Archives for 2021 Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Coverage

Indy Lights season features 14 races at 11 events

By Steve Wittich

The 2022 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires schedule announced today in Indianapolis will include 14 races across 11 unique events.

After seven seasons of stewardship by Andersen Promotions, the top rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will also feature promotion by sanctioning body INDYCAR for the first time since 2013.

Fans can expect to see more integration with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, including an integrated paddock when space permits, race officiating, marketing, and digital assets.

“To have all 14 races included with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule and its world-class venues is a tremendous step forward,” said Levi Jones, director of Indy Lights. “In addition to competing for the 2022 championship, Indy Lights drivers, crew members, and teams will be able to see up close how event weekends run and operate in INDYCAR.

“Racing is the part they’ve known their whole life. Our goal is to also allow them the opportunity to see what it takes to become a true professional. The chance to connect and closely interact with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock is a pathway to realize that goal.”

The 14 race sked includes nine races on natural terrain road courses, including three races in eight days to close out the season and award the championship.

The four races on street circuits include two in the Motor City and the first trip to Tenessee.

Two races will take place on ovals and includes a return to the Iowa Speedway bull-ring for the first time since 2018.

The season will begin on the Streets Of St. Petersburg for the 12th time and come to a close 196 days later at the historic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Test days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course), World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway, and Iowa Speedway will also be part of the season.

The key is we are training successful athletes today to become superstars tomorrow,” Jones said. “Tests and races at all three venues, combined with the remaining schedule, will help provide each of our drivers the experience they need to be ready for the final step of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”

In the United States, all races will be broadcast live on Peacock Premium, NBCUniversal’s expanding streaming service, with additional coverage during race weekends provided by the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Start times for the races will be announced at a later time.

Andretti Autosport’s Robb leads Indy Lights team test at Sebring

Sting Ray Robb during the Indy Lights portion of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

The second day of Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires team testing at the race track that began life as Hendricks Army Airfield ended with a new driver topping the timesheet. Series returnee Sting Ray Robb, who made a move to Andretti Autosport in the offseason, was the quickest of the 13 drivers, turning a fast lap at 55.890 seconds.

During yesterday’s action on the 1.7-mile circuit Sebring International Raceway “short course,” the top six drivers were within a second of the best lap time; today, it was the top ten that ended the day with 0.5 seconds of leader Robb.

The one thing that didn’t change from the first day of Indy Lights testing was the even split between HMD Motorsports / Global Racing Group and Andretti Autosport among the top six.

With the 2020 Indy Pro 2000 champion leading the way, Andretti Autosport grabbed the top spot, followed within one-tenth of a second by fellow series veteran HMD Motorsports’ Danial Frost.

Benjamin Pedersen (Global Racing Group w/ HMD), who topped yesterday’s timesheet, had the third quickest time. Hunter McElrea (Andretti Autosport), the only true rookie in the top six, was joined by his veteran teammate Matthew Brabham and HMD Motorsports’ Manuel Sulaiman, who made six Indy Lights starts at the end of the 2021 season.

The baker’s dozen pilots completed 1,251 laps of running on the track that features concrete patches, plenty of bumps, 90-degree corners, and best mimics a street course. TJ Speed Motorsports rookie Kyffin Simpson was the busiest driver, completing 130 circuits of the 1.7-mile circuit.

Unofficial times from day #2 of Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires team testing at Sebring International Raceway

RANK DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 Sting Ray Robb Andretti Autosport 55.890 99
2 Danial Frost HMD Motorsports 55.990 -0.100 79
3 Benjamin Pedersen Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports 56.034 -0.144 92
4 Hunter McElrea Andretti Autosport 56.035 -0.145 106
5 Matthew Brabham Andretti Autosport 56.095 -0.205 112
6 Manuel Sulaiman HMD Motorsports 56.116 -0.226 96
7 Kyffin Simpson TJ Speed Motorsports 56.169 -0.279 130
8 Christian Rasmussen Andretti Autosport 56.229 -0.339 117
9 Ernie Francis, Jr. HMD Motorsports 56.239 -0.349 104
10 Artem Petrov TJ Speed Motorsports 56.374 -0.484 103
11 Jacob Abel Abel Motorsports 56.581 -0.691 105
12 Christian Bogle HMD Motorsports 56.697 -0.807 97
13 James Roe TJ Speed Motorsports

Pederson (Global Racing Group w/HMD) and McElrea (Andretti Autosport) lead first day of Indy Lights team testing at Sebring

The HMD Motorsports / Global Racing Group armada waits for the fog to lift at Sebring International Raceway (link to HMD Motorsports Instagram Post)

By Steve Wittich

After a day of NTT INDYCAR SERIES testing on the 10-turn, 1.7-mile circuit Sebring International Raceway “short course,” it was time for the first of two days of team testing in central Florida for a baker’s dozen Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires drivers.

