Aleshin shines:
on lap 176, he exited the pits in first place as Hunter-Reay got back on the lead lap with one last chance. He ran out of laps after weaving his way back to third.
Aleshin tried to challenge one final time, but Power pulled away over the final 20 laps.
Other things to know about the IndyCar race at Pocono on Monday:
Aleshin was fastest in first practice on Saturday, fastest with the pole on the line and very fast on Monday. Just not quite fast enough.
Still, that his career-best IndyCar finish came on an oval served notice that his No. 7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda is becoming a force to be reckoned with.
“It could be greater if I could be standing on the top of the podium,” said Aleshin, who led a race-high 87 laps and has led 130 circuits the last two races. “I just wanted this win so bad.”
Hunter-Reay, who started last because of a crash in practice that prevented him from qualifying, was poised to win at Pocono for the second straight year and get the chance to celebrate that he didn’t last year because of the crash that killed Wilson.
Leading on a late restart, his engine stalled going into the first turn with an electrical problem, and before he could refire, the engine fell a lap down. A debris caution allowed him to regain the lost lap and he surged to a podium finish.
Bad luck: