Detroit, MI (June 3, 2018) – Dale Coyne Racing’s Santino Ferrucci continued to impress and gain valuable experience in his Verizon IndyCar Series debut weekend during Race 2 of the Dual in Detroit, even if his 20th place on the results sheet doesn’t show it.
While the sun was shining for the race, it wasn’t the case earlier in the day when the drivers took to the track for qualifying. Running in the wet for the first time aboard an Indy car, Ferrucci placed his #19 Paysafe car a remarkable 13th on the grid, ahead of drivers such as Tony Kanaan and Series Champion Josef Newgarden.
Once the 70-lap race got underway, Ferrucci made a strong statement by holding his own and despite slight contact with Spencer Pigot who nearly pushed him into the wall, the Dale Coyne Racing driver was able to continue and take advantage of a full course caution on Lap 2 to head to pit lane for fuel and tires.
After coming out of the pits in 19th position, the 20-year-old rookie made his way to seventh before his second stop on Lap 21, through a combination of on-track passes and cars pitting ahead of him.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the American from Woodbury, Connecticut as he pushed a little too hard coming out of the pits trying to stay ahead of an oncoming car and spun, damaging his front wing.
Ferrucci was forced to head back to pit lane for a new front wing and he lost precious time in the process, initially falling back to 21st.
While he continued to turn competitive lap times, there wasn’t much he could do to improve his position and he ended up taking the checkered flag in 20th place.
“I can’t thank the guys on the #19 Paysafe crew at Dale Coyne Racing enough. From the engineering team to the mechanics, they gave me an absolute stellar race car,” shared Ferrucci following the race. “I’m just upset, being a rookie, that I made a rookie mistake coming out of the pits and spinning the car. Despite that, we showed incredible pace throughout the race. I just wish I had a better result to show for it. These guys really deserve a good finish. I’m very happy that I was able to come out and participate this weekend in Detroit and I hope to be back.”
The Dale Coyne Racing team will be back in action next weekend with Zachary Claman De Melo returning behind the wheel of the #19 Paysafe car, June 8 and 9, for the DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.
dalecoyneracing.com 