Newly signed Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports veteran Benjamin Pedersen led the way during the first day. The 22-year-old, who had six podiums in his rookie Indy Lights season, set the pace with a lap timed at 56.3564 seconds.

Hunter McElrea (Andretti Autosport) ended his day only one-tenth of a second behind Pedersen in the test, which saw the top six within four-tenths of a second of the top spot.

Drivers representing HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group and Andretti Autosport split those six spots evenly. Danial Frost and Manuel Sulaiman finished the first of two days with the third and fourth-best times, while Andretti Autosport’s pair of Indy Pro 2000 champions Christian Rasmussen and Sting Ray Robb were fifth and sixth on the unofficial time-sheet.

The 13 drivers completed 1,282 circuits of the track that best simulates a road course, with HMD Motorsports newcomer Ernie Francis, Jr., the busiest of the group. The seven-time Trans-Am Series champion completed 116 laps.

Unofficial times from Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires team testing at Sebring International Raceway

RANK DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 Benjamin Pedersen Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports 56.3564 104
2 Hunter McElrea Andretti Autosport 56.4893 -0.1329 91
3 Danial Frost HMD Motorsports 56.5288 -0.1724 88
4 Manuel Sulaiman HMD Motorsports 56.6395 -0.2831 103
5 Christian Rasmussen Andretti Autosport 56.6725 -0.3161 104
6 Sting Ray Robb Andretti Autosport 56.7240 -0.3676 88
7 Matthew Brabham Andretti Autosport 56.9043 -0.5479 78
8 Kyffin Simpson TJ Speed Motorsports 57.0580 -0.7016 98
9 Christian Bogle HMD Motorsports 57.1318 -0.7754 110
10 Ernie Francis, Jr. HMD Motorsports 57.1366 -0.7802 116
11 Jacob Abel Abel Motorsports 57.2534 -0.897 101
12 Artem Petrov TJ Speed Motorsports 57.3638 -1.0074 89
13 James Roe TJ Speed Motorsports 57.8883 -1.5319 112

While their big brothers were in Florida, the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires, Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, and Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires teams and drivers spent Monday and Tuesday testing at cool and damp Barber Motorsports Park.

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Christian Rasmussen, reigning Indy Pro 2000 champ joins Andretti Autosport for Indy Lights

Christian Rasmussen during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

The reigning Indy Pro 2000 Champion, Christian Rasmussen, will join Andretti Autosport for the 2022 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season. Rasmussen looks to claim his third consecutive Road to Indy championship after being crowned back-to-back champion in 2020 in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and in 2021 with the Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Championship.

“We are thrilled to have Christian joining our 2022 Indy Lights program,” said J-F Thormann, President, Andretti Autosport. “Christian has an impressive resume in the Road to Indy after winning back-to-back championships and we know that his caliber of talent is a great fit for our team.”

The dynamic Danish driver has won 19 times in Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires action, including two seasons in USF2000 and one season in Indy Pro 2000. Rasmussen has stood on the podium in 29 of his last 43 Road To Indy starts on the way to a third-place USF2000 finish in 2019 and USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 championships in 2020 and 2021.

“I am very excited to be a part of the Andretti family,” said Rasmussen. “To be a part of a big corporation like Andretti Autosport is something I have been working towards since I started racing. Coming in as the 2021 Champion from Indy Pro 2000, I am excited to get to work with the team and compete up front in Indy Lights in 2022.”

Rasmussen will pilot the No. 28 Andretti Autosport Dallra, the same number as the most recent Andretti Autosport Indy Lights champions Kyle Kirkwood (2021) and Oliver Askew (2019).

Rasmussen, a 21-year-old from Copenhagen, Denmark, joins already confirmed Andretti Autosport drivers Hunter McElrea and Sting Ray Robb in what is expected to be a four-car Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires team.

