Jace Denmark, the driver of the Radford Racing School/Metal Works sponsored No. 23 signs autographs for the fans in Toronto Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy
After one pace lap, Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing) and Jagger Jones (Cape Motorsports) brought the field to the green for the second straight day.
With temperatures in the mid-70s, an overcast day met the first of five Sunday races on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit.
Like Saturday’s race, Denmark got a great jump, with his Pabst Racing teammate Myles Rowe attempting to follow him and get by Jones. The pair went side-by-side down the back straight, with Rowe using the preferred inside line to move into second.
The running order after the first lap was Denmark, Rowe, Jones, Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports), Thomas Nepveu (DEForce Racing), Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport), Billy Frazer (Exclusive Autosport), Spike Kohlbecker (Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport), Nicholas d’Orlando (Exclusive Autosport), Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development), Dylan Christie (DEForce Racing), Frederik Lund (Jay Howard Driver Development), Jorge Garciarce (Jay Howard Driver Development), Christian Weir (Turn 3 Motorsport), Bijoy Garg (DEForce Racing) and Nicky Hays (Cape Motorsports).
The front five settled in for the 20-lap event.
The first yellow flag of the 20-lap race flew on Lap 6 for teammate-on-teammate crime between Exclusive Autosport’s Billy Frazer and Jacob Douglas, who were running fifth and sixth.
On the long run down Lakeshore Blvd, the No. 90 of Douglas misjudged a pass, turning the No. 92 of Frazer into the concrete barrier on the driver’s left.
Kohlbecker, in the No. 33, was running just behind the teammates and with nowhere to go, t-boning Frazer and coming to a top in the runoff of Turn 3.
The running order under yellow was Denmark, Rowe, Jones, M. d’Orlando, Nepveau, Douglas, Papasavvas, N. d’Orlando, Christie, Weir, Lund, Garciarce, Hays, Frazer, Kohlbecker, and Garg.
After the restart, Jones looked around the outside of Rowe Turn 3, but the championship leader held off the Cape Motorsports rookie and quickly began to put pressure on Denmark in the lead.
On Lap 12, Jones lost his front wing in Turn 7 after earlier contact. As a result, the third-generation driver quickly lost a spot to teammate M. d’Orlando, staying on the track but continuing to drop down the order.
Denmark held a solid gap over Rowe with five laps remaining, while the two drivers up front had a three-second gap to M. d’Orlando.
Exclusive Autosport’s crummy day continued with three laps remaining when the No. 91 of N. d’Orlando brought out the second yellow flag. He lost the rear end on the concrete patch in Turn 5
The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team worked quickly to clear the wrecked car, and the green flag came out for a one-lap shootout despite the No. 6 of Papasavvas stranded in Turn 3. But instead, that car was dealt with a local yellow flag.
The drivers remained nose-to-tail until Turn 8 when M. d’Orlando dove to the inside of Rowe. The top two in the championship standings made contact with d’Orlando while trying to get by Rowe. However, Nepveu and Christie overtook both to give DEForce Racing a double podium.
M. d’Orlando and Rowe ended the 20-lap race in fourth and fifth.
Weir ended the race in the Turn 8 tire barrier.
Cooper Tires Grand Prix Of Toronto Race #2 unofficial results
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