A crash during practice and another on lap 40 of the Indy Racing League Twin Ring Motegi gave new Team Ethanol driver Jeff Simmons an 18th place finish in the 20 car field over the weekend. Simmons was unhurt, but the No. 17 Ethanol car did sustain some damage. Needless to say, Simmons was disappointed with his Rahal Letterman Racing debut, according to Motorsport.com. “It is really disappointing for everyone on Team Ethanol. This is never the way you want to start anything. Crashing two cars in one weekend is something I have never done before. As disappointed as I am right now we will move past this and start to focus on Indianapolis.”
Meanwhile, his RLR teammates had better luck. Buddy Rice started 18th and finished 5th, while Danica Patrick started 14th and finished 8th.