Largest Indy Lights fields in over a decade expected in 2022

The Indy Lights field streams out of pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

By Steve Wittich

With fields expected in the upper teens, the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires championship will have its fullest fields in over a decade.

With four months remaining in the series ‘silly season,’ TSO Ladder counts eight teams and 16 drivers as expected, and five more cars as probable or possible.

The number includes four new teams – Abel Motorsports, Force Indy, Exclusive Autosport, and TJ Speed Motorsports.

Andretti Autosport had four cars at the recent Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Matthew Brabham, Hunter McElrea, Christian Rasmussen, and Sting Ray Robb. Robb is already confirmed, and official announcements of the rest of the team’s pilots will come soon.

HMD Motorsports / Global Racing Group had five cars at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test, with one of those cars operated for Force Indy and driver Ernie Francis, Jr.

TSO Ladder understands that Force Indy has purchased an IL-15 of their own and will likely run the seven-time Trans-Am Series champion in 2022.

Global Racing Group and HMD Motorsports, who led this weekend’s test with Benjamin Pedersen, will be a four-car team, with a fifth car in the probable category. Also testing with the team this weekend was Christian Bogle, Danial Frost, and Manuel Sulaiman.

Ricardo Juncos told TSO Ladder that he expects Juncos Hollinger Racing to run a pair of Indy Lights cars alongside his Indy Pro 2000 and NTT INDYCAR SERIES programs. The team tested Rasmus Lindh and Matteo Nannini at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test.

TJ Speed Motorsports, a new Indy Lights team run by a familiar face, entered a single car for the already confirmed Kyffin Simpson at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test. However, team owner Tim Neff, a multi-championship-winning Indy Lights engineer, assured TSO Ladder that the program would be two cars. We also understand that a third car is possible.

Abel Motorsports, who have competed in the USF2000, Formula Regional Americas Championship, and Indy Pro 2000 series with driver Jacob Abel, have purchased a pair of IL-15s. Spearheading the minimum one-car program is team manager John Brunner and engineer Kent Boyer, a pair that have won A LOT of American junior formula races. A second car for the Speedway, Ind.-based team is in the possible category.

Returning to competition for a second season of action will be Pserra Racing/AS Promotions with driver Antonio Serravalle. The team has made it known that a second car is in the possible category.

Last but not least is Exclusive Autosport. In the spring, the Canadian team, who most recently won the Indy Pro 2000 team championship, will be breaking ground on a new shop in Brownsburg, Ind. They were hoping to run one car at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test, but with the global shipping slowdown, they were, unfortunately, missing an essential part to make that happen. An official announcement on the program is imminent, with one car expected and another one possible.

 

 

Benjamin Pedersen leads the Indy Lights portion of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS – notes, quotes, stats and photos from the 2 days of testing

The Indy Lights field streams out of pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

By Steve Wittich

The Chris Griffis Memorial Test officially marks the end of an Indy Lights season, but in reality, the two-day showcase at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway acts more like a prelude to the next season.

And, like the second half of the 2021 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season, Benjamin Pedersen’s stellar driving continued as the Global Racing Group w/HMD Motorsports pilot was hot.

After being outscored by eight of his contemporaries over the first ten races, the Danish-born Washington State resident was outscored by only three drivers in the second ten races.

Pederson’s fastest lap, timed at 85.4619 seconds, came on Saturday afternoon and withstood 726 laps on Sunday – barely.

In the final session, Indy Lights newcomers Kyffin Simpson and TJ Speed Motorsports just missed out on top test honors and was one of four driver-team combinations within a tenth of a second of Pedersen’s quick lap.

“It was a great two-day test,” said Pedersen. “Yesterday, both sessions that we did we were P1 so the car was working really well.

“It was a little bit of tire strategy today. We were saving some sets for the last session, so on used pace today we were still the fastest which was really good.

“The last session, we tried some things that didn’t work out but we knew where we were yesterday.

“Overall, really happy to finish the test fastest. We are just trying to continue our momentum and work hard on focusing on our own program. I’m excited to continue this pre-season and get the new year going.”

