Robb perseveres through rough Detroit weekend

At the halfway point in the 100-lap Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, Sting Ray Robb was giving Graham Rahal the business. Rahal would go on to finish third while Robb in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy had to settle for 14th, but the journeyman driver from Idaho put in one of the best performances of his career as he kept the car off the walls – something more than half the field failed to do – and delivered a spirited showing that belied his final finishing position.

"Detroit treated us well, finally,” Robb said. “Really tough weekend overall. I think the team did a really good job to try and recover.”

What made Robb’s clean drive impressive was found in the ongoing nightmares that preceded the race. Car problems limited his Friday to 10 laps while the rest of the field ran anywhere from 21-40 laps and got to sample Firestone’s alternate tires and prepare for Saturday’s qualifying run.

On Saturday, there were more problems in the second practice session as Robb got through 20 laps – less than everyone, except for teammate Rinus VeeKay who suffered an instant engine failure – which played a role in qualifying next to last in 24th. An engine change was also required for Robb, which added to the uncertainty of what he was awaiting in the race, but the 24-year-old was smart when it mattered and aggressive when he was able while battling with Rahal.

He’d take the No. 77 Chevy up to 12th at one point before crossing the finish line in a more representative 14th.

“With the limited track time we made as many adaptations as we could,” he said after recording his best finish of the season and best since placing ninth at Long Beach in 2025. “We ran pretty well in the race, just off cycle. It was pretty fun in the end. It got pretty spicy out there running wheel-to-wheel with everybody else. Thank you team, 77 crew. Hopefully we have a lot more top 15s this year.”