Jaime Camara made some personal history last night at Richmond International Raceway, but he didn't get what he wanted.

Camara led the first laps of his IndyCar Series career in the SunTrust Indy Challenge, but he spun out on Lap 217 and ended his day.

"I was getting looser every lap, [and] with the tire wear, it's really hard here in traffic," Camara said. "I was getting lighter in fuel, which was making the car more nervous in the rear. We were still quick, and I just lost it on Turn 4. I tried everything with my toes inside the car to maintain a rhythm, but I couldn't save that one."

Camara led 44 laps, taking the lead on Lap 72 when the cars ahead of him pitted under caution. He held it until Marco Andretti passed him on Lap 116.

Camara's first restart as the leader was controversial. He led the field to green, but not as fast as some others would like. That backed up the field as drivers hit their brakes, and caused contact among five cars in Turn 4.

"The 34 car [Camara] was bringing us to the start . . . one lap he's in it out of [Turn] 2, the next he's on his brakes up in Turn 4," said Ryan Briscoe, who was one of those damaged in the incident. "There are restart cones, and they're there for a reason. That's where we go. I'll just put it down to some inexperience there."

Camara still picked up his best career finish, coming home 14th. His previous best was last week when he was 20th at Iowa.

He made his first start at Kansas and finished 21st. Following that he was 31st (Indianapolis), 24th (Milwaukee) and 24th (Texas) before Iowa.

Now he's got a top 15 finish to show for his rookie season.

"It felt great," Camara said. "It shows that we're gaining momentum, and it's good for the team. I just wish we could finish this race and give them a good result."

Camara's spin came 54 laps after the previous caution, and he said he had hoped he could make his tires hold him long enough to get into the pits.

With the tire wear playing a role and his fuel tank getting lighter, making the car lighter and tougher to handle, it just wasn't meant to be.

"I was just waiting a couple laps for the next pit stop because we were really quick on new tires," Camara said. "With new tires, we were as quick as the leaders."

As the cameras zoomed in on him climbing out of his destroyed car, Camara's helmeted head fell into his hands.

"It's impossible to describe," Camara said. "It was a race we could have a great result. There's no words to describe a disappointment like that."