Benjamin Pedersen gets ready to head out on track during the 2021 edition of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

Indy Lights session recaps

Saturday

Test Session #1

The damp session on the 2.58-mile, 14-turn road course was lightly subscribed, with five of the 14 drivers on hand turning more than a single lap.

Jacob Abel in the No. 3 Abel Motorsports IL-15 navigates a wet front straight at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

Jacob Abel, who moves up from Indy Pro 2000 with Abel Motorsports, was the quickest group that turned laps at speed, with fellow newcomers Matteo Nannini (Juncos Hollinger Racing) Kyffin Simpson (TJ Speed Motorsports) rounding out the top three.

Test Session #2

Lap times in the second 45-minute test session were almost ten seconds quicker on a dry track. The 14 drivers completed 285 laps, and this time, the Indy Lights veterans led the way, turning the five fastest laps in the post-lunch testing time.

Global Racing Group w/ HMD Benjamin Pedersen, with a lap timed of 86.1408 seconds, led Rasmus Lindh (Juncos Racing), Sting Ray Robb (Andretti Autosport), Danial Frost (HMD Motorsports), and Manuel Sulaiman (HMD Motorsports). Hunter McElrea (Andretti Autosport) and Christian Rasmussen (Andretti Autosport) were the quickest newcomers in a tight session that saw the top 10 drivers with one second of Pedersen.

Test Session #3

Pedersen was able to go seven-tenths of a second quicker in the final Saturday session, once again heading the test session and the combined timesheet on the first of two days of testing.

This time, it was a mix of veterans and newcomers in the top five, with Indy Lights rookies McElrea and Abel holding down the second and fourth spots. Indy Lights veterans Danial Frost and Rasmus Lindh were third and fourth on the end-of-the-day timing screens.

Andretti Autosport drivers Sting Ray Robb and Christian Rasmussen had mechanical issues in the final session and could not turn in a representative time.

The 14 Indy Lights drivers completed 619 laps on Saturday. TJ Speed Motorsports rookie Simpson was the busiest of the bunch, completing 152.22 miles of running.


Sunday

Test Session #4

The sun started shining through for the first of three 45-minute test sessions, with the 14 drivers completing 237 laps.

Rasmus Lindh, a 20-year-old, a USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 vice-champion, is working hard to get back into open-wheel full-time after a successful two-season sojourn in prototypes, was the third different driver to lead one of the half-dozen test sessions.

Rasmus Lindh gets instructions from Juncos Hollinger Racing team owner Ricardo Juncos (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

Kyffin Simpson and Danial Frost were within a scant five-hundredths of a second of Lindh, while nine of the 14 drivers were within a half-second of the Swede at the top of the timesheet.

Test Session #5

The middle stanza on the second day of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test saw another new driver and team lead a session, showing the depth of the potential talent for the upcoming 2022 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season.

Hunter McElrea, a newcomer to Andretti Autosport and Indy Lights, was the quickest of the drivers. The American-born, Australian-raised Kiwi, made his first Road To Indy appearance at this same test in 2017.

Hunter McElrea’s Andretti Autosport machine in the garage during the 2021 Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

Matteo Nannini, an Italian-Argentine pilot, found pace in the final two sessions, ending with the second quickest lap in each. Nannini the 2021 season in the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships, winning at the Hungaroring in F3. The 18-year-old dual citizen is the nephew of Formula 1 race winner Alessandro Nannini.

Sting Ray Robb, the 2020 Indy Pro 2000 champion, who recently signed with Andretti Autosport, proved that he hadn’t lost his pace, finishing test session #5 with the third quickest time.

Test Session #6

The final Indy Lights session of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test is always the craziest as teams and drivers attempt to make one last statement in front of their rivals.

As the track cools down in the late afternoon session, teams mount their final set of sticker tires in the last 15-minutes, looking to “win” the test.

TJ Speed Motorsports Simpson came so close to doing just that, turning a lap that was only 0.0231 seconds slower than Pedersen’s best lap on late Saturday afternoon. The current Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered By Honda points leaders were the fifth different driver and fifth different team to lead one of six test sessions.

 

The No. 21 TJ Speed Motorsports car belong to Kyffin Simpson on track during the 2021 Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)


So stinking competitive

  • On the combined timesheet, the top five drivers – representing four teams were separated by less than a tenth of a second, and the top ten drivers were within three-tenths of a second.
  • Five different drivers and teams lead one of the test sessions.
  • Eleven of the 14 drivers were finished at least one test session in the top five.

