Two Top Ten Finishes for SPM at Pocono |
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Topics: James Jakes, Ryan Briscoe, ABC Supply 500
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Monica Hilton
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
August 23, 2015
For more information contact:
Monica Hilton
monicah@spmindycar.com
608.669.3211
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Long Pond, PA - August 23, 2015 - Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) drivers Ryan Briscoe and James Jakes both earned top-ten finishes in Sunday's ABC Supply Co. Inc. 500 at Pocono Raceway. Briscoe finished eighth and Jakes finished tenth.
Briscoe, who started 18th, endured a hard-fought race of attrition. He gained seven spots in the first 20 laps of the 200-lap race and moved into the top ten by the mid-way point. The Australian driver even cinched the lead on lap 165.
As the race end drew closer, Briscoe made a pit stop with the leaders but needed tires and fuel, while some of his competitors only topped off their tanks. He dropped back to eighth, where he would remain when the checkered flag fell.
"It was a really long race," said Briscoe. "The No. 5 Arrow Electronics car was pretty good, we just never had quite enough to really get all the way to the front. We had a solid top-ten run and sometimes up to top five but it was just a hard battle all day long. We fought hard and I would've liked more but it's good to bring the car home in one piece. Overall it was a good day and right now my thoughts are with Justin Wilson. We're wishing him the best."
Teammate Jakes started 15th and struggled a bit with understeer through the first stint, but after the initial pit stop and tire pressure adjustment, he was able to keep pace and begin advancing through the field.
During a pit stop on lap 85, the No. 7 crew picked up ten spots and moved Jakes into the seventh-place spot.
Just past the half-way point of the race, the British driver was running eleventh and made contact with the No. 20 car after Ed Carpenter checked up. Jakes received an "unavoidable contact" penalty and came in to the pits to change the front wing. Multiple yellow flags in the remainder of the race helped Jakes save fuel and drive back into the top ten.
"It was a fairly good day for the No. 7 MediaTech Oculus Honda," said Jakes. "The car was a lot better off than where we started all weekend we made some good gains. We put ourselves in a good position but got involved in an incident with Ed [Carpenter] halfway through the race. We had to change the front wing, which hampered us a little bit but we still managed to get back to the top ten.
"It's a shame we couldn't get a little bit more but we still earned some points. I'm looking forward to getting back out in Sonoma and keep moving up in the championship points."
Later this week, the Verizon IndyCar Series heads to Sonoma, California for the 2015 season finale. The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma will take place on Sunday, August 30 at Sonoma Raceway. The 85-lap race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network from 4-7 p.m. ET and tickets are available at RaceSonoma.com.
About Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) was established in 2001 and is owned by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt and Canadian businessman Ric Peterson. Schmidt was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after an accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. SPM fields cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires. SPM is the most successful team in Indy Lights Series history with sixty-five race wins and seven championships. In addition, SPM won the coveted Indy 500 pole position in 2011, and has won five Verizon IndyCar Series races between 2013 and 2015.
About Conquer Paralysis Now:
Conquer Paralysis Now is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to cure paralysis, formerly known as the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. The organization is leading the charge for a cure through funding scientific research, medical treatment and technological advances benefiting those paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, stroke or diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's or in other ways. For more information, visit conquerparalysisnow.org .