LEXINGTON, Ohio — Ryan Briscoe never doubted The Captain’s call.
That’s team Penske boss Roger Penske, who came up with a surprising strategy Sunday that Briscoe turned into his second IndyCar Series victory.
“Roger, with his experience, he always finds a way to pit at the right time and get you back up to the front,” said Briscoe, who drove sports cars for Penske last year before moving to the IndyCar team this season. “Today was a perfect case of that. Once we got back up there, we had the pace to run fast and pull away. It was just perfect.”
Penske, the winningest team owner in open-wheel history, made the call to put Briscoe out of sequence with the other contenders.
In the end, the team wound up with a 1-2 sweep in the Honda Indy 200 as Helio Castroneves followed Briscoe across the finish line.
“Team Penske was just awesome,” Briscoe said. “We ran into a bit of trouble early on and there was a chance we stayed on a bit too long there. That was all Roger, that was his strategy.”
Footnotes.
Tony Bartone raced to his first NHRA victory in funny car at the Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals in Kent, Wash., after more than six years of professional racing.
Tony Schumacher (top fuel) and Jason Line (pro stock) won their respective categories.
• McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim for his fourth Formula One victory this year and sole possession of first place in the standings.
The Associated Press
