There aren't many things that Justin Wilson can be accused of coming up short in, but late-season pursuit of the IndyCar Series' Bombardier Rookie of the Year title did just that as he missed by six points to Andretti Green Racing's Hideki Mutoh.
The diminutive Japanese driver has led the competition for much of the season, but appeared to falter in the final stages, allowing Wilson to leap-frog Will Power as chief challenger. The Briton's breakthrough win on the streets of Detroit last weekend closed the gap considerably and, when Mutoh appeared on pit-road at Chicagoland with 32 laps to run, it appeared that AGR's hard work may be undone.
In the end, however, Wilson's rise through the field after a disappointing qualifying performance came up four places short, leaving Mutoh six points clear at the top of the table, becoming the third Andretti Green driver to claim the rookie title.
“I wish we were able to finish the season with a better finish, but I am very thankful, for the team worked so hard," the Indy Pro Series graduate commented, "They were able to get car back out on track today and I won the Bombardier Rookie of the Year. It hasn't hit me yet - I am happy, but it's really hard to celebrate it after such a disappointing race.”
Mutoh's season-long performance was sufficient to see him finish tenth in the overall IndyCar Series standings, setting him up for a strong second year with AGR in 2009.
"At the beginning of the season, my target was winning rookie of the year, and now I've got it," he sighed, "Good Champ Car drivers joined this year, so I knew it was going to be tough to win the championship as people have a huge experience in Champ Car, so I'm very proud of this. Maybe tomorrow morning, when I wake up, I will realise I'm rookie of the year."
