Rookie Ed Jones passed Marco Andretti for third on lap 32, so that he was headed only by Pagenaud and Dale Coyne Racing teammate Bourdais, who could stay within a second of the reigning champion who was trying to save fuel. Behind these three ran Andretti, Castroneves, Power, Sato, Hildebrand, Hinch
At the start of Lap 37, Bourdais dived down the inside of Pagenaud at Turn 1 to grab the lead to give Dale Coyne a 1-3, and the four-time Champ Car title-winner swiftly pulled a three-second lead on the Penske driver. However, were the race to run caution free to checkers, Sato was currently looking