Colton Herta can have a straightforward go of holding motivated within the IndyCar low season after seizing victory final Sunday within the 2024 finale at Nashville Superspeedway.
The spectacular transfer that introduced the 24-year-old Herta a boon of fine fortune and triumph got here after a late go on Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward with 5 laps to go. The 2 have been battling and, as they got here up on the lapped automobile of Sting Ray Robb, O’Ward — the race chief — went excessive, whereas Herta dove low and carried sufficient momentum to additionally get to the within of O’Ward earlier than clearing him to take the lead down the backstretch.
Not solely did it mark the ninth win of Herta’s profession, but it surely was his first on an oval and helped catapult him to complete a career-high second within the championship standings.
“The entire race, I used to be getting my passes finished coming off the corners,” Herta stated.
“I used to be in a position to drive off the center to exit of the corners, and get the ability down rather well. We had a lapped automobile to play off of, and we had simply sufficient room between us to go down low and get the go (on O’Ward) finished. I’m simply so joyful. The Gainbridge Group 1001 Honda has been so quick this complete weekend. We did not get to point out it in qualifying, however we knew we had a sizzling rod within the race at present. It’s been an incredible 12 months. Second within the championship is superior, but it surely provides us one thing to shoot for in 2025.”
Colton Herta, Andretti World w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda, podium, guitar, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Photos
Herta ends the 12 months with two wins, six podiums (career-high), 10 prime fives and three poles in 17 races. Uniquely, his solely different win on an oval additionally got here towards O’Ward through the 2018 Indy NXT season within the Freedom 100 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Moreover, this marked the primary victory on an oval for Andretti Autosport since 2018 with Alexander Rossi at Pocono Raceway.
“It’s about time,” Herta stated. “I feel there’s been a number of occasions the place I believed we might have gained or ought to have gained, and quite a few issues occurred to cease us from doing that. Fortunately, at present we acquired all of it proper.
“I feel that was within the type of somewhat little bit of visitors to catch again as much as Pato. I feel it was, from my perspective, a very thrilling race for it to shut out like that proper in the previous couple of laps, have me battle Pato, then Josef (Newgarden) near battling Pato. No, it was an ideal race.”
When requested if the efficiency was an announcement main into subsequent 12 months, Herta supplied a candid response.
“I hope so,” Herta stated. “There’s a complete bunch of issues we might have finished to win the championship this 12 months. I feel we’ll replicate on that, have a look at it going into the low season.
“It does harm somewhat bit when you consider profitable the final race, and he did not have a very sturdy one, so we might have made up loads of factors at present if we wanted to in that championship struggle.”
