HPD Trackside - GP of Indianapolis Race Report

James Hinchcliffe continued his rise in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Saturday at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, taking his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda to a third-place finish for his first podium result of the season.

Starting third, Hinchcliffe remained in the thick of the lead group throughout today’s 82-lap contest, running as high as second and never lower than fourth. After passing fellow Honda driver Conor Daly for third place on Lap 70, Hinchcliffe closed on leaders Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves for the final 12 tours, but was unable to complete a pass prior to the checkers. In the last three races, the Canadian driver has finished eighth, sixth and third, respectively, and has climbed to eighth in the drivers’ championship.

After qualifying third on Friday, Graham Rahal was moved to the rear of the field when his car was found to be underweight in post-qualifying technical inspection. Starting 24th, Rahal worked his way forward throughout the race, breaking into the top 10 after just 26 laps, and into fifth by Lap 50. His eventual fourth-place finish also moved him up in the drivers’ championship, to fifth.