Pigot Finishes 8th; Jordan King Has Best Result of Rookie Year

(ELKHART LAKE, Wis.) June 24, 2018 – Race Notes

– Back at the site of his first Verizon IndyCar Series Top 10 finish, Spencer Pigot earned another today at Road America with an 8th place result. After an issue-free weekend, Jordan King brought home a 12th place finish. The finishing positions are the highest for both Ed Carpenter Racing drivers to date this season.

– For the second road course race in a row, Pigot advanced to Round 2 of qualifications as the starting field was set for the KOHLER Grand Prix. In qualifying for his third race at Road America, Pigot earned himself the 10th starting position. His teammate, Indy car newcomer King, rolled off 13th in his first race at the four-mile road course.

– At the green flag, Will Power, who was starting second, appeared to lose all power. Cars stacked up trying to avoid him, including Pigot who lost five positions and fell to 15th. King, on the other hand, was able to avoid the melee and jumped up three spots.

– By Lap 3, Pigot had already made up all the positions he had lost. Though he was tasked with saving fuel, he was still able to complete a pass on Marco Andretti and move into the 9th position. In a reversal of fortunes, King got off line and lost all of the positions he gained on the start, falling to 15th. As Sebastien Bourdais pulled until the pit lane with an issue, the two ECR drivers moved up a position.

– The pair of 24-year-olds made their first pit stops on Lap 13, both choosing to complete their second stints on a set of Firestone’s sticker black Firehawks. Pigot came in while running 8th and elected for no other changes. King had made his way back to 13th, his original starting position, and also took a front wing adjustment during his pit stop.

– After the entire field had made their first stops, Pigot sat 10th while King was 15th. Pigot set his fastest lap of the race on Lap 17, moving back around Andretti into the 9th position. As Tony Kanaan stopped on Lap 18, Pigot regained the 8th position and stayed there for the remainder of the stint. Meanwhile, King worked his way back forward and climbed to 12th.

– Again the two made their next pit stops on the same lap, Lap 27, both choosing scuffed reds. While Pigot had a clean stop, the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet stalled on King when he went to exit his pit box. Pigot cycled into 9th, but King dropped to 18th. King persisted, again moving his way into 12th.

– For the final stint of the race, Pigot chose a set of scuffed reds while King went with his remaining set of sticker reds. Both came in on the same lap once again, Lap 41. Quick work by the No. 21 Direct Supply crew vaulted Pigot up to 7th. King retained the 12th spot after all cars completed their final stops.

– Coming to the checkered flag on the final lap, Simon Pagenaud took advantage of his sticker red tires to get past Pigot for the 7th position. Pigot finished 8th, his best finish at Road America and second Top 10 finish in four races. King was successful at hitting his fuel number throughout the final stint and still kept his 12th place position. Pigot’s 8th place and King’s 12th place are the best finishes for each so far this season.
King will hand the No. 20 back over to oval driver and team owner Ed Carpenter for the next race of the season, the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, July 8th. King will be back in the No. 20 for the Honda Indy Toronto the following weekend for the street course race on Sunday, July 15th. As full-time driver for ECR, Pigot will compete in both events. Additionally, Pigot will race in Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen next Sunday, July 1st in his role as an endurance driver for Mazda Team Joest.

JORDAN KING, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet, Finished 12th: “I had a good start, I made up quite a good chunk of places on Lap 1. I went off line and then was just at the wrong place at the wrong time so annoyingly I lost everything that I made up. The changes we made overnight did improve the car, it just took a little while for me to get used to. It took me most of the first stint to get used to it, but after that our pace was actually pretty good. Other than the stall, if I didn’t mess that up, I think we would have been up in that group that Spencer (Pigot) was in. Not too bad in the end but a couple of small things cost us quite a lot of time on the track.”

SPENCER PIGOT, No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet, Finished 8th: “We had a frustrating start, getting boxed it and not having anywhere to go when Will (Power) had his issue. We fell back quite a lot, but made up those positions and more throughout the first stint. The car was working really well for me! After that, we just tried to hit our fuel number and have clean stops, which we did. The Direct Supply crew did a great job for me! I would have like to have stayed seventh, but Simon (Pagenaud) had a good pass on me there at the end. Overall, it was a pretty solid weekend.”