Simon Pagenaud completed his third consecutive race victory and his second Grand Prix of Indy triumph in three years to extend his Verizon IndyCar Series championship lead over Scott Dixon to 76 points.
The Team Penske driver is in the form of his life, having finished inside the top two in all five races so far in 2016, and admitted post-race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that his #22 Menards-sponsored car was fantastic to drive.
Pagenaud also praised his team for their efforts during the pit stops that enabled him to stay ahead of a very competitive chasing pack.
“The car was fantastic once again,” revealed Pagenaud. “The balance was perfect all race. When we were in the lead, we were cruising, doing what we could to save the tires. But the car was just fantastic to drive.
“Charlie (Kimball) had a really good pit stop on the first one. I managed to get him on the outside on Turn 7. It was very difficult on cold tires so you could really make some ground on the pit sequence.
“After the first one I realized it was something to do with it. I let Kyle (Moyer) know. He already knew but that’s what we did the next two pit stops. We did the opposite and it worked. Thanks to my guys. Obviously, we had great last pit stops, too.
“Drove like a rally car into pit lane and that was it. What a day. Three races! It’s incredible to win three in a row like this and here in Indy for me, it’s very special. I lived here for nine years so this place is very special in my heart.”
