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

The first official Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires session of the Road America weekend got the green flag at 8:45 am. The ambient and track temperatures were 71F and 72F when the half-hour session began.

Jay Howard Driver Development veteran Braden Eves, who has four top-five finishes at Road America, was the early driver at the top of the timing screens with a lap of 75.4503 seconds at the halfway point of practice.

He was followed in the top ten by his teammate Salvador de Alba, Colin Kaminsky (Pabst Racing), Enaam Ahmed (Juncos Hollinger Racing), Jordan Missig (Pabst Racing), Reece Gold (Juncos Hollinger Racing), Louis Foster (Exclusive Autosport), Josh Green (Turn 3 Motorsport), Jonathan Browne (Turn 3 Motorsport) and Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), who were all within a second of Eves best time.

With ten minutes remaining, lap times began to fall, with Juncos Hollinger Racing teammates Ahmed and Gold improving on their seventh and sixth laps of practice. However, the duo was still three-tenths of a second behind Eves in the CCFI/Huston Insurance/Addison Holdings sponsored No. 4.

Drivers continued circulating, but the Cooper Tires had reached their peak, and nobody was able to go quicker.

The entire practice was run under green conditions, and the 15 drivers with working transponders completed 157 laps (630.198 miles).

Wyatt Brichacek (Exclusive Autosport) was on track but had a transponder issue.

Indy Pro 2000 – Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered By Elite Engines Practice results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE LAPS
1 4 Braden Eves Jay Howard Driver Development 2:05.4166 —— 7
2 47 Enaam Ahmed Juncos Hollinger Racing 2:05.7031 -0.2865 11
3 6 Salvador De Alba Jay Howard Driver Develpment 2:05.7328 -0.3162 11
4 55 Reece Gold Juncos Hollinger Racing 2:05.7554 -0.3388 10
5 27 Colin Kaminsky Pabst Racing 2:05.8168 -0.4002 9
6 19 Jordan Missig Pabst Racing 2:05.9054 -0.4888 11
7 90 Louis Foster Exclusive Autosport 2:05.9903 -0.5737 11
8 3 Josh Green Turn 3 Motorsport 2:06.2724 -0.8558 10
9 2 Jonathan Browne Turn 3 Motorsport 2:06.4019 -0.9853 10
10 40 Jack William Miller Miller Vinatieri Motorsports 2:06.4650 -1.0484 12
11 1 Kiko Porto DEForce Racing 2:06.5510 -1.1344 11
12 8 Nolan Siegel DEForce Racing 2:06.5802 -1.1636 11
13 18 Yuven Sundaramoorthy Pabst Racing 2:06.9464 -1.5298 11
14 93 Lindsay Brewer Exclusive Autosport 2:07.0485 -1.6319 11
15 83 Charles Finelli FatBoy Racing 2:09.6520 -4.2354 11
16 92 Wyatt Brichacek Exclusive Autosport No Time — —

The middle rung of the Road To Indy, Presented by Cooper Tires, had a pair of test sessions on Thursday.

Gold (125.5618 seconds), Eves, Porto, Foster, and Miller were the top five in the first session.

Green, Foster, Siegel, Miller, and Kaminsky were the top five in the second session.

Past Indy Pro 2000 winners at Road America

YEAR DRIVER TEAM STARTING SPOT
2021 Race #2 Christian Rasmussen Jay Howard Driver Development 3
2021 Race #1 Manuel Sulaiman Juncos Hollinger Racing 1
2020 Race #2 Artem Petrov Juncos Racing 3
2020 Race #1 Danial Frost Turn 3 Motorsport 16
2019 Race #2 Kyle Kirkwood RP Motorsport 3
2019 Race #1 Kyle Kirkwood RP Motorsport 3
2018 Race #2 David Malukas BN Racing 1
2018 Race #1 David Malukas BN Racing 1
2017 Race #2 Anthony Martin Cape Motorsports 1
2017 Race #1 Victor Franzoni Juncos Racing 1
2016 Race #2 Aaron Telitz Team Pelfrey 1
2016 Race #1 Aaron Telitz Team Pelfrey 1
2010 Conor Daly Juncos Racing 1
2008 Peter Dempsey Andersen Racing 2
2007 Ron White Maxwell Racing 27
2006 Ron White Ross Smith Racing 3
2005 James Hinchcliffe AIM Autosport 3
2004 Michael McDowell Star Race Cars 3
2003 Michael McDowell Star Race Cars 1
2002 Guy Cosmo Racers Edge Motorsports 2

Qualifying for the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered By Elite Engines rolls off at 11:15 am.