Hard-luck kid
Ryan Hunter-ReayIf there was bad luck to be had on track in 2016, odds were that Ryan Hunter-Reay was somewhere in the vicinity. The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion showed winning form on many race weekends, only to see the racing gods decide it wasn ' t his day.
Take the 100th Indianapolis 500, where Hunter-Reay looked to be a favorite in the historic race and led almost half of the first 117 laps before his teammate, Townsend Bell, ran into him in the pit lane and ruined his day. In August, the No. 28 DHL Honda driver drove through the field in the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway but went home empty-handed again after his engine mysteriously lost power as he led with 36 laps to go. Although the engine woes put him a lap down late in the race, Hunter-
Reay got back on the lead lap and climbed through the field to third by the checkered flag.
“ This is the type of year it’ s been for us,” he said after the Pocono race.“ Really heartbreaking. The No. 28 DHL Honda really deserved to be in contention for the win there at the end. I had to come through the field twice. The car was a rocket ship. It’ s a shame.”
Rookie shines on brightest stage
When a rookie wins the biggest race of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season, there ' s no reason to look any further for the best performance by a first-year driver, but there was much more than that to Alexander Rossi’ s victory. In one of the biggest surprises of the year, No. 98 NAPA Auto Parts / Curb Honda driver out dueled experienced racers and put in an jaw-dropping fuel-