Complex sentence: Ryan twice qualified his car on the front row (Long Beach and São Paulo), and he was contending for a possible win at Long Beach when his race ended on lap 72 of 85 due to a gearbox malfunction.
Split into simpler sentences: Ryan twice qualified his car on the front row (Long Beach and São Paulo). He drove a strong race and was battling for a possible win at Long Beach before his day ended prematurely due to a gearbox malfunction.