With his win at the first race of the Dual in Detroit doubleheader, Graham Rahal becomes the seventh different winner in as many IndyCar races this season.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal took the checkered flag for the first race of the Dual in Detroit doubleheader at Belle Isle Park on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan by 6.1474 seconds over Scott Dixon. James Hinchcliffe recovered from a first-lap spin to finish behind Dixon in 3rd.
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Rahal became the seventh different winner in as many IndyCar races this season. He delivered Honda its fourth victory of the season and third in three street course races. The win was the fifth of Rahal’s IndyCar career and the fourth since 2015.
Honda drivers took the top 3, five of the top 6, seven of the top 9, and 10 of the top 13 spots of the race. Josef Newgarden was the highest finishing Chevrolet driver of the race in 4th place, and Spencer Pigot was the highest finishing non-Team Penske Chevrolet driver in 10th.
After starting the race from the pole position, the first time he has done so since 2009, Rahal was able to capture his first victory since he won at Texas last season. Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato finished in 8th place, and the series lone full-time rookie Ed Jones finished in 9th. In his first career IndyCar race, Esteban Gutierrez finished in 19th.
Other Notable Statistics
The race featured a total of six lead changes among five different drivers. Graham Rahal led the most laps, leading 55 of the race’s 70.
The race featured two caution flag periods for a total of six laps. The first caution flag came out on lap 1 when James Hinchcliffe spun in turn 2 at the start of the race. The second caution flag came out on lap 26 when Conor Daly had a mechanical issue and Charlie Kimball spun going into turn 6.
See full race results from the seventh race of the 2017 season at IndyCar.com.
Next Race
The second Dual in Detroit race’s qualification session begins tomorrow at 10:45 AM ET. That race starts at 3:45 PM ET tomorrow and can also be seen live on ABC starting at 3:30 PM ET.
Next: Looking Back at the Past Five Seasons of Belle Isle Races
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