Toby Sowery Finishes Seventeenth in Portland
Portland, Oregon (Sunday, August 25, 2024) – Dale Coyne Racing’s Toby Sowery (No. 51 Vuzix/Quantilus Honda) put in another strong performance on Sunday to take the checkered flag in 17th. His teammate Jack Harvey (No. 18 INVST Honda) moved up three positions from his starting place to finish 24th.
Toby Sowery, #51 Vuzix/Quantilus, Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
Started: 19th
Finished: 17th
• Sowery moved up a couple of positions at the start of the 110-lap race to take over 17th.
• He maintained that position for most of his first stint, and then moved up the field as others ahead of him pitted.
• The driver of the No. 51 Honda made his first stop on Lap 29 for fuel and to switch from alternate to primary tires.
• Sowery battled with Kyle Kirkwood on Lap 52 to take over 13th.
• He then made it as high as ninth before making his second stop on Lap 58.
• With cars on alternate pit strategies, Sowery was running eighth when he entered pit lane on Lap 85 for his last pit stop.
• He returned to the track in 18th.
• The rookie gained one more position before taking the checkered flag in 17th place.
Post Race Quote
“We managed to finish 17th, which is a progression forward in the race, and that’s always the goal. There were a few little bits here and there that I could have done better to maybe get another position but all in all I think we maximized everything very well. The team did a great strategy, great tire choice and we had a good car all weekend. We made a step forward in every session, I’m super happy and thrilled with that. My hands are a bit sore but that’s a testament to all the hard work from everyone. I’m just super pumped that we came home 17th.”
Jack Harvey, #18 INVST, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Started: 27th
Finished: 24th
• After moving up a spot at the start of the race, Harvey took advantage of the one and only caution period at the beginning of the race to pit for fuel on Lap 2.
• He returned to the track in 26th and gained another position on the restart on Lap 6.
• The driver of the No. 18 INVST car pit once again on Lap 32 for fuel and for a set of the alternate Firestone tire.
• He made his second stop on Lap 60 after running as high as 12th during the pit cycle.
• Harvey entered pit lane on Lap 81 for his final stop and returned to the action in 25th.
• He made up one more position before the end of the 110-lap event to finish 24th.
Post Race Quote
“It was a pretty physical race. It was the first road course back following my back and neck issues and I definitely felt like I struggled a little bit in the second half of the race. Just a little bit of strength. It’s been hard to build that back in my training in such a short period of time. In regard to our race, I think our pace on the new red tires was okay but on the blacks and used reds we suffered quite a lot so that didn’t help us in moving forward. At the end of the day, I’m happy we were finally able to finish a race without any issues.”
Next up: The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 races August 31 and September 1, 2024.
