The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires field at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July 2021 Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

After 18 races, 623 laps, and 1314.215-miles of back and forth Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires action, the championship and the $1,289,425 scholarship that goes to the winner comes down to a pair of races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Andretti Autosport’s Kyle Kirkwood and HMD Motorsports’ David Malukas, the two combatants for the coveted championship and guaranteed NTT INDYCAR SERIES ride that comes with it, have been waging a season-long battle for the ages.

Malukas led the way with five races to go, but a late surge and three-race winning streak leave Kirkwood with a 15-point lead with the final two races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course remaining.

Kyle Kirkwood (left) and David Malukas (right) on the podium together at Portland International Raceway. The championship duo have shared 10 podiums this season Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

Indy Lights championship tale-of-the-tape

KYLE KIRKWOOD DAVID MALUKAS
Jupiter, Florida Hometown Chicago, Illinois
22 Age 20
5’9″ Height 5’9″
150lbs Weight 146lbs
9 Wins 7
6 Poles 6
13 Podiums 14
16 Top Fives 16
17 Top Tens 17
10 Races Led 8
306 Laps Led 250
99.4% % Laps Completed 95.8%
2.8 Average Finish 3.0
2.8 Average Start 2.1
2.2 Fastest Lap Avg. 3.3

Kirkwood’s nine wins are one win away from Greg Moore’s season record. The popular Canadian won ten times during his 1995 Indy Lights championship season.

Kyle Kirkwood has had just a “touch” of success at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. In 19 race starts across the F4 United States Championship, Formula Regional Americas Championship, USF2000, Indy Pro 2000, and Indy Lights championships, his superlatives read as follows:

  • 12 wins
  • 11 wins in a row dating back to 2017
  • wins in all seven Road To Indy starts
  • ten pole starts
  • 17 podiums
  • led at least a lap in 15 races
  • only one DNF

The just-turned 20-year-old Malukas has not quite had the same success as his rival on the undulating central Ohio road course, but he’s also been no slouch in his ten starts.

Malukas is still looking for his first win at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Still, he does have five podiums and nine top-six finishes across his starts in USF2000, Indy Pro 2000, Indy Lights, and Formula Regional Americas. His lone finish outside the top ten came when a mechanical issue thwarted a sure win after a pole win in Indy Pro 2000.

With the championship so close, the drivers hold most of their future in their own hands, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t love some help from their teammates.

For points leader Kirkwood, that help will most likely come from Danial Frost. The Singaporean finished twice and ahead of Malukas in both races in July, and he has six top-five finishes across a dozen American open-wheel starts at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Malukas could use some help from his teammate Linus Lundqvist, who finished fourth in both Indy Lights races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July but does have a pair of wins from the pole in the Formula Regional Americas Championship.

Below the championship twosome, Global Racing Group w/HMD rookie Linus Lundqvist, the only other driver to win an Indy Lights race this season, has locked down third place in the championship. With that, the Swede has earned himself an important NTT INDYCAR SERIES test.

Behind the top three, only 37 points separate Benjamin Pedersen (Global Racing Group w/HMD), Danial Frost (Andretti Autosport), Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport), and Robert Megennis (Andretti Autosport) in the battle for fourth.

Pedersen, a Dane who calls Washington State, was ninth in the points standings when the series left the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course three months ago, but an impressive run of a half-dozen races with three podiums and six top-five finishes has moved the 22-year-old into fourth place, 18 points ahead of the Frost, whose stellar Mid-Ohio results we’ve already mentioned.

Only 10 points behind his teammate Frost is Canadian DeFrancesco, who stood on two Indy Pro 2000 podiums at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last year.

2021 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires points standings

RANK DRIVER TEAM TOTAL BACK
1 Kyle Kirkwood – r Andretti Autosport 488
2 David Malukas HMD Motorsports 473 -15
3 Linus Lundqvist – r Global Racing Group w/HMD 403 -85
4 Benjamin Pedersen – r Global Racing Group w/HMD 322 -166
5 Danial Frost – r Andretti Autosport 304 -184
6 Devlin DeFrancesco – r Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport 294 -194
7 Robert Megennis Andretti Autosport 285 -203
8 Toby Sowery Juncos Racing 236 -252
9 Alex Peroni – r Carlin 228 -260
10 Sting Ray Robb – r Juncos Hollinger Racing 218 -270
11 Christian Bogle – r Carlin 207 -281
12 Antonio Serravalle – r Pserra Racing 157 -331
13 Nikita Lastochkin – r HMD Motorsports 123 -365
14 Rasmus Lindh – r Juncos Hollinger Racing 57 -431
15 Manuel Sulaiman – r HMD Motorsports 51 -437

 

Hyperco Rookie Of The Year

Championship leader Kyle Kirkwood has this one locked up, and it’s not even close.

2021 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires rookie standings

RANK DRIVER TOTAL BACK
1 Kyle Kirkwood – r 488
2 Linus Lundqvist – r 403 -85
3 Benjamin Pedersen – r 322 -166
4 Danial Frost – r 304 -184
5 Devlin DeFrancesco – r 294 -194
6 Alex Peroni – r 228 -260
7 Sting Ray Robb – r 218 -270
8 Christian Bogle – r 207 -281
9 Antonio Serravalle – r 157 -331
10 Nikita Lastochkin – r 123 -365
11 Rasmus Lindh – r 57 -431
12 Manuel Sulaiman – r 51 -437

Team Bragging Rights

Team points are distributed as follows to a teams top two finishers in each race – 1st is 22 points, 2nd is 18 points, 3rd is 15 points, 4th is 12 points, 5th is 10 points, 6th is 8 points, 7th is 6 points, 8th is 4 points, 9th is 2 points, and 10th+ is 1 point.  

