,
The top five remained the same, Pagenaud leading the field down to the green flag. Kanaan would make a bonsai pass of both Dixon and Pagenaud going into Turn 1 a couple laps later, sending the crowd into a roar of approval.
Josef Newgarden had a steady day, running around the Top 10, though having trouble moving much past his 9th starting spot. In fact 9th is where Josef would eventually finish, a solid, steady run for the young American. Much of his background is in road racing (including a year in GP3 in Europe), but with the tutelage of oval master and team owner Ed Carpenter, it is only a matter of time before Josef begins to threaten on ovals.
Pagenaud lead coming out of the third round of pitstops on Lap 102, just past the halfway mark. The top 5 were now Pagenaud, Kanaan, Power, Montoya, and Dixon. That’s right, JPM was all the way up to 4th and was looking FAST.
The next yellow would fly on Lap 114, when Oriol Servia (32) would close the door on Ed Carpenter, putting them both into the Turn 1 wall. Servia is driving a one-off car, a tribute to the 1911 winning Marmon Wasp. One of his team owners is none other than David Letterman, who was paid tribute to on the sidepod of the car, especially appropriate considering Letterman retired earlier in the week.
Carpenter was displeased with Servia’s move. In his interview, Carpenter said he knew Servia was blocking and went for the pass anyway. It was a bold, but ultimately flawed move, capping off a disappointing month for Carpenter.
The field once again bunched up under the yellow and another round of pitstops ensued. Penske once again showed their skill and were able to move Power up three positions on pit road. As they came to the next restart, the order was Pagenaud, Power, Dixon, Montoya, and Castroneves. All four Penskes had a shot at the lead.