2021 Chris Griffis Memorial Test Indy Lights combined timesheet

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM TIME DIFF. TOTAL LAPS
1 24 Benjamin Pedersen Global Racing Group w/ HMD 85.4619 98
2 21 Kyffin Simpson TJ Speed Motorsports 85.4850 -0.0231 116
3 27 Hunter McElrea Andretti Autosport 85.5218 -0.0599 93
4 15 Matteo Nannini Juncos Hollinger Racing 85.5425 -0.0806 98
5 28 Christian Rasmussen Andretti Autosport 85.5509 -0.089 80
6 51 Rasmus Lindh Juncos Hollinger Racing 85.5988 -0.1369 100
7 79 Danial Frost HMD Motorsports 85.6569 -0.195 97
8 2 Sting Ray Robb Andretti Autosport 85.6578 -0.1959 81
9 3 Jacob Abel Abel Motorsports 85.7317 -0.2698 95
10 83 Matthew Brabham Andretti Autosport 85.7868 -0.3249 99
11 59 Manuel Sulaiman HMD Motorsports 86.0205 -0.5586 97
12 99 Ernie Francis, Jr. HMD Motorsports 86.0566 -0.5947 96
13 11 Antonio Serravalle Pserra Racing/AS Promotions 86.5942 -1.1323 96
14 7 Christian Bogle HMD Motorsports 86.7779 -1.316 99

Consistency

The 2022 Indy Lights field is shaping up to be the largest and deepest in over a decade (more on that in an individual story), making consistency even more critical.

With six 45-minute sessions over two days, examining who was the most consistent can give fans a hint of what to expect next year. To accomplish that, TSO ladder averages the finishing position in each of the sessions, ignoring any sessions the driver turned one or fewer laps and removing each driver’s worst session.

Eight drivers’ average session finish was 5.0 or lower, portending what is shaping into an epic 2022 season of competition.

The average session finishes in the 2021 Chris Griffis Memorial Test.

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM AVG.
1 24 Benjamin Pedersen Global Racing Group w/ HMD 2.8
2 51 Rasmus Lindh Juncos Hollinger Racing 3.4
3 27 Hunter McElrea Andretti Autosport 3.8
4 79 Danial Frost HMD Motorsports 4.0
5 21 Kyffin Simpson TJ Speed Motorsports 4.2
6 15 Matteo Nannini Juncos Hollinger Racing 4.2
7 2 Sting Ray Robb Andretti Autosport 4.5
8 28 Christian Rasmussen Andretti Autosport 5.0
9 3 Jacob Abel Abel Motorsports 6.8
10 83 Matthew Brabham Andretti Autosport 7.3
11 59 Manuel Sulaiman HMD Motorsports 8.3
12 99 Ernie Francis, Jr. HMD Motorsports 9.3
13 11 Antonio Serravalle Pserra Racing/AS Promotions 12.3
14 7 Christian Bogle HMD Motorsports 12.6
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Jagger Jones leads first day of USF2000 Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS

Jagger Jones behind the wheel of the No. 3 Cape Motorsports race car. The 19-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona was the quickest driver on Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

On only his third day in an open-wheel car on a dry track, Jagger Jones was the quickest of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship pilots during the first day of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test.
The third-generation racer, piloting the No. 3 for Cape Motorsports, ended the first day of testing with a best lap of 105.9984 seconds, only a hundredth-of-a-second ahead of Legacy Autosport veteran Simon Sikes on the combined Saturday timesheet.
A pair of DEForce Racing pilots from North Of The Border was the next on the combined timesheet, with newcomer Mac Clark going a little quicker than USF2000 winning teammate Thomas Nepveu.
Jackson Lee, testing with Cape Motorsports, rounded out the top five.
The top ten drivers were all within one second of Jones’ quickest lap.
The most consistent driver of the group was Clark. The debutant, who won five races on the way to a second-place championship finish in the just-completed F4 United States Championship Powered By Honda season, was the only driver to end each of the three 45-minute test sessions in the top five.
The 17-year-old from Milton, Ontario led the first test session on a damp 2.58-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, finished the second session on an almost dry track, and third in the final session on a dry track. Also in the top three in the early morning session were Dylan Christie and Jones.

