WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., Sunday, July 6, 2008 – Ryan Hunter-Reay claimed his first IndyCar Series victory, winning the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen by 2.4009 seconds over Darren Manning.
In a race where favorites Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske looked like the drivers to beat, the underdogs from Rahal Letterman Racing and A.J. Foyt Racing prevailed.
Hunter-Reay, driving the No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Ethanol entry, passed Manning’s No. 14 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing car on Lap 52 and led the final nine laps.
Manning, who pitted on Lap 39, inherited the lead on Lap 42 when Briscoe and Dixon went to pit lane for their final stops. Briscoe, who led a race-high 37 laps, came out of the pits just behind Dixon, a three-time winner at Watkins Glen. Hunter-Reay was in fourth.
Hunter-Reay’s opportunity came on Lap 49 when Dixon spun while warming his tires under caution. Briscoe made contact with Dixon and both cars stalled in Turn 10. Hunter-Reay narrowly missed the mayhem and moved up to second place. Three laps later he drove inside Manning in Turn 1 and passed for the lead.
The victory was the first for Rahal Letterman Racing since 2004. Manning’s second-place finish was his team’s best since Airton Dare won at Kansas in 2002.
Tony Kanaan finished third, recovering from a crash during the morning warm-up, and Buddy Rice was fourth. Marco Andretti was fifth, and Dale Coyne Racing teammates Bruno Junqueira and Mario Moraes were sixth and seventh, respectively.
Dixon finished 11th, retaining the IndyCar Series points lead over Helio Castroneves, who finished 16th. Briscoe finished 12th.
From Indy Racing League
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