2012 Trackside - IZOD IndyCar Series Media Site - IndyCar.com

Ryan Hunter-Reay now has an IndyCar championship before any of the Team Penske drivers. The former
vagabond who was always the American earmarked with so much potential is now in rarified air.
Put simply, the last two races for him and the Andretti Autosport team have been the definition of clutch.
Backs up against the wall after Sonoma, RHR and crew adopted a “nothing to lose, we're not out of it”
attitude and thrived. Team principal Michael Andretti made the inspired call to stay on slicks at
Baltimore, netting RHR the key track position, and his second-to-last restart jumping Ryan Briscoe was a
well-timed move.
In Fontana, despite fighting an ill-handling car throughout the week, and after already crashing in testing
on Wednesday, the team stuck to the “never give up” mantra and with a revised race setup, hung on in the
early stages before the track got dark. Hunter-Reay again came to life on the second-to-last restart,
passing cars once he was in a position to secure the championship.
Either champion would have been worthy, but Hunter-Reay's title is well deserved. Will Power's class,
too, was as impressive as Hunter-Reay's drive. The sportsmanship he displayed in defeat was a fitting end
to a great race.
Tony DiZinno, RACER.com
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Will Power called Ryan Hunter-Reay a deserving IndyCar champion. The words were as true as they
were sincere.
Hunter-Reay capped a dramatic comeback Saturday night by finishing fourth at Auto Club Speedway in
the season's final race. It was a drive worthy of a championship.
Hunter-Reay crashed his ill-handling car during a Friday practice, then nearly got lapped early in
Saturday's 500-mile race by JR Hildebrand. Hunter-Reay even needed the help he got from an unlikely
opponent to have a chance at his first series title.
Somehow, he made it happen.
Curt Cavin, Indianapolis Star
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