2008 Detroit Indy Grand Prix

The 2008 Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone was an IndyCar Series race that was held on August 31, 2008 on the Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. It was the sixteenth race of the 2008 IndyCar Series season. Originally scheduled to run over 90 laps, it was shortened to 87 laps due to 2-hour limit. The race was won by Justin Wilson for the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team. Hélio Castroneves finished second, and Tony Kanaan clinched third.[2] Wilson dedicated his win to actor Paul Newman, the ailing joint-owner of his team;[3] Newman died less than a month later.[4]

United States 2008 Detroit Indy Grand Prix
Race details
16th round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season
DateAugust 31, 2008
Official nameDetroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone
LocationDetroit, Michigan
CourseTemporary street circuit
2.07 mi / 3.33 km
Distance87 laps
180.09 mi / 289.82 km
Scheduled Distance90 laps
186.30 mi / 299.82 km
WeatherTemperatures reaching up to 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 10.2 miles per hour (16.4 km/h)[1]
Pole position
DriverScott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Time1:12.2861
Podium
FirstJustin Wilson (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing)
SecondHélio Castroneves (Team Penske)
ThirdTony Kanaan (Andretti Green Racing)

Scott Dixon claimed pole position for the race, and led through the first lap. Dixon and Castroneves, who had qualified second, pulled away from the pack, until the seventeenth lap, when a full-track caution was issued after an incident between Dan Wheldon and Jamie Camara. Dixon pitted under the yellow, but did so alone, granting the lead to Castroneves.[5] The Brazilian led the race until lap 72, other than a single lap during which Oriol Servià was leading during pit stops.[2] Late in the race, Wilson was challenging for the lead, and Castroneves was judged to have blocked the other driver, resulting in a penalty which allowed Wilson to take the lead. Despite a late push by Castroneves to pass Wilson, the rookie British driver maintained his position to claim victory.[6]

There were four cautions, totalling 11 laps during the race. It was Wilson's first career IndyCar win. Of the 25 drivers that started, 18 completed the race, three retired after contact, one retired with handling problems and three retired due to mechanical issues.[2]

Classification

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Race results

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Pos No. Driver Team Chassis/Engine/Tires Laps Time/Retired Grid Laps Led Points1
1 02 Justin Wilson (R) Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 2:00:10.7618 4 15 50
2 3 Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +4.4058 2 53 43
3 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +17.6815 8 0 35
4 5 Oriol Servià KV Racing Technology Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +26.5468 3 1 32
5 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +27.7185 1 18 30
6 17 Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +28.2688 7 0 28
7 18 Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +28.6815 24 0 26
8 8 Will Power (R) KV Racing Technology Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +28.6815 12 0 24
9 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +35.5244 5 0 22
10 2 A. J. Foyt IV Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +38.1040 17 0 20
11 27 Hideki Mutoh (R) Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +38.3811 16 0 19
12 14 Darren Manning A. J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +44.6662 15 0 18
13 06 Graham Rahal (R) Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +47.8028 6 0 17
14 20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 +1:01.2771 20 0 16
15 19 Mario Moraes Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 86 +1 Lap 19 0 15
16 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 86 +1 Lap 10 0 14
17 4 Vítor Meira Panther Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 83 +4 Laps 14 0 13
18 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 81 Mechanical 13 0 12
19 15 Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 76 Mechanical 18 0 12
20 10 Dan Wheldon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 64 Contact 11 0 12
21 12 Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 56 +31 Laps 26 0 12
22 36 Alex Tagliani Conquest Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 54 Mechanical 21 0 12
23 23 Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 46 Mechanical 23 0 12
24 33 E. J. Viso HVM Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 32 Contact 9 0 12
25 34 Jaime Camara (R) Conquest Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 16 Contact 22 0 10
26 25 Marty Roth Roth Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 0 DNS 25 0 5

Source: Racing-Reference[2]

Standings after the race

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Drivers' Championship
Pos Driver Points
1 Scott Dixon 606
2 Helio Castroneves 576
3 Tony Kanaan 481
4 Dan Wheldon 464
5 Ryan Briscoe 412
Source: Racing-Reference[2]

References

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  1. ^ "2008 Detroit Indy Grand Prix weather information". Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  2. ^ a b c d e "2008 Detroit Indy Grand Prix Presented by Firestone". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Householder, Mike (September 1, 2008). "Rookie Justin Wilson wins Detroit Indy Grand Prix". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  4. ^ "Film star Paul Newman dead at 83". Reuters. September 27, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  5. ^ Abuelsamid, Sam (September 1, 2008). "Detroit Grand Prix 2008: The IndyCars take to the track". Autoblog. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Horsley, Carlie (September 1, 2008). "IndyCar: Maiden win for Wilson". SkySports. Retrieved June 9, 2012.


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