Mac Clark behind the wheel of the No. 12 DEForce Racing machine on a wet Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

The quickest driver in the second test session on a quickly drying track was Legacy Autosport’s, Simon Sikes. The four-time USF2000 podium finisher was joined in the top three in that session by Jackson Lee and Trey Burke.
The top five average sessions finish during Saturday’s three test sessions were:
  1. Mac Clark – 3.0
  2. Jagger Jones – 4.7
  3. Jackson Lee – 5.0
  4. Simon Sikes – 5.0
  5. Thomas Nepveu – 5.3
The 13 drivers with operable transponders completed 600 laps. The busiest of the drivers was Exclusive Autosport’s Ethan Ho.
Viktor Anderson does not show up as turning laps, but the Legacy Autosport newcomer was on track but did not have an operational transponder.
Chris Griffis Memorial Test USF2000 Test Day #1 Combined Timesheet
RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM TIME DIFF. TOTAL LAPS
1 3 Jagger Jones Cape Motorsports 105.9984 44
2 19 Simon Sikes Legacy Autosport 106.0112 -0.0128 39
3 12 Mac Clark DEForce Racing 106.2502 -0.2518 44
4 10 Thomas Nepveu DEForce Racing 106.3935 -0.3951 37
5 2 Jackson Lee Cape Motorsports 106.5407 -0.5423 53
6 4 Nicholas d’Orlando Cape Motorsports 106.5654 -0.567 45
7 63 Trey Burke Joe Dooling Autosports 106.5744 -0.576 39
8 24 Ayrton Houk Pabst Racing 106.6535 -0.6551 57
9 11 Dylan Christie DEForce Racing 106.8669 -0.8685 36
10 91 Lucas Mann Exclusive Autosport 106.8824 -0.884 56
11 7 Yeoroo Lee Jay Howard Driver Development 107.3261 -1.3277 46
12 92 Ethan Ho Exclusive Autosport 107.6122 -1.6138 58
13 9 TJ Thompson Jay Howard Driver Development 107.6122 -1.6138 46
14 20 Viktor Andersson Legacy Autosport —— —— ——

Andersen Promotions Announces USAC Sanctioning

PALMETTO, Fla. – Andersen Promotions today announced a new agreement with the United States Auto Club (USAC Racing) to become the sanctioning body for the three racing series owned and operated by the organization – the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires as well as the new USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires.

Both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 are key steps on the highly visible Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, a scholarship-supported driver development platform to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500. The recently announced USF Juniors is a pre-step to the ladder system offering its champion a scholarship package to enter USF2000.

USAC Racing has enjoyed a storied history since being formed in 1956 as a sanctioning body for the United States National Championship and the Indianapolis 500. While its portfolio is best known in the circle track arena with Silver Crown, Sprint, Midget and .25 Midget sanctioning, it now governs a diverse motorsports platform which also includes the SRO World Challenge, Porsche Sprint Challenge and the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks.

“Thirty years ago when I first announced the USF2000 series launch in 1991, USAC stepped up and was my first sanctioning body,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “We’ve come full circle and I am very pleased to be back with them and look forward to a long-term relationship. USAC Racing is widely recognized for its operation of Midgets, Sprint cars and Silver Crown cars but they are also becoming increasingly prominent in road racing with Porsche and SRO. This is a great sanctioning body and we are proud to be with them.

“I would also like to thank INDYCAR, which has sanctioned the Road to Indy since its inception in 2010. INDYCAR’s focus is, understandably, on series it owns and operates. We’ll continue to use their services on race weekends and look forward to our ongoing relationship as a support series where our drivers continue along their path toward the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”

USAC Racing sanctioning services will include licensing and membership management, which will result in cost savings for teams and drivers. Andersen Promotions will continue to contract the services of INDYCAR for Race Control, Timing & Scoring and the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team with all events on its 2022 calendar for USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

The Road to Indy will be back in action later this month with its traditional Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on October 30/31. The outing will feature all three levels of the ladder including Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, which is owned by INDYCAR and will continue to operate under its sanction.

Source: Series PR

Levi Jones joins INDYCAR as director of Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires

Levi Jones will be joining INDYCAR as the new director of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series (Photo Courtesy of Penske Entertainment)

The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series, the top rung of the Road To Indy ladder, will have new leadership to start the new INDYCAR era of promotion. Today, the sanctioning body announced that veteran United States Auto Club driver and executive Levi Jones will be the director of Indy Lights.

