USF2000 – Freedom 75 Qualifying results from the 0.686-mile Lucas Oil Raceway oval – Kaminsky recovers for first pole – championship leaders start deep in the field

Freedom 75 pole sitter Colin Kaminsky provided a trio of compelling storylines in a Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship qualifying session full of them.

1) A crash late in the afternoon practice session left the Pabst Racing crew only two-hours to get the 19-year-olds car fixed for his qualifying run.

2) Kaminsky’s first career Road To Indy pole began with the third quickest first laps, ended with the fastest second and overall lap, and had a two-lap average of 110.266 mph.

3) The pole run by the Pabst Racing veteran ended a run of 11-straight poles, dating back to 2000, by Cape Motorsports on the 0.686-mile Lucas Oil Raceway oval.

Pole Sitter Colin Kaminsky watches as other cars qualify for the Freedom 75 (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Starting outside of Kaminsky on the front row is Newman Wachs Racing rookie Cameron Shields. Australian Shields, who spent Tuesday with his mentor Will Power in Washington D.C. as part of media day for the Indianapolis 500, joined Kaminsky as the only other driver to average over 110 mph over the 1.372-miles of qualifying.

Cape Motorsports’ highest starting driver Reece Gold will start on the inside of the second row. The 14-year-old held the provisional pole through five drivers after a pair of consistent laps separated by only 0.365 mph.

Disappointing qualifying efforts by the top three in points should make for an exciting race. Points leader Braden Eves starts 12th on the grid and will have some work to do if he wants to win his fifth race. Hunter McElrea made a mistake on his second lap and will start from the back of the field. Manuel Sulaiman, who is tied for third with Darren Keane will start just ahead of Eves in 11th.

The order for the single car, two-lap qualifying for the Freedom 75 on the 0.686-mile Lucas Oil Raceway was determined by inverting the entries by championship points.

That meant the unmistakable bright red Indy Dental Group, LLC/Lumist sponsored No. 40 of Jack William Miller was the first car on the track. Miller turned in two consistent laps that averaged 109.433 mph, good enough for the outside of the fourth row.

Miller’s Miller Vinatieri Motorsports teammate Eduardo Barrichello, the fifth car on track was quicker than Miller on his first lap before dropping off on his second lap. Barrichello will start the race on the outside of row five.

The second car on track was Manuel Cabrera, whose first lap at 110.063 mph was the quickest first lap of all 19 drivers. Unfortunately, his second lap was over 0.6 mph slower, meaning the Exclusive Autosport driver will start on the outside of the second row.

Darren Keane, who comes into the lone oval event of the year tied for third place in the points has been looking for some luck and may have found it in his closest competitors misfortune. The 19-year-old turned in two laps in the high 109 mph range and will start Friday night’s race in sixth.

Hunter McElrea was on a qualifying attempt that would have given him a good chance at pole when the right rear of his Soul Red No. 22 from the Pabst Racing stable made contact with the wall at the exit of Turn 2. The 19-year-old was able to complete his run with a car that crab-walked across the line and will have to start at the tail of the 19-car field. The Aussie should be fun to watch as he tries to carve his way through the field.

The last car on the track, was the Cape Motorsports Magic 8 Ball driven by Braden Eves. The winner of the first four races of the year turned the fifth slowest second lap of qualifying and will start the race in 12th spot.

Freedom 75 Qualifying Results.

A 20-minute practice at 4:05 pm precedes the 75 lap race scheduled to start at 6:45 pm

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

• download the Road To Indy TV app from the Apple App Store or on Google Play to get video, audio, timing & scoring, news from TSO Ladder and much more – you can also get Road To Indy TV via Apple TV, Amazon Video, Roku or Microsoft Xbox One
• IndyCar Radio will have all of your Indy Lights action at  IndyCar Race Control, indycarradio.com, the tune-in app and website, XM Channel 209, Sirius Channel 216, Web Channel 970, or the Sirius / XM app
• Indy Lights races will be available for view with the purchase in the USA with the purchase of the NBC Gold IndyCar Package
• Outside of the USA, you’ll be able to watch the Indy Lights races on all of the Road To Indy TV app delivery options, Indy Lights YouTube channel, and Road To Indy TV Facebook page
• live timing – Road To Indy TV – Indy Lights – Pro Mazda – USF2000 – IndyCar Race Control
• on twitter – TSO Ladder – Team Cooper Tire – Road To Indy TV – Indy Lights – Indy Pro 2000 – USF2000
• on all social media channels via the #TeamCooperTire and #RoadToIndy hashtags
• please subscribe to the following YouTube channels: Road To Indy TV for a post-race weekend wrap-up show, and USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 for previous races.