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Iowa Corn Indy 250 Ends Early for Barracuda Racing

Topics: Alex Tagliani, Iowa Corn Indy 250

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Ends Early for Barracuda Racing

Monica Hilton
Bryan Herta Autosport
June 23, 2013

Newton, IA – Contact with the wall in turn two ended the day early for Alex Tagliani and his Barracuda Racing crew for a 24th place finish on Sunday afternoon at Iowa Speedway.

The team started the race with a ninth place spot on the starting grid, after earning a third place finish during Saturday night’s heat race qualifying format.

Tagliani fought hard to maintain a solid position during the first quarter of the 250-lap race. He advanced three spots during the second restart.

Unfortunately, the Canadian driver encountered some pressure on the tight, 7/8-mile oval. On lap 137, he attempted to pass another driver on the outside and moved up just enough to make slight contact with the wall in turn two.

“We were fighting really hard,” said Tagliani. “It would’ve been nice to have a solid top ten finish.

“I got caught on the high side when I tried to pass Dario [Franchitti]. I touched the marbles – my mistake. I’m sorry to the Barracuda Racing guys who have been working so hard. I got caught in the grey. I pushed up and just tagged the wall.”

The Barracuda Racing team fixed the bent toe link, changed the rear wing and sent the No. 98 car back out on lap 149. When it didn’t handle as expected, the team determined that the damage was more than just cosmetic and brought it back to the garage.

In two weeks, the IZOD IndyCar Series heads to Pennsylvania for the Pocono IndyCar 400. The 160-lap race on the “tricky triangle” will take place on Sunday, July 7 at 12 p.m. ET. The open-wheel action will be broadcast live on ABC.