“My entire career has been in racing, and moving to INDYCAR and Indy Lights is the perfect next step,” said the 39-year-old. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue to grow Indy Lights and expand its legacy and position as the ideal final step before the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

“It’s hard to put into words what joining an organization like INDYCAR really means. When you’re in racing, you always want to be a part of the biggest and the best. This is a dream come true.”

Jones, a winner of seven United States Auto Club (USAC) national championships – five Sprint car titles between 2005 & 2011 and two Silver Crown championships in 2010 & 2011 – will take over Indy Lights on November 1, 2021.

Most recently, Jones, who joined USAC in 2015, was the sanctioning bodies, executive vice president, working on all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the multitude of series, from maintaining and executing annual rule books, managing sponsorship for each series, negotiating sanctioning agreements, personnel management to working as race director for the Camping World SRX Series in its inaugural season in 2021

Kyle Kirkwood, who won the Indy Lights championship last week, will look to join the 34 Indy Lights grads that have won an Indy car race.

Those 34 drivers have won 262 total races since 1993, including ten of 17 during the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Nine Indy Lights drivers have won Indy car championships, including four of the last five.

“Because of his broad experience in and out of the cockpit, Levi is the perfect choice to become the director of Indy Lights,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “Levi is well respected in the racing industry and knows every angle of the sport as a driver, team owner, racetrack operator, and sanctioning body. We are excited to have Levi on board and look forward to the new era of INDYCAR operating Indy Lights.”

Welcome to the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, Levi!

Qualifying #2 – Indy Pro 2000 – McElrea quick in the wet, grabs fifth pole

 

Hunter McElrea, in the Giltrap Group/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory Partners sponsored No. 18 won his fifth pole of the season on a wet Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

A wet but clean Indy Pro 2000 qualifying session ended with Pabst Racing sophomore grabbing his fifth pole of the season. That ties him for the series lead with Juncos Hollinger Racing rookie Reece Gold.

Up until the very last second, it looked like newcomer Enaam Ahmed (Juncos Hollinger Racing) might grab his first American pole, but the Englishman had to settle for an outside front row result.

Starting behind the front two and representing team champions Exclusive Autosport will be Artem Petrov and Christian Brooks.

The third of three straight Road To Indy got going at 9:30 am. Unfortunately, it was still drizzling, and the track was still thoroughly wet.

Unlike their little and big brothers, USF2000 and Indy Lights, the middle kid kept their 20-minute qualifying session green early and often.

Presumptive champion Christian Rasmussen did not appear during the session. The Dane only needs to start this afternoon’s race to claim the championship, and risking damage on a slick track wasn’t worth it.

At the halfway point of the session, McElrea held the provisional pole, with Petrov, Ahmed, Brooks, and Eves holding down the first five spots on the timing screen.

With eight minutes remaining, returnee Ahmed went too deep into Turn 4, sliding through the grass and getting sideways in the gravel. However, the one-time BRDC British F3 kept the power down and was able to continue.

With 90-seconds remaining, Ahmed went a half second quicker than his competitors, taking the provisional pole.

It looked like the 21-year-old’s lap might stand, but on his tenth of ten laps, the Aussie was able to go a full second quicker.

VP Racing Lubricants Grand Prix Of Mid-Ohio Presented by Cooper Tires qualifying #2 results

RANK NO. NAME TEAM DIFFERENCE
1 18 Hunter McElrea Pabst Racing —-
2 22 Enaam Ahmed Juncos Racing 1.0399
3 42 Artem Petrov Exclusive Autosport 1.2010
4 44 Christian Brooks Exclusive Autosport 1.4592
5 91 Braden Eves Exclusive Autosport 2.9628
6 3 James Roe Turn 3 Motorsport 3.2147
7 55 Reece Gold Juncos Racing 3.2653
8 5 Wyatt Brichacek Jay Howard Driver Development 5.6868
9 19 Jordan Missig Pabst Racing 8.2105
10 51 Jacob Abel Abel Motorsports 11.2706
11 40 Jack William Miller Miller Vinatieri Motorsports 11.8283
12 1 Christian Rasmussen Jay Howard Driver Development
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