IndyCar: Herta wins from pole at Laguna Seca

Colton Herta started from pole in his #26 Gainbridge Honda and led all the way except for pitstops to win the Firestone Grand Prix of Laguna Seca IndyCar race.

The only scare Herta had was when Herta went wide in Turn 4 on lap 2 of the 95-lap race, opening the door for fellow front-row starter and Andretti Autosport teammate Alexander Rossi in Turn 5.

Rossi and Herta banged wheels while side-by-side in Turn 5, and Rossi lost control of his No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda and spun into the gravel and stalled. Rossi’s car was refired, but he finished 25th, two laps down.

Herta gets jump on Rossi from pole
Lap 2 Herta begins to school Rossi before running a bit wide in Turn 5

“I enjoy racing here so much,” Herta said. “It’s an amazing track for me and my family. It’s been so good to us. To go two-for-two so far (at Laguna Seca) is great. We were fast all weekend, and I’m glad we could pull it off in the race.”

Points leader Alex Palou came home2nd just 1.97s behind Herta and extended his points leads going into the final race at Long Beach next weekend.

Romain Grosjean was the driver of the day, coming from 13th at the start to take the final podium position in third for Dale Coyne Racing.

Graham Rahal and Pato O’Ward rounded out the top-5.

Palou leads the points by 35, 517 to 482 to O’Ward, and by 48 over Josef Newgarden in third. There are 50 points on the line to win at Long Beach.  Newgarden has a chance, but a very slim one.

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson were eliminated from contention at this race after finishing 13th and sixth, respectively.

Palou must finish 11th or better at Long Beach to earn his first title in his second season in the series.

“We didn’t have it today for the win, but we did the most we could,” Palou said. “I was trying, but it was tough. It was Herta’s day today. I’m happy with P2.”

Alex Palou

Grosjean’s third podium finish of the season helped him stay alive in the race for Rookie of the Year honors, as he trails Scott McLaughlin by 20 points. Everyone knows Grosjean is the better driver of the two, by a wide margin.

Grosjean was 10 seconds behind Herta with nine laps remaining but closed to within 3.7087 seconds at the finish after some deft driving, including a wheel-banging, side-by-side duel to lap Jimmie Johnson in the famous “Corkscrew” turn with seven laps remaining. Series rookie Johnson was hip-checked off the track by Grosjean but returned to the racing surface to finish a season-best 17th in the No. 48 Carvana Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.

“The last stint was very fun because we were on new tires and fresher than everyone else,” Grosjean said. “So, that was exciting. It’s been a great day. Sorry to Jimmie for the contact out there. He was trying to protect Alex (Palou, teammate), and I wanted to go chase Alex.

“P13 to P3 today, it’s a pretty good day. Laguna Seca, I love you. That’s all I can say.”

“All weekend we didn’t have it,” O’Ward said. “I truly feel like we used every single ounce of energy and pace that this car had. We pulled off a near-miracle in qualifying to start in the first three rows. In the race, honestly, that was as much as I had.

“All we can do at Long Beach is win, and then let everything else fall. I’ve got faith in myself. I know I’m pretty handy around a street course, so let’s see what we can pull off next week.”

Sato goes backwards down the Corkscrew
And then spins and hits Dixon

With Herta’s win, Honda has clinched the 2021 Manufacturer’s crown over Chevy for the 4th consecutive year.

“There was always pressure there from Alex behind me,” Herta said. “Even at the beginning of the stints when I was a little bit better, he was still there. And he closed it back up at the end of the stints. I think he was a little better that time.

“I’m just happy to have done it. This place is so awesome – it’s my favorite track in North America by far. To win here means so much.”

Race Results

Pos No Name Laps Diff Gap Led ST Engine Points Team
1 26 Colton Herta 95 0.000s 0.000s 91 1 Honda 402 Andretti Autosport
2 10 Alex Palou 95 1.9747 1.9747 0 4 Honda 517 Chip Ganassi Racing
3 51 Romain Grosjean 95 3.7087 1.7340 4 13 Honda 266 Dale Coyne Racing w/RWR
4 15 Graham Rahal 95 13.8616 10.1529 0 12 Honda 374 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
5 5 Pato O’Ward 95 24.6972 10.8356 0 6 Chevy 482 Arrow McLaren SP
6 8 Marcus Ericsson 95 28.5032 3.8060 0 7 Honda 430 Chip Ganassi Racing
7 2 Josef Newgarden 95 29.7267 1.2235 0 17 Chevy 469 Team Penske
8 22 Simon Pagenaud 95 30.4215 0.6948 0 9 Chevy 353 Team Penske
9 45 Oliver Askew 95 32.4675 2.0460 0 5 Honda 52 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
10 18 Ed Jones 95 47.9944 15.5269 0 14 Honda 215 Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan
11 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay 95 67.1843 19.1899 0 19 Honda 249 Andretti Autosport
12 3 Scott McLaughlin 95 73.4940 6.3097 0 16 Chevy 286 Team Penske
13 9 Scott Dixon 95 76.3595 2.8655 0 8 Honda 445 Chip Ganassi Racing
14 14 Sebastien Bourdais 94 1 LAPS 12.5852 0 21 Chevy 234 AJ Foyt Enterprises
15 60 Jack Harvey 94 1 LAPS 2.7203 0 20 Honda 281 Meyer Shank Racing
16 20 Conor Daly 94 1 LAPS 0.3807 0 18 Chevy 226 Ed Carpenter Racing
17 48 Jimmie Johnson 94 1 LAPS 5.3480 0 25 Honda 95 Chip Ganassi Racing
18 21 Rinus VeeKay 94 1 LAPS 5.6846 0 24 Chevy 303 Ed Carpenter Racing
19 7 Felix Rosenqvist 94 1 LAPS 3.2007 0 15 Chevy 188 Arrow McLaren SP
20 29 James Hinchcliffe 94 1 LAPS 4.5092 0 11 Honda 204 Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport
21 59 Max Chilton 94 1 LAPS 1.9156 0 10 Chevy 119 Carlin
22 77 Callum Ilott 94 1 LAPS 15.8894 0 26 Chevy 13 Juncos Hollinger Racing
23 4 Dalton Kellett 94 1 LAPS 9.0069 0 27 Chevy 137 AJ Foyt Enterprises
24 06 Helio Castroneves 94 1 LAPS 0.5450 0 22 Honda 147 Meyer Shank Racing
25 27 Alexander Rossi 93 2 LAPS 26.7355 0 2 Honda 304 Andretti Autosport
26 12 Will Power 93 2 LAPS 58.9715 0 3 Chevy 337 Team Penske
27 30 Takuma Sato 83 Mechanical 5 LAPS 0 23 Honda 302 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed:
104.114 mph
Time of Race: 2:02:31.5444
Margin of victory: 1.9747 seconds
Cautions: 1 for 2 laps
Lead changes: 4 among 2 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Herta, Colton 1-18
Grosjean, Romain 19
Herta, Colton 20-68
Grosjean, Romain 69-71
Herta, Colton 72-95

NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings: Palou 517, O’Ward 482, Newgarden 469, Dixon 445, Ericsson 430, Herta 402, Rahal 374, Pagenaud 353, Power 337, Rossi 304