By Steve Wittich
A quick Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire note before we get to Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda testing.
According to a Belardi Auto Racing official, Chad Boat, who is scheduled to make his Indy Lights debut with the Brownsburg, Ind. based team this weekend, has not been, as of today, cleared to drive. The second generation driver took a nasty tumble during a USAC National Midget Race at Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln, Ill. on Sunday, July 2, 2017.
I am so happy @ChadBoat "is okay". I've never seen a @USACNation midget flip that many times. I'm sorry Chad.
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) July 3, 2017
Boat will be reevaluated by the INDYCAR Medical staff in the morning.
A bakers dozen USF2000 drivers took part in a three-hour Friday afternoon test session in preparation for Sunday’s Mazda Iowa 60 presented by Cooper Tires race.
The entry list has seen one addition and one subtraction since it was first released on Wednesday. Cape Motorsports rookie Rick Donison has decided to sit out the oval round, and Ayla Agren returns to Team Pelfrey after missing the Road America rounds of the championship.
The eight oval rookies were given the first half-hour of the session to acclimatize themselves to the 0.894 mile Iowa Speedway oval.
Double Road America race winner Rinus Van Kalmthout (Rinus VeeKay) led the oval newcomers with a fastest lap of 130.856mph.
Results of the 30 minute rookie USF2000 session
| RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | FAST LAP | LAPS TURNED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Rinus VeeKay | Pabst Racing | 130.856 | 42 |
| 2 | 81 | Kaylen Frederick | Team Pelfrey | 129.390 | 34 |
| 3 | 22 | Calvin Ming | Pabst Racing | 128.706 | 50 |
| 4 | 7 | Devin Wojcik | ArmsUp Motorsports | 128.366 | 32 |
| 5 | 3 | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports | 127.652 | 19 |
| 6 | 11 | Kory Enders | DEForce Racing | 126.050 | 28 |
| 7 | 92 | Dev Gore | Exclusive Autosport | 124.834 | 44 |
| 8 | 12 | Moises de la Vara | DEForce Racing | 121.809 | 22 |
Half-an-hour after the remainder of the field took to the “Bullring,” Lucas Kohl made contact with the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier. Kohl was uninjured, but his car was not quite so lucky. The No. 23 Pabst Racing Mazda/Tatuus suffered damage to the rear wing, and the left rear corner of the car.
Rinus VeeKay, Alex Baron, and Calvin Ming all held the top spot on the time-sheet in the final half-hour of the session, but it was Ming who ended up with the quickest lap of the day. The driver from Guyana had a fastest lap of 132.399mph.
Results of the full USF2000 test session
| RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | QUICK LAP | LAPS TURNED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Calvin Ming | Pabst Racing | 132.399 | 222 |
| 2 | 4 | Alex Baron | ArmsUp Motorsports | 132.395 | 136 |
| 3 | 21 | Rinus VeeKay | Pabst Racing | 132.383 | 186 |
| 4 | 3 | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports | 131.950 | 145 |
| 5 | 7 | Devin Wojcik | ArmsUp Motorsports | 131.695 | 179 |
| 6 | 82 | Ayla Agren | Team Pelfrey | 131.198 | 150 |
| 7 | 23 | Lucas Kohl | Pabst Racing | 130.950 | 51 |
| 8 | 80 | Robert Megennis | Team Pelfrey | 130.799 | 127 |
| 9 | 81 | Kaylen Frederick | Team Pelfrey | 130.078 | 168 |
| 10 | 90 | Parker Thompson | Exclusive Autosport | 129.416 | 145 |
| 11 | 12 | Moises de la Vara | DEForce Racing | 127.924 | 153 |
| 12 | 92 | Dev Gore | Exclusive Autosport | 126.487 | 163 |
| 13 | 11 | Kory Enders | DEForce Racing | 126.050 | 151 |
The drivers are back on track for their lone official practice session at 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon.
You can read our extensive USF2000 preview here —> USF2000 at Iowa Speedway – 2017 race preview – Championship chase takes a left turn on the way to Iowa