Birmingham, AL (April 7, 2019) – Dale Coyne Racing’s rookie Santino Ferrucci was on his way to another competitive top 10 finish on Sunday at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, but an untimely caution period with just over 30 laps remaining cost him precious positions, and he had to settle with a 15th place finish.
Starting from 10th – his best NTT IndyCar Series career starting position – Ferrucci lost four places at the start when he was pushed off track and into the grass.
Despite the setback, Ferrucci managed to gain a couple of positions before his first pit stop on Lap 9. He then went on to get as high as sixth before making his second visit to pit lane on Lap 35. With drivers on different pit stop strategies, Ferrucci exited the pits in 15th, but would make his way back into the top ten 20 laps later.
Unfortunately for the rookie, a yellow flag came out soon after and while the majority of the field had managed to make their final stops before the pits closed under the caution, Ferrucci wasn’t as fortunate.
Once he was finally allowed to stop for fuel and Firestone tires, the 20-year-old from Woodbury, Connecticut exited pit lane in 16th place. Despite keeping pressure on the car in front of him, Ferrucci would only make it up to 15th, in what is a very competitive NTT IndyCar Series field.
“I kind of got boxed in at the start since I was on the outside, so I had to go through the grass. Fortunately, we didn’t lose too many spots, but it took us out of the Top 10,” explained Ferrucci. “I managed to gain back a few positions and we had a good strategy going but then the yellow caught us out as I was unable to pit before the pits closed and that really hurt us. The #19 David Yurman car was pretty good today so it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t get a better result out of it. Once again, I can’t thank the Dale Coyne Racing guys enough for their hard work this weekend.”
The Dale Coyne Racing team now heads to the west coast for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach which takes place April 14, 2019.
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