Between them, HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group (70 starts) and Andretti Autosport/Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport (72) have 142 starts in 2021 and only have 39 points separating them with eight starts each remaining.

The pair of four-car powerhouse squads each have nine wins and nine poles, but where HMD/GRG stands out is their 29 to 21 advantage in podiums.

However, the last time the top rung of the RTI visited the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July, Andretti Autosport/Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport outscored HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group by an 80 to 54 margin, making the final doubleheader that much more interesting.

2021 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires team championship standings

RANK TEAM TOTAL BACK
1 HMD Motorsports 597
2 Andretti Autosport 558 -39
3 Juncos Hollinger Racing 286 -311
4 Carlin 233 -364
5 Pserra Racing/AS Promotions 102 -495

The Indy Lights team championship debuted in 2014. If Andretti Autosport/Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport were to pull off the improbable comeback, it would be the team’s third team championship and third in a row.

If HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group holds one, it will be their first team title in only their second year of competition.

Indy Lights team champions

YEAR TEAM
2019 Andretti Autosport
2018 Andretti Autosport
2017 Belardi Auto Racing
2016 Carlin
2015 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2014 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Sam Schmidt is presented the Indy Lights team championship trophy in 2014 (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Double the bubbly

Only ten of the previous 34 Indy Lights champions has won a race in the final weekend of the championship.

The first was Fabrizio Barbazza, the inaugural champ, who won one of his five races of 1986 on the Tamiami Park street course in Miami, Fla., on the way to the title.

The last was Pato O’Ward, who won both races on the way to his 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires title at the Portland International Raceway.

Indy Lights champions that won the finale

YEAR DRIVER
2018 Pato O’Ward
2015 Spencer Pigot
2005 Wade Cunningham
2004 Thiago Medeiros
2002 A. J. Foyt IV
2001 Townsend Bell
2000 Scott Dixon
1995 Greg Moore
1993 Bryan Herta
1986 Fabrizio Barbazza

Sam Schmidt Motorsports driver Thiago Medeiros celebrates winning a race and championship at Texas Motor Speedway in 2004 (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

Previously at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

  • Part of the VP Racing Fuels Championship Weekend Presented By Cooper Tires, the two races will be the 32nd and 33rd Indy Lights races held at the central Ohio natural terrain road course.
  • A dozen drivers are on the entry list, with Antonio Serravalle and Pserra Racing/AS Promotions returning to action after sitting out the trip to the west coast.
  • Indy Lights graduates have won seventeen of the last 22 Indy car races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
  • At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Indy Lights races have been won by 23 different drivers representing 14 unique teams.

Indy Lights winners at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

YEAR DRIVER TEAM
2021 Race #2 Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Autosport
2021 Race #1 Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Autosport
2019 Race #2 Oliver Askew Andretti Autosport
2019 Race #1 Oliver Askew Andretti Autosport
2018 Race #2 Patricio O’Ward Andretti Autosport
2018 Race #1 Patricio O’Ward Andretti Autosport
2017 Race #2 Nico Jamin Andretti Autosport
2017 Race #1 Santi Urrutia Belardi Auto Racing
2016 Race #2 Santi Urrutia Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2016 Race #1 Santi Urrutia Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2015 Race #2 Sean Rayhall 8Star Motorsports
2015 Race #1 RC Enerson Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2014 Race #1 Jack Harvey Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2014 Race #2 Jack Harvey Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2013 Gabby Chaves Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2010 Martin Plowman Andretti Autosport
2009 James Davison Vision Racing
2008 Race #2 James Davison Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2008 Race #1 Rafa Matos Andretti Autosport
2007 Richard Antinucci Cheever Racing
2001 Townsend Bell Dorricott Racing
2000 Townsend Bell Dorricott Racing
1994 Andre Ribeiro Tasman Motorsports
1993 Bryan Herta Tasman Motorsports
1992 Robbie Groff Groff Motorsports
1991 Brian Till Cole Performance
1990 Paul Tracy Landford Racing
1989 P.J. Jones PIG Enterprise Racing
1988 Jon Beekhuis PIG Enterprise Racing
1987 Juan Manuel Fangio II TeamKar International
1986 Steve Millen Truesports
  • Andretti Autosport has won seven straight races going back to 2017 and nine of 31 previous races.
  • Andretti Autosport has nine poles, 25 podiums, and 308 laps led, leading all teams.
  • The average starting spot of the winner is 1.8 – the pole-sitter has won 21 of 31 67.7% of races.
  • The average finishing spot of the pole sitter is 3.6, and they have failed to finish only twice.
  • The closest Indy Lights finish occurred in 1991 when Brian Till beat Mark Smith to the checkered flag by 0.215 seconds.
  • Eleven of the 31 Indy Lights races held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course have gone caution-free.
  • Race #2 in 2008, a wet affair, had five cautions for ten laps, the most for both categories for any Indy Lights race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
  • That same water-logged race in 2008 had ten drivers fail to finish the 20-lap race, the most DNFs in any Indy Lights race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
  • Sticking with that chaotic race won by James Davison, it’s the only Indy Lights race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to finish under the yellow flag.
  • That was also the race that  Jonny Reid gave away when he pulled into the pits instead of taking the checkered flag.

Indy Lights weekend schedule

Friday, October 1

  • 3pm – 3:45pm – Indy Lights Practice #1

Saturday, October 2

  • 9:25am – 10:05am – Indy Lights Qualifying #1
  • 1pm – 1:50pm – Indy Lights Race #1

Saturday, October 3

  • 8:45am – 9:15am – Indy Lights Qualifying #2
  • noon – 12:50pm – Indy Lights Race #2

Don’t miss any of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires action: