The 2008 Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone was an IndyCar Series race that was held on August 31, 2008, on the Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. It was the sixteenth race of the 2008 IndyCar Series season. Originally scheduled to run over 90 laps, it was shortened to 87 laps due to 2-hour limit. The race was won by Justin Wilson for the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team. Hélio Castroneves finished second, and Tony Kanaan clinched third. Wilson dedicated his win to actor Paul Newman, the ailing joint-owner of his team; Newman died less than a month later.
Scott Dixon claimed pole position for the race, and led through the first lap. Dixon and Castroneves, who had qualified second, pulled away from the pack, until the seventeenth lap, when a full-track caution was issued after an incident between Dan Wheldon and Jamie Camara. Dixon pitted under the yellow, but did so alone, granting the lead to Castroneves. The Brazilian led the race until lap 72, other than a single lap during which Oriol Servià was leading during pit stops. Late in the race, Wilson was challenging for the lead, and Castroneves was judged to have blocked the other driver, resulting in a penalty which allowed Wilson to take the lead. Despite a late push by Castroneves to pass Wilson, the rookie British driver maintained his position to claim victory.
There were four cautions, totalling 11 laps during the race. It was Wilson's first career IndyCar win. Of the 25 drivers that started, 18 completed the race, three retired after contact, one retired with handling problems and three retired due to mechanical issues.
Classification Race results Pos No. Driver Team Chassis/Engine/Tires Laps Time/Retired Grid Laps Led Points 102 (R) Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 4 15 50 23 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 2 53 43 311 Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 8 0 35 45 KV Racing Technology Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 3 1 32 59 Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 1 18 30 617 Rahal Letterman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 7 0 28 718 Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 24 0 26 88 (R) KV Racing Technology Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 12 0 24 96 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 5 0 22 102 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 17 0 20 1127 (R) Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 16 0 19 1214 A. J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 15 0 18 1306 (R) Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 6 0 17 1420 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 87 20 0 16 1519 Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 86 19 0 15 167 Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 86 10 0 14 174 Panther Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 83 14 0 13 1826 Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 81 13 0 12 1915 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 76 18 0 12 2010 Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 64 11 0 12 2112 Luczo Dragon Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 56 26 0 12 2236 Conquest Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 54 21 0 12 2323 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 46 23 0 12 2433 HVM Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 32 9 0 12 2534 (R) Conquest Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 16 22 0 10 2625 Roth Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone 0 25 0 5Source: Racing-Reference
Standings after the race Drivers' Championship Pos Driver Points 1 606 2 576 3 481 4 464 5 412Source: Racing-Reference
References