IN THE COCKPIT: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Iowa

IndyCar

IN THE COCKPIT: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Iowa

Iowa race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay files his latest column and says now that he's second in points "We’re ready, and we’re going to fight this thing to the finish."

Ryan Hunter-Reay | http://andrettiautosport.com | Posted June 27, 2012

Ryan Hunter-Reay's starting to enjoy the fruits of his labor and the impressive strides Andretti Autosport has made since 2011. (Photo: LAT)

Two wins in two weeks? That’s been pretty amazing for me and my entire DHL / Sun Drop team, but the credit goes well beyond that to the entire Andretti Autosport operation.

We had a really good car at Iowa Speedway, and I have to thank Marco (Andretti) and the No. 26 team. They were the ones who went to the test at Iowa, and came back with a set-up that proved to be a winner. We were able to put that set-up on the No. 28 car, and we were fast right away.

To finish first and second with Marco was a great feeling, especially as competitive as the IZOD IndyCar Series is from top to bottom. If he hadn’t had a spin late in the race, James Hinchcliffe would have been the third Andretti car right there with us at the finish, which shows how well all of our teams are working together. The communication is wide-open and the morale is the best that it’s been since I’ve been with the team.

To a casual fan, it might look like we have found something in the past couple of weeks to have run so well, but it’s so much more than that. It has been an immense amount of effort from the entire team, working together non-stop at least since Indy of last year when we struggled to find speed.

From the engineers to the mechanics, everyone in the organization has worked tirelessly to give us (the drivers) what we need to win. It feels great to reward every one of them with another victory, especially with a weekend off. They can really enjoy it while they relax for a day or two. It’s what they deserve.

We’re happy about winning two races, but I promise none of us feel relieved or have a sense of satisfaction. We know there’s a long way to go to win a championship. That’s the big picture that we’re all striving toward. We’re more than halfway through the season now, and we’re three points out of the lead.

The wins give us higher expectations that we are a serious contender, and we have a feeling within the team that we have what it takes to put in a championship effort.

For us to be able to win the championship, we have to consistently push hard to be at the front, not only each race, but every practice and qualifying session. We have to attack every lap. We know it’s going to be difficult because every track is so different.

From a fan’s perspective, they might look similar, but the set-ups vary so much from track to track and even session to session.

Heading to Toronto, we feel like we can challenge for another win. We have finished third there the last two years, and we’ve been strong on all of the street circuits so far this season. We had podium finishes at St. Pete and Brazil, and we should have had another at Long Beach [a penalty on the final lap dropped Hunter-Reay from third to sixth place in the standings after starting 13th].

That’s what it’s going to take for us to win this championship: keep our heads down and be consistent. We’re ready, and we’re going to fight this thing to the finish.

~Ryan

Ryan Hunter-Reay drives the No. 28 DHL-SunDrop Dallara DW12-Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Follow Hunter-Reay's progress at his new site www.RyanRacing.com, his team at www.AndrettiAutosport.com and on Twitter @RyanHunterReay and @FollowAndretti.