supply 500</span> Motor car race

The 2017 ABC Supply 500 was the 14th round of the 2017 IndyCar Series season. The race was held on August 20 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Takuma Sato qualified on pole for the race, while Will Power managed to take victory despite being over a lap down at one point. Power became the first driver to earn back-to-back Pocono 500 wins.

References

  1. ↑ "2013 Pocono IndyCar 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  2. ↑ Gelston, Dan (2013-07-04). "IndyCar drivers set for 1st Pocono race since 1989". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  3. ↑ "1989 Pocono 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  4. 1 2 "IndyCar Returns to Pocono in 2013". Pocono Raceway . 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  5. ↑ Groller, Keith (2012-10-02). "ABC only wanted 400 miles of IndyCar at Pocono". The Morning Call . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  6. ↑ Hamilton, Andy (2013-06-23). "Hinchcliffe cruises at Iowa, gets third IndyCar win". USA Today . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  7. ↑ "Ryan Hunter-Reay wins at Milwaukee Mile again". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 2013-06-23. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  8. ↑ "Takuma Sato becomes first Japanese driver to win IndyCar race". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  9. ↑ "Tony Kanaan Wins Indy 500". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. 2013-05-26. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  10. ↑ "Mike Conway wins 1st of two races at Detroit Grand Prix". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  11. ↑ Lage, Larry (2013-06-02). "Pagenaud wins crash-filled Detroit Grand Prix". Yahoo! News . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  12. ↑ "Helio Castroneves cruises at Texas". ESPN. Associated Press. 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  13. ↑ Gelston, Dan (2013-07-07). "Andretti teams go from 1st to worst at Pocono". Boston.com . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  14. 1 2 3 Pruett, Marshall (2013-07-06). "INDYCAR: Marco Leads Andretti Team 1-2-3 To Take Pocono Pole". Speed . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  15. ↑ "Marco Andretti wins Pocono pole". ESPN. Associated Press. 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  16. ↑ Creed, Aaron (2013-07-07). "Revised Starting Grid for the Pocono IndyCar 400 fueled by Sunoco". SB Nation . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  17. ↑ Groller, Keith (2013-07-07). "Scott Dixon wins Pocono IndyCar race; Marco Andretti finishes a disappointing 10th". The Morning Call . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  18. ↑ "Scott Dixon leads podium sweep at Pocono". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 2013-07-07. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  19. 1 2 3 "Scott Dixon wins at Pocono". ESPN. Associated Press. 2013-07-07. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  20. ↑ Woodcock, Fred (2013-07-08). "Scott Dixon triumphs at Pocono IndyCar 400". Stuff.co.nz . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  21. ↑ Pruett, Marshall (2013-07-07). "INDYCAR: Dixon Leads Ganassi 1-2-3 To Win Pocono 400". Speed . Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  22. ↑ "2013 Pocono IndyCar 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  23. ↑ @IBJTheScore (July 8, 2013). "IBJ's The Score - Overnight TV Ratings ABC Pocono" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Schoettle, Anthony (2013-07-22). "Do Pocono TV Ratings Show That IndyCar Needs More Oval Races?". Indianapolis Business Journal . Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
Previous race:
2013 Iowa Corn Indy 250 		IndyCar Series
2013 season 		Next race:
2013 Honda Indy Toronto
Previous race:
1989 Pocono 500 		Pocono IndyCar 400 Next race:
2014 Pocono IndyCar 500
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.