2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix

2012 Detroit Indy Grand Prix

Race details
6th round of the 2012 IndyCar Series season
Date	June 3, 2012
Official name	Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by ShopAutoWeek.com
Location	Detroit, Michigan
Course	Temporary street circuit 2.07 mi / 3.33 km
Distance	60 laps 125.76 mi / 202.33 km
Scheduled Distance	90 laps 188.64 mi / 303.5 km
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 19 miles per hour (31 km/h)[1]
Pole position
Driver	Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Time	1:10.3162
Fastest lap
Driver	Justin Wilson (Dale Coyne Racing)
Time	1:12.0651 (on lap 9 of 60)
Podium
First	Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Second	Dario Franchitti (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Third	Simon Pagenaud (Sam Schmidt Motorsports)

The 2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by ShopAutoWeek.com was an IZOD IndyCar Series race that was held on June 3, 2012, on The Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. It was the sixth race of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Originally scheduled to run over 90 laps, it was shortened to 60 laps. The race was won by Scott Dixon for the Chip Ganassi Racing team. Dario Franchitti finished second, and Simon Pagenaud clinched third.

Preparations for the race were overshadowed by speculation over IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard's job, after he tweeted that some team owners were trying to get him fired. Dixon claimed pole position for the race, the first IndyCar event in Detroit since 2008, and maintained his lead throughout the race. After 38 laps, James Hinchcliffe hit a dislodged piece of the track and continued straight into the tire wall. Further investigation discovered that the track was disintegrating in various places, and the event was red flagged. After a two-hour break, in which track officials ripped out the damaged sections of track and filled the holes with concrete, the race was restarted, shortened to 60 laps. Rain also started to fall lightly, and shortly after the restart a caution was issued when Hélio Castroneves spun. Dario Franchitti gained four places after the red flag, benefiting from his softer red tires, to finish second behind his teammate.

There were four cautions, totalling 12 laps during the race. It was Dixon's first win of the season and the 28th of his career, which moved him up to second in the drivers' standings. Of the 25 drivers that started, 19 completed the race, two retired after contact and four retired due to mechanical issues. Justin Wilson recorded the fastest lap of the race, completing a circuit in 1:12.0651.