Ryan Hunter-Reay used a late charge through the field to win the Iowa Corn IndyCar Series race Saturday, denying Tony Kanaan his first victory of 2014.
American Hunter-Reay benefited from a late-race pit stop which he used to change tires, allowing him to grab the lead in the final two laps around the Iowa Speedway track.
"That was really great. That was fun. Man, that was like a video game at the end," said Hunter-Reay of the win which gave Andretti Autosport its fifth straight win at the speedway.
Brazil's Kanaan, from Chip Ganassi Racing, dominated this race by leading 247 of 300 laps.
Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden pitted during the last caution, brought out for an accident involving Juan Pablo Montoya, with 20 laps remaining.
Hunter-Reay ran in the 12th spot for the final restart with 10 laps left, but quickly charged through the field and then passed Kanaan for the lead with two laps to go.
"That was crazy," Hunter-Reay said. "Our tires were shot before that. We went for it."
Hunter-Reay, the 2012 IndyCar champion, scored his series-high third win of the season and the 14th of his career.
His most recent victory came in the May 25 Indianapolis 500. It's the second time Hunter-Reay has won at Iowa, with his first taking place during his championship season two years ago.
Newgarden followed Hunter-Reay through the field during the final 10 laps and went on to finish a career-best second. Newgarden started this race 21st in the 22-car field.
"We had good pit stops and we had such good strategy at the end there. We made it when it counted the most," Newgarden said.
Kanaan attempted to win his first race since the 2013 Indy 500, as well as give Chip Ganassi Racing its first victory of this season.
He wound up finishing third, while his teammate Scott Dixon took the fourth spot.
Source: AFP