Louis Foster (Exclusive Autosport) in the Copart.com/Novara Technologies No. 90 dominated the lone Indy Pro 2000 practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

Indy Pro 2000 championship leader Louis Foster, a rookie for Exclusive Autosport, dominated the lone series practice, going almost three-tenths-of-a-second quicker than his rivals.

Behind him, the field was tight, with the following eight drivers separated by a half-second.

When the 2.258-Mile, 13-Turn Mid-Ohio Road Course officially opened for Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires practice at 8 am, a baker’s dozen 2.0L Elite Engine powerplants served as a wake-up call for the campers surrounding the rural road course.

Only Jay Howard Driver Development drivers Braden Eves and Salvador de Alba remained on pit road.

Just before the halfway point of the practice, the red flag came out when the No. 6 Jay Howard Driver Development machine of Salvador de Alba spun in Turn 5 and could not continue. The Mexican driver was on his out lap. His car was returned to the paddock “on the hook,” and he did not turn any laps in practice.

The quickest driver at the halfway point of the session was Louis Foster (Exclusive Autosport), with a time of 81.0884 seconds.

Juncos Hollinger Racing teammates Reece Gold and Enaam Ahmed were second and third quickest. Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports) and Wyatt Brichacek (Exclusive Autosport) rounded out the top five.

The track reopened with ten minutes remaining in the weekend’s sole Indy Pro 2000 practice.

Miller, whose Miller Vinatieri Motorsports has a technical alliance with Exclusive Autosport (EA), spent much of the final ten minutes trading the top spot with EA’s Foster.

Also in the mix were Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Pabst Racing) and Josh Green (Turn 3 Motorsport).

Ahmed, who stood on the Indy Pro 2000 podium at Mid-Ohio in the final race of last season, went fourth quickest at the end of the session.

Reigning USF2000 champion improved to second on the timing screens on his last lap but was still 0.2806 seconds behind Foster.

Indy Pro 2000 at Mid-Ohio practice times

Braden Eves, in the CCFI/Huston Insurance/Addison Holdings sponsored No. 4 led Indy Pro 2000 practice at Road America Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

For the fifth time in his Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires career, Braden Eves stood on the top step of the podium. It’s the 23-year-old’s first win this season and his first with Jay Howard Driver Development.

Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports) put pressure on Eves late in the race, but the second-generation driver had to settle for second place, his best Indy Pro 2000 finish.

Eves teammate Salvador de Alba held off a pair of Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers, grabbing his second podium of the 2022 season.

Enaam Ahmed (Juncos Hollinger Racing) gained a dozen spots after being disqualified from qualifying, finishing fourth to remaining in the championship conversation.

Louis Foster (Exclusive Autosport), the points leader headed to Road America, finished 13th after starting 12th and increased his points lead from 14 points to 19 points over Gold.

The top six in the title chase – Foster, Gold, Nolan Siegel (DEForce Racing), Ahmed, Eves, and Josh Green (Turn 3 Motorsport) – are within only 43 points.

After a lap behind the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires pace car, the colorful front row of Green and Gold brought the eight rows to the green flag at the crest of the hill on the Road America Straight.

Turn 3 Motorsport rookie Green got a good jump, getting to the fast Turn 1 right-hander first. Behind him, Jay Howard Driver Development teammates Eves and De Alba swamped Gold, with Eves completing the pass and the Groupo Indi/Mecano/Sidral Aga sponsored No. 6 of Mexican De Alba falling into fourth. The shuffling continued on the first lap with running order after the first circuit of the 4.014-mile, 14-turn natural terrain road course as follows:

Green, Eves, De Alba, Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Pabst Racing), Gold, Miller, Jordan Missig (Pabst Racing), Colin Kaminsky (Pabst Racing), Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), Nolan Siegel (DEForce Racing), Jonathan Browne (Turn 3 Motorsport), Louis Foster (Exclusive Autosport), Enaam Ahmed (Juncos Hollinger Racing), Wyatt Brichacek (Exclusive Autosport), Lindsay Brewer (Exclusive Autosport) and Charles Finelli (Fatboy Racing!).

De Alba had a non-functioning transponder and was scored manually during the 15-lap race.

Eves got a good run off Turn 3 and down the Morraine Sweep, peeking to the outside of Green in Turn 5 before tucking back in behind the pole-sitter.

Miller continued his hot start, moving by Gold for fifth on the second lap,
On the third lap, Eves got a great run up the front straight, taking the lead in Turn 1. Two turns later, Missig, running eighth, took an off-track excursion on the driver’s right, dropping to 16th.

Siegel, one of the quick drivers that started near the tail of the field, had gained six spots in the first three laps while also turning the fastest lap of the race.

