2017 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix
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The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Corporation was the lone doubleheader event of the
2017 IndyCar Series The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 22nd season of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the 106th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 101st Indianapolis 500 won by Takuma Sato. Josef Newgarden, ...
season, consisting of the 7th and 8th rounds of the championship. The event was held at the Raceway at Belle Isle in
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
.
Graham Rahal Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
dominated the weekend, leading the most laps and winning both races.


Race 1 – Saturday, June 3


Qualifying

Qualifying for race one was held in the morning of June 3. Due to time constraints, the session consisted of only what would be round 1 of a normal IndyCar qualifying session. Initially, it appeared that
Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...
qualified first, but was ruled to have failed to slow for a yellow flag, resulting in his fastest time being disallowed. As such,
Graham Rahal Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
inherited the pole position with a new track-record time of 1:13.9681 at an average speed of 114.37 mph (184.07 km/h). Castroneves still started second, as his second fastest lap still put him the fastest of his group.
Takuma Sato , nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
, fresh off his
Indy 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...
victory, qualified third, with his teammate
Alexander Rossi Alexander Michael Rossi (born September 25, 1991) is an American professional racing driver and podcast host. He currently competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. Rossi is best known for winning ...
fourth.
James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...
rounded out the top five.


Race

The race was held later that afternoon. The start saw
Graham Rahal Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
hold the lead over
Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...
after the first turns. Behind them,
James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...
lost control of his car in turn 1 and spun, bringing out the race's first caution period. Hinchcliffe was able to avoid contact with anything during the incident and continue on in the race. Racing resumed on lap 5, with the running order remaining roughly the same. Around lap 10, drivers attempting to use a three-stop strategy during the race began to pit, including Castroneves,
Josef Newgarden Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series full-time for Team Penske. He is the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion and 2011 Indy Lights champion. Career Karting Newga ...
, and
Takuma Sato , nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
. Those attempting a two-stop strategy began their stops at roughly lap 20, including Rahal,
Alexander Rossi Alexander Michael Rossi (born September 25, 1991) is an American professional racing driver and podcast host. He currently competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. Rossi is best known for winning ...
, and
Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has won the IndyCar championship six times: in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 202 ...
. After the pit cycle was complete, Castroneves and Newgarden had inherited the first two spots, with Rahal on his two-stop strategy some six seconds adrift. On lap 25, caution flew for the second and final time when
Conor Daly Conor J. Daly (born December 15, 1991) is an American professional racing driver who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 50 Chevrolet Ca ...
's car lost power in turn 3 directly in front of
Charlie Kimball Charles Newton Kimball (born February 20, 1985) is an American race car driver currently competing in the IndyCar Series with A. J. Foyt Enterprises He has scored a win, six podiums, and 13 top 5s. His best season result was ninth in 2013 and 201 ...
, causing the two to make contact and causing damage to Kimball's to front wing. Kimball was able to continue on and get repairs to the damage, but Daly's car ground to a halt and was unable to be restarted, making him the race's only retirement. During the caution, Newgarden elected to make his second stop, the only front-runner to do so during the period. The top five became Castroneves, Rahal,
Takuma Sato , nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
, Rossi, and Hinchcliffe, who had finally managed to recover from his first lap spin. Racing resumed on lap 31 with the leaders staying in order. Five laps later, Castroneves pitted for the second time, moving Rahal back into the lead of the race. Sato pitted shortly thereafter, moving Rossi to second and Hinchcliffe to third. Those on two-stop strategies began to pit just after lap 45 for their final stops. After the cycle, Rahal held the lead over Castroneves, though Castroneves made his final stop shortly thereafter, moving
Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has won the IndyCar championship six times: in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 202 ...
into second place, while
James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...
held third. This order would stay the same for the remainder of the race, as Rahal crossed the line just over six seconds ahead of Dixon. Hinchcliffe managed to just stave off a hard charging
Josef Newgarden Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series full-time for Team Penske. He is the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion and 2011 Indy Lights champion. Career Karting Newga ...
, while
Alexander Rossi Alexander Michael Rossi (born September 25, 1991) is an American professional racing driver and podcast host. He currently competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. Rossi is best known for winning ...
held rounded out the top five. Rahal's victory made him the seventh driver in seven races to win during the
2017 IndyCar Series The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 22nd season of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the 106th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 101st Indianapolis 500 won by Takuma Sato. Josef Newgarden, ...
season. For Rahal, it was his fifth career victory and his first on a street circuit since his first win at
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 2008.


Results


Qualifying


Race

Notes: Points include 1 point for leading at least 1 lap during a race, an additional 2 points for leading the most race laps. For Detroit only, 1 bonus point was awarded to the fastest qualifier from both groups. Source for time gaps:


Championship standings

;Driver standings * Note: Only the top five positions are included.


Race 2 – Sunday, June 4


Qualifying

Qualifying for Race 2 was held the morning of June 4, with the same qualifying format as the previous day.
Takuma Sato , nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
broke the track record that
Graham Rahal Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
had set the previous day with a time of 1:13.6732, putting him on pole position. His
Andretti Autosport Andretti Autosport is an auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000, and Formula E. The team also has a 37.5% ownership stake in the Australian Supercars Championship touring car team, Walkinshaw Andretti ...
teammate
Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Christopher Hunter-Reay (born December 17, 1980) is a professional American racing driver best known as a winner of both the Indianapolis 500 (2014) and the IndyCar Series championship in 2012. In each accomplishment, Hunter-Reay became th ...
qualified second, while Rahal was third. The top five was rounded out by
Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...
and
James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...
. The first group lost a significant amount of their session after Carlos Muñoz crashed into the turn 2 wall.


