By the time the green was given on lap three, Gommendy too was back in the fray, albeit two laps down. It was a deficit the Frenchman would be unable to make up in the course of the hour-and-three-quarter event, although he was up to twelfth, and last classified runner, by the chequer to add ten points to his tally from the weekend.
Bruno Junqueira became the race's first retirement as Dale Coyne Racing's weekend refused to improve, the Brazilian pitting with suspected engine problem after just six laps, having risen to tenth off the line.
Junqueira's retirement aside, however, the opening few laps provided little incident save for a spin by Paul Tracy, after the Canadian was tapped by the ambitious Power on lap 15. Tracy was always intending to run alternative strategies in an effort to move himself up the field, and was the next to pit, fitting another set of slicks just as the first of the afternoon's rain arrived.
As had been the case in final qualifying, the precipitation fell on only half of the track, causing umbrellas to go up in the vicinity of the pits but leaving the rest of the circuit unaffected. Almost immediately, the unpredictable conditions began to catch drivers out and, while local favourite Alex Tagliani escaped from a quick rotation after catching a damp kerb, the charging Heylen was not so lucky, clouting the wall and damaging the right rear corner of the Conquest entry.
Recovery of the #34 machine brought out the second safety car of the race, prompting Tracy to dive in for another splash of fuel. The majority of the field opted to stay out, however, figuring it wouldn't be long before the race went green and that they still had some laps in the banks thanks to the two reduced pace periods.