The hot and heavy passing continued on the fourth lap, with Miller getting by Sundaramoorthy for fourth. Siegel and Ahmed continued their march forward, taking the seventh and ninth spots.

Eves, one of only two drivers to break into the 126-second bracket, built a two-second lead at the one-third mark of the 15-lap race.

Miller, who started seventh, continued his march forward, getting by De Alba for the final spot on the podium and Green for second and starting the chase after Eves.

On the sixth lap, the gap between Eves and Miller remained at two seconds as the front two had an almost six-second gap back to De Alba in third.

On the next lap, Gold got by Green for fourth. Ahmed continued his march forward from his 16th starting spot, crossing under the crossed flags to signify the halfway mark of the race in sixth.

The pilot representing Pakistan was facing immense pressure from Siegel but was still able to put pressure on Gold and Green, getting by both of them on Lap 9 and moving into the fourth position.

At the front of the field, Miller was consistently two or three-tenths of a second quicker than winnowing the lead to 1.6 seconds with five laps remaining.

Points leader Foster has moved to the tenth position, but on Lap 10, he lost three spots, dropping to 13th in the running order.

With four laps remaining, the gap between Eves and Miller was down to 1.2 seconds. De Alba was fighting hard to keep the charging Ahmed and Gold behind him.

With three laps remaining, the gap between the No. 4 and No. 40 was under a second.

On the next lap, Miller had a slight error in Turn 14, losing a half-second and crossing the line 1.4 seconds adrift of Eves.

Miller kept in touch with Eves, crossing the line 1.2 seconds ahead of the Patterson Dental/Blue Marble sponsored No. 40 of Miller.

Ahmed and Gold kept immense pressure on De Alba. The trio crossed the line within a half-second but over 14 seconds back.

Cooper Tires Grand Prix Of Road America Powered By Elite Engines Race #2 results

The Indy Pro 2000 championship heads to another iconic road course – the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – for some July 4th fireworks.

Saturday produced another win for Louis Foster, driver of the No. 90 Exclusive Autosport, Copart.com, Novara Technologies Tatuus, in Road America. Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Tony DiZinno

As the Indy Pro 2000 Championship presented by Cooper Tires descended on Elkhart Lake’s Road America, the question on offer was whether anyone could stop Louis Foster and Exclusive Autosport’s win streak.

With Juncos Hollinger Racing locking out the front row, it looked good for either Reece Gold or Enaam Ahmed to snap it. But it all went away on the first lap, Foster found an opening into Turn 5, and went on his way to secure his third consecutive victory. The win is the first for Michael Duncalfe’s Exclusive Autosport program at Road America and the 14th for the team in the series. 

The 15-lap race opened with temps at 68 ambient and 74 track, overcast with the potential of more sprinkles or heavier rain following NTT INDYCAR Series qualifying.

The Juncos Hollinger Racing pair of Reece Gold and Enaam Ahmed led the 16-car field to green ahead of points leader Louis Foster (Exclusive Autosport), riding the strength of back-to-back wins at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park oval, and Braden Eves in the Jay Howard Driver Development car.

The field made it through cleanly through Turn 1, but there was contact and chaos into Turn 5 that jumbled the order for the rest of the race. 

Lindsay Brewer lost the rear of her Exclusive Autosport entry at Turn 5 and that brought out a full-course caution. A couple other cars ran wide as Ahmed was outside into Turn 5 behind Foster and Gold. 

In the first run through the corner, Foster moved to the lead, ahead of the JHDD pair of Salvador De Alba and Braden Eves, Josh Green in fourth in his Turn 3 Motorsport entry and Jack William Miller in fifth with Kiko Porto in sixth. The JHR pair fell to seventh and eighth with Gold ahead of Ahmed, then Jonathan Browne and Colin Kaminsky completing the top 10.

The reason the JHR cars fell back: Gold and Ahmed both went way wide at Turn 5, as did a handful of other cars out of frame. 

After the full-course caution, the race resumed at the start of Lap 3. 

The field made it single-file through Turn 1. Green tried around the outside of Eves into T5, but lost momentum on exit, which allowed Miller to come through. 

Porto sustained some front wing damage and Gold fell back as well, down three more spots to ninth by the end of Lap 3. In his debut with Exclusive Autosport after moving from JHDD, Wyatt Brichacek also brought his car to pit lane on the same lap. 

Foster’s gap to De Alba was 0.8981 of a second with Eves third, Green fourth and Miller fifth. 

Green advanced two spots on Lap 5 to get past both JHDD cars and move the Turn 3 Motorsport car up the order. 

Foster’s gap to Green was 2.3949 on Lap 6. Both JHR cars advanced this lap; Ahmed passed Miller for fifth and Gold passed Kaminsky for eighth. 

