By all assessments, the GMR Grand Prix weekend was a tough one for the #14 ROKit Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt’s team but after Saturday’s race, A.J. said, “At least we were able to roll them into the garage.” Sebastien Bourdais started 20th and found himself mired back by the time he got through the chaos as the field funneled into Turn 1. A couple cars came together towards the front of the group which sent everyone in the back scurrying looking for holes. For Bourdais, it may have felt like déjà vu but, unlike the XPEL 375 in Texas where he and teammate Dalton Kellett were eliminated in a seven-car melee before they reached the starting line, Bourdais managed to avoid getting hit. This incident turned out to be the only caution period of the race which went non-stop for the remaining 82 laps of the 85-lapper once the green flag flew again. Bourdais pitted early—on lap 10—to switch from the primary black tires to the red alternates. The team made three fuel stops with stints being about 20 to 25 laps each and when the checkered flag flew after 85 laps, Bourdais was 19th.
“Disappointing weekend for the 14 ROKiT Chevrolet with A.J. Foyt Racing. Obviously, we didn’t have the qualifying that we wanted. Started twentieth, on top of it, got bottled up at the start, picked the outside and that’s where all the chaos ended up so lost a bunch of positions. Pace wasn’t great but it wasn’t really bad during the race. Then at the end we were fighting for 15, 16, 17 something around there and made a small mistake coming out of the pits, crossed the exit line (prematurely) and got a drive-through (penalty) for it. That put us right back where we started pretty much, finished 19th. So onwards and upwards and hopefully we got that out of the way and can get a better day for the 500.”