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Race report

Wilson posts fastest race lap at Indy 500

En route to a fifth place finish in the Indianapolis 500

Justin Wilson, Dale Coyne Racing Honda

Justin Wilson, Dale Coyne Racing Honda

Jay Alley

Indianapolis, INDIANA (May 26, 2013) – The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 proved to be 200 laps of pure adrenalin rush with a record breaking 68 lead changes and a new race record speed of 187.433 mph. The race also proved to be exciting one for Dale Coyne Racing driver Justin Wilson as his pace varied as the race progressed, which lead to an impressive fifth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

Wilson started the day 14th on the grid and worked his way into the top ten within the first five laps of the race. After his third pit stop of the day, he had to deal with a new set of tires that blistered and some handling problems, which caused him to drop all the way back to 24th place.

Justin Wilson, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Justin Wilson, Dale Coyne Racing Honda

Photo by: Jay Alley

But Wilson showed the crowd of 300,000 spectators why he is a force to be reckoned with in the IZOD IndyCar Series this season as his hard-charging driving skills helped move him back through the field and a fifth-place finish. Wilson posted the fastest lap of the race when he turned a 226.940 mph on lap 185 and was the highest finishing Honda engine.

“The No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car was fantastic today,” said Wilson. “Early on we were moving forward. We made adjustments on every pit stop until by the end of the race we had a great racecar. The guys gave me great pit stops, and we just kept working away at it to get a top-five. I have to thank Honda, Firestone, Boy Scouts of America, Sonny’s Bar-B-Q and everyone at Dale Coyne Racing. There is nothing quite like doing 225 mph around here.”

Ana Beatriz turned in another solid performance by completing all 200 laps. She gained 14 positions in the race, the most of any driver, to finish 15th in her fourth Indianapolis 500 race. The 28-year-old Brazilian posted the fourth-fastest lap of the race with a 224.988 mph.

“The No. 18 Ipiranga Honda was great all race,” said Beatriz. “It was the best car I have ever driven at Indianapolis. We lost a little on our pit stops today and our last one cost us finishing higher. The team did a great job all race and I am so happy with the results from today.”

Despite an extremely strong performance, Pippa Mann, who started 30th, was looking for an incident-free 200 laps, and to complete the full 500-mile race distance. However, Mann had to climb out of her car just 46 laps into the race when an on-track incident with Graham Rahal caused her to hit the wall. Mann had improved nine positions before the mishap.

“The No. 63 Cyclops Gear car felt great today, and I was really happy out there,” said Mann. “The car was really fast, and we were moving up through the field fairly nicely.”

“Under the yellow flag period, a couple of cars (Graham Rahal being one of them) blended in front of me when they shouldn’t have been there,” Mann said. “I was told to re-take my position, which I tried to do. I caught him a couple of laps later as he was moving around in front of me, and I made a rookie mistake in his dirty air and hit the wall. It’s a real pity that my day ended that way.”

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