Race

The race was held later that afternoon. At the start,
Takuma Sato , nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
held the lead, with the top five starters remaining in order. Unlike the previous day, the field made it through the first two corners without incident. The leaders stayed mainly the same for the first 10 laps, though
James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...
elected to pit on lap 6. However, he was hit deemed to have been too fast on pit-lane and was hit with a drive-through penalty, beginning what was a bad day for the team. On lap 10,
Graham Rahal Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
managed to pass
Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Christopher Hunter-Reay (born December 17, 1980) is a professional American racing driver best known as a winner of both the Indianapolis 500 (2014) and the IndyCar Series championship in 2012. In each accomplishment, Hunter-Reay became th ...
, moving him up to second. Around the same time, those attempting a three-stop strategy for the race began pitting, including
Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has won the IndyCar championship six times: in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 202 ...
and
Josef Newgarden Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series full-time for Team Penske. He is the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion and 2011 Indy Lights champion. Career Karting Newga ...
. Dixon, however, lost a large amount of time due to a fueling issue, dropping him down to 18th.
Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...
and Hunter-Reay were both forced onto the three-stop strategy after the two made contact when Castroneves attempted a pass, resulting in Castroneves having a tire go flat and Hunter-Reay suffering front wing damage. They emerged from their stops 18th and 19th respectively. After this, the front runners were Sato, Rahal, and
Will Power William "Will" Steven Power (born 1 March 1981) is an Australian motorsports driver who currently competes in the IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske. He is the 2014 and 2022 IndyCar Series champion and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion. ...
, who had greatly benefited from the Castroneves/Hunter-Reay incident. At lap 22, stops for those going for a two-stop strategy began, as Sato, Rahal, Power,
Simon Pagenaud Simon Pagenaud (born 18 May 1984) is a French professional racing driver. He is contracted to drive the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the IndyCar Series. After a successful career in sports car racing that saw him taking the top class ...
, and
Alexander Rossi Alexander Michael Rossi (born September 25, 1991) is an American professional racing driver and podcast host. He currently competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. Rossi is best known for winning ...
all pitted within about 3 laps of this. The stops allowed Rahal to overtake Sato by a margin of 4 seconds, while Dixon managed to move into third, though needed two more stops. The race lead, however, was held by
Josef Newgarden Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series full-time for Team Penske. He is the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion and 2011 Indy Lights champion. Career Karting Newga ...
on his three-stop strategy, who was actually gaining time on Rahal. However, on lap 29, he, along with Dixon, pitted for the second time, moving Rahal into the lead of the race. Newgarden emerged fifth, while Dixon emerged 10th. The running order was now Rahal, Sato, Power, Pagenaud. On lap 35, a minor incident occurred when J. R. Hildebrand and Ed Jones made contact, damaging their cars, though no caution came out. At roughly lap 45, the final stops for nearly everyone began, with Rahal maintaining his position. Power was able to move around Sato, but his teammate Newgarden's three-stop strategy had worked well and moved him past Power for second. Newgarden then began trying to catch Rahal. On lap 66, with the race in its closing laps, caution waved when
James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...
came to a halt in turn 2. At the same time,
Spencer Pigot Spencer James Pigot (born September 29, 1993) is an American racing driver who currently drives in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Personal life Pigot was born in Los Angeles and raised Pasadena, California, and Orlando where he graduated from ...
's engine let go, bringing an end to his race as well. IndyCar officials elected to red flag the race for clean-up to allow for a green flag finish. Racing was resumed with 2 laps to go, but despite the field being bunched up, the top five did not change.
Graham Rahal Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
completed his domination of the weekend, winning by just over a second over
Josef Newgarden Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series full-time for Team Penske. He is the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion and 2011 Indy Lights champion. Career Karting Newga ...
. In doing so, Rahal became the first driver to sweep the doubleheader weekend at Detroit. It also marked the first time in his career that Rahal won consecutive races. Finally, Rahal became the first driver during the
2017 IndyCar Series The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 22nd season of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the 106th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 101st Indianapolis 500 won by Takuma Sato. Josef Newgarden, ...
season to win a second race.
Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has won the IndyCar championship six times: in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 202 ...
moved into the points lead after a strong finish in both races, while
Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...
dropped to second. Rahal's dominant weekend moved him into sixth.


Results


Qualifying


Race

Notes: Points include 1 point for leading at least 1 lap during a race, an additional 2 points for leading the most race laps. For Detroit only, 1 bonus point was awarded to the fastest qualifier from both groups. Source for time gaps:


Championship standings

;Driver standings ;Manufacturer standings * Note: Only the top five positions are included.


References

{{IndyCar Series race report , Name_of_race =
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix The Detroit Grand Prix (currently branded as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Corporation for sponsorship reasons) is an IndyCar Series race weekend held on a temporary circuit in Detroit, Michigan. The race has been held from ...
, Year_of_race = 2017 , Previous_race_in_season = 2017 Indianapolis 500 , Next_race_in_season =
2017 Rainguard Water Sealers 600 The 2017 Rainguard Water Sealers 600 was the ninth round of the 2017 IndyCar Series season, contested over 248 laps at the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Charlie Kimball started from the pole position, the first ...
, Previous_year's_race = 2016 Chevrolet Dual in Detroit , Next_year's_race = 2018 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix The Detroit Grand Prix (currently branded as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Corporation for sponsorship reasons) is an IndyCar Series race weekend held on a temporary circuit in Detroit, Michigan. The race has been held from ...
2017 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit Indy Grand Prix
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix The Detroit Grand Prix (currently branded as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Corporation for sponsorship reasons) is an IndyCar Series race weekend held on a temporary circuit in Detroit, Michigan. The race has been held from ...
2017 in Detroit