Miller pitted on Lap 7, which took him out of contention. He needed a new front wing. 

Ahmed staged a strong recovery drive. He was back by Eves on Lap 10 and then worked to get by De Alba shortly after that. It was a great battle among the four cars from JHR and JHDD for third through sixth. 

Foster took the white flag with a gap of 3.7638 over Green, and without any further issues took the checkered flag by a gap of 3.6090 seconds. Ahmed capped off his comeback in P3. 

On the podium, Foster explained how the path opened for him to get past the JHR cars for the lead and eventual win. 

“It was decently wet, especially for slicks. There was surface residue,” said the driver of the No. 90 Copart.com/Novara Technologies Tatuus. 

“It was quite tricky. I went into Turn 5, wasn’t really pushing it. They went side by side. As they went in, they went straight off. I hd to push to get away from Braden, then saw Josh get past Braden. Can’t thank the team enough. They pulled the car apart after issues in quali.” 

Foster’s win extends his points lead, unofficially, to 28 points over Gold (215-187). Nolan Siegel, who had a quiet race, sits third with 177 points. Ahmed is fourth on 165, Green now fifth on 164. 

Tomorrow’s second race of the weekend and 10th of the season is at 8:30 a.m. CDT and local time. 

Cooper Tires Grand Prix Of Road America Powered By Elite Engines – Indy Pro 2000 Race #1 Unofficial Results

The SessionGuardian/Zimperium sponsored No. 3 of Josh Green (Turn 3 Motorsport), pole winner for the second Indy Pro 2000 race at Road America, on pit road. Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

Cooper Tires Grand Prix Of Road America Powered By Elite Engines Qualifying #2 results

Reece Gold in The Ticket Clinic sponsored No. 55 from the Juncos Hollinger Racing stable won his 8th Indy Pro 2000 pole at Road America. Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

Reece Gold will start a race from the pole for the third time this season and the eighth time in his Indy Pro 2000 career.

It’s the team’s series-leading sixth pole at Road America and their 62nd all-time Indy Pro 2000 inside front row start.

The Juncos Hollinger Racing sophomore will be joined on the front row by his 22-year-old teammate Enaam Ahmed, who matches his best start of the season.

Current points leader Exclusive Autosport rookie Louis Foster will start behind Gold, with veteran Braden Eves starting alongside Foster.

Qualifying for the first of two Cooper Tires Grand Prix Of Road America Powered By Elite Engines races began at 11:15 am. The skies were partly cloudy, the ambient temperature was 75F, and the track temperature was 87.4F.

The 16 drivers had a 30-minute window to complete 20 minutes of green flag qualifying.

Drivers hit the track with sticker Cooper Tires.

With a lap of the 4.014-mile, 14-turn natural terrain road course taking over two minutes, quickly getting ‘on it’ was crucial.

After the field had completed two laps, Foster held the provisional pole over Gold by 0.2417 seconds. Brichacek, Miller, and Ahmed were the top five behind the Exclusive Autosport rookie.

Foster and Miller came to pit road after two laps.

The rest of the drivers completed three laps before coming to pit road for adjustments and fresh Cooper Tires. Just before the pitting, Gold grabbed the provisional pole, going a slim 0.0598 seconds quicker than Foster.

The top ten at the halfway point of qualifying were Gold, Foster, Brichacek, Miller, Ahmed, Colin Kaminsky (Pabst Racing), Nolan Siegel (DEForce Racing), Josh Green (Turn 3 Motorsport), Jordan Missig (Pabst Racing), and Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing). It was a tight group, with less than eight-tenths of a second separating them.

The first driver to improve on fresh Cooper Tire slicks was Kaminsky, but the timing screen lit up green as drivers continued to improve.

Gold lowered the provisional pole time to 74.3358 seconds on his fifth lap, a massive 0.4690 seconds ahead of his teammate Ahmed.

The pilot of The Ticket Clinic sponsored No. 55 went quicker on his next lap, increasing his gap to his teammate.

The 17-year-old, who is second in points, was almost a half-second faster than his teammate Ahmed, but behind the Pakastani driver, starting positions from 2nd to 11th are gapped by only four-tenths of a second.

Cooper Tires Grand Prix Of Road America Powered By Elite Engines Qualifying #1 results

The Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires pole-sitter at Road America, has won nine of the 20 series races on the 4.014-mile, 14-turn natural terrain road course.

The average finishing position of the Indy Pro 2000 pole winner across the 20 races is 2.9. Inside front row starter for Race #2 in 2020, Manuel Sulaiman had the worst race, finishing 11th.

The average starting position of the Indy Pro 2000 pole winner at Road America is 3.9.