INDYCAR: Chaotic first lap at Laguna Seca leaves Kyffin Simpson last, in the wall
by William Soquet / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: IndyCar.com
Kyffin Simpson finished last for the third time in his NTT IndyCar Series career in Sunday’s Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when his #8 Journie Rewards Honda crashed without completing any of the race’s 95 laps.
The finish came in Simpson’s 31st series start and was his first since the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix, nine races ago. Across IndyCar Series history, it was the 15th for the #8, the 126th for Honda, and the 242nd for damage-related reasons.
The month of May did not treat Simpson well on the whole. After his last-place finish in the Grand Prix, he suffered a scary blowover crash on Fast Friday. Despite that, his team completed repairs admirably and the car qualified 13th the following day, just missing the Fast Twelve cut in Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Unfortunately, the bad luck kept coming, as he was involved in a crash before halfway and finished 25th in the race.
The month of June was better – he exploded with a fifth-place finish at Detroit, his first career Top Five in IndyCar. He was 15th at Gateway but made more noise with a sixth-place finish in a wild Road America race. Simpson kept the momentum going into July, notching another Top Ten at Mid-Ohio – his third such finish in four races.
After a pair of finishes in the teens at the Iowa doubleheader, Toronto was the real breakout moment for Simpson. In an eventful race similar to Detroit and Road America, Simpson rose all the way to third place, securing his first career podium. The driver who was called out by many for just being a pay driver ahead of his rookie season mounted the podium midway through his sophomore season – a huge sign of progress in the 21-year-old’s career.
First practice at Laguna Seca was an adequate one for Simpson – he placed 13th, well ahead of the 23rd he finished at the track last year. Alexander Rossi was the bottom driver on the charts after a crash shortened his session. Second practice was cancelled due to fog, sending the field straight into qualifying. Simpson was seventh in Group 2, four-hundredths of a second from transferring to the second round of qualifying. Devlin DeFrancesco was last in the group and secured the 27th and final starting spot on the grid.
When the green flag flew, DeFrancesco was already 3.3 seconds in arrears to polesitter Alex Palou. He remained alone at the back of the field into turns one and two, but that’s where the action began. Robert Shwartzman, who started 25th, got into Conor Daly, who started 23rd. Both cars were sent into the gravel, but improbably, both continued on, albeit a significant amount of time behind the field. Daly, who was sent backwards in the gravel, dropped to last as the field wound its way through the first half of the track.
As the field crested the hill at the entrance to the corkscrew complex, several cars got out of line. Simpson’s car kicked to driver’s right, hitting the outside wall nose-first. The impact carried so much force that both front wheels got off the ground before the car skidded through the sand and slid passenger side first into the tire barrier. Felix Rosenqvist, tagged by Simpson, did a full 360-degree spin before also nosing into the tire barrier. Simpson’s car suffered enough damage that it was done for the day, while Rosenqvist, after a few laps worth of repairs, was able to rejoin the field. To add insult to injury, Simpson was later assessed a six-position grid penalty for the next race at Portland as a result of his contact with Rosenqvist.
Jacob Abel was the next car to retire, the victim of a brake problem that caused a crash 10 laps into the race. Marcus Ericsson was the only other entrant that did not finish, as his skid plate broke, causing him to spin and stop on the track in an uphill segment. Race control did not throw a caution for a few whole laps, leaving him stranded in oncoming traffic. The situation ignited a tense conversation in the broadcast booth about the actions of race control and the philosophy behind when to throw a caution.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Simpson is the third consecutive last-place finisher at Laguna Seca to fall out due to a crash.
*Simpson is the fourth driver to score his third career last-place finish this season, after Callum Ilott (Indianapolis 500), Rinus VeeKay (Detroit), and Santino Ferrucci (Toronto).
*Honda will need to finish last in all three remaining series races to win the season manufacturers title.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
27) #8-Kyffin Simpson / 0 laps / crash
26) #51-Jacob Abel / 10 laps / crash
25) #28-Marcus Ericsson / 78 laps / skid plate
24) #60-Felix Rosenqvist / 91 laps / running
23) #18-Rinus VeeKay / 92 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR INDYCAR SERIES MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (8)
2nd) Honda (6)
2025 LASTCAR INDYCAR SERIES OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Team Penske (4)
2nd) Dale Coyne Racing (3)
3rd) Chip Ganassi Racing, Prema Racing (2)
4th) A.J. Foyt Racing, Arrow McLaren, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR INDYCAR SERIES DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
