INDIANAPOLIS (May 11, 2019) – Race Notes
– Ed Carpenter Racing driver Spencer Pigot brought home his best finish of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season today on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Pigot earned his first Top 5 of the year with a drive up to the 5th finishing position in the INDYCAR Grand Prix. The result met the team’s goal of building strong momentum to kick off the Month of May.
– The unique two-day format for the INDYCAR Grand Prix saw Pigot participate in two 45 minute practices prior to qualifying. Both sessions went extremely well for him as he finished Practice 1 with the second fastest lap and Practice 2 in the third position. In the afternoon’s qualifying session, Pigot earned the 12th starting position. It was the second time in three races where he would advance to the second round of qualifying.
– Pigot started the 85-lap race on a set of Firestone’s alternate red Firehawks. In the first 10 laps of the race, he gained five positions and was up to 7th before the first caution. The yellow flag flew on Lap 11, followed by another on Lap 16. In the next nine laps before his first pit stop, Pigot picked up two more spots to run 5th.
– On a set of scuffed reds, Pigot waited for the five cars ahead of him on an alternate strategy to make their stops. Once that had happened, he moved back in the 5th position. He made his next scheduled pit stop on Lap 47, exiting the pit lane in 14th.
– As the field again cycled through their pit stops, Pigot moved up to 9th. The rain that had been persistently falling all race had picked up to a point where both the No. 21 crew had wet tires ready. On Lap 59, Helio Castroneves went off-course. Anticipating a full course caution, Pigot dove into the pit lane for wets. The gamble paid off as the yellow flag flew the next lap. Everyone who had not yet stopped for wets came in when the pits opened, vaulting Pigot to 3rd.
– At the restart on Lap 68, Pigot was shuffled backwards. His teammate Ed Jones was able to get past him, putting Jones in 5th and Pigot in 6th. With three laps to go, Pigot took the spot back, giving him his final finishing position. Pigot would finish 5th, a welcome result as a multitude of unfortunate circumstances had kept his previous best finish of the year to 11th.
– When the checkered flag fell, Ed Carpenter Racing immediately shifted their focus to the Indianapolis 500 and began final preparations on the team’s three-car lineup. Pigot will remain in the No. 21 while Jones moves over to the No. 63 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet. Team owner and oval driver Ed Carpenter will step back into the No. 20 Preferred Freezer Services Chevrolet. Practice for the 103rd running begins on Tuesday, May 14. Qualifying will take place on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. The 200 lap, 500-mile race will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2019.
SPENCER PIGOT, No. 21 Autogeek Chevrolet, Finished 5th: “It was a really tricky race that threw everything at us. I had a lot of fun as I was able to pass a lot of guys in the dry and I thought our pace was really strong. The rain was teasing us the whole race. The team made a great call to go on the wets when we did as we were able to jump a handful of cars. I’m happy with fifth and it was a good, strong finish for me. Ed Carpenter Racing has done a great job and I want to thank ECR, Autogeek and Chevy for all their hard work.”
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