Indycar GP of Long Beach 2017

James Hinchcliffe won the Long Beach Grand Prix, officially completing his comeback from the awful crash at Indianapolis in 2015 that almost took his life.  It was the fifth win of his Indycar career and his first win since April 2015 at the GP of Louisiana.    On the other side of the spectrum, it was one of the worst races in recent memory for the Andretti Autosport team as all four of it's drivers dropped out of the race with mechanical failures.  Most heartbreaking was Ryan Hunter Reay who was in running in second with just 6 laps to go when his car quit.  The Andretti drivers finished 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th.

POLESITTER:  Helio Castroneves - His 3rd consecutive pole at Long Beach.

Top Ten

1. James Hinchcliffe: His 5th career win!
2. Sebastien Bourdais:  Leading the season points after a 1st & 2nd in the first two races of the season.
3. Josef Newgarden: His first podium driving for Roger Penske.

4. Scott Dixon: An early change in pit strategy cost him a chance at the win. 

5. Simon Pagenaud:  A great finish after starting last & suffering a flat tire early in the race.
6. Ed Jones:  The best start for an Indycar rookie since Nigel Mansell in 1993.
7. Carlos Munoz:  A strong finish in his second drive for A. J. Foyt
8. Spencer Pigot:  Ran in the Top Ten run all day after started back in 19th.
9. Helio Castroneves:  Had the fastest lap of the race at 104.542 mph
10.  Graham Rahal:  His best finish at Long Beach since 2013.

Different Teams: 7 (Schmidt Peterson, Dale Coyne Racing, Penske, Ganassi, A.J. Foyt Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan)

Different Countries: 7 (Canada, France (2), USA (3), New Zealand,  United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Brazil)

FUN FACTS

 Average Speed:  90.845 mph

 Time: 1 hour 50 Minutes 29 Seconds

3 Cautions for 11 Laps

Lead Changes: 6 among 3 drivers (Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter Reay, James Hinchcliffe)

Best Lap: 104.542 by Helio Castroneves