It took 243 laps for the 250-lap Desert Diamond Grand Prix to come to life at ISM Raceway, and when it did, a thrilling battle between Robert Wickens and Josef Newgarden fell in favor of the defending series champion. A crash by Chip Ganassi Racing's Ed Jones on Lap 233 while running in second brought out a caution that broke the monotony, and with the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports duo of Wickens and James Hinchcliffe running 1-2, a strategy gamble would prove to be the team's undoing. Left out under the caution, almost the entire field – except for the SPM drivers and Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi in third – pitted to take on brand-new tires. The question was whether the nearly...
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