By Steve Wittich

For the third straight Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires race, Rinus van Kalmthout (VeeKay) sixth time this season and 13th time in his Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires career will start a race from the pole.

VeeKay’s pole-winning lap of 66.017 seconds was a dominating 0.628 seconds quicker than outside front row sitter, HMD Motorsports/Team Pelfrey rookie Toby Sowery.

Presumptive Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew will start behind VeeKay on the inside of row two with his Andretti Autosport teammate Robert Megennis beside him.

Today’s pole is the second at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for Speedway, Ind. based Juncos Racing. Kyle Kaiser was a pole winner at his home track in 2016.

The eight Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires drivers were the first of three straight Road To Indy series to hit the 2.258-mile, 11-turn WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca road course for qualifying.

Because passing at the iconic circuit is difficult, the average starting position of the Indy Lights race winner at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is 1.95; qualifying is critical.

Before the halfway mark of the half-hour session, VeeKay and Sowery both spent time holding onto the provisional pole.

VeeKay’s lap of 66.6809 seconds at the 15-minute mark was two-tenths of a second ahead of Sowery. Askew was another tenth behind Sowery with Dalton Kellett and Robert Megennis.

At that point in the session, all drivers were on pit-road for adjustments and sticker tires.

The first drivers to go quicker on their fresh Cooper Tires were Sowery and Askew but were not able to surpass VeeKay who lowered the provisional pole to 66.681 seconds.

The next driver to go to the provisional pole was Kellett at 66.611 seconds. That didn’t last long before his teammate VeeKay went back to the top of the timing screen with a lap that was almost six-tenths of a second quicker than any other driver.

With just under one minute remaining the red flag and checkered flag came out for Dalton Kellett had an issue in Turn 6. The veteran Canadian was set to start on the outside of the front row but lost his quickest lap for causing the stoppage.

Qualifying results for Indy Lights race #1

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires race #1 rolls off at 3:10 pm tomorrow.

By Steve Wittich

The first Indy Lights practice began promptly at 9:30 am. The skies were bright blue, and temperatures were comfortable in the mid-60s.

Oliver Askew led the early part of the session, but it was close. The top six drivers were all within a half-second of the 22-year-old.

We were able to watch the onboard of presumptive champion Askew for several laps in the first half of the session. The Index Invest sponsored No. 28 looked stable through ten of the 11 turns. Turn 6 seemed sketchy, but the high-speed left-hander should never be comfortable.

At the one-third point of the 45-minute session, VeeKay was the quickest driver at 77.286 seconds. Askew, Norman, Megennis, and Malukas made up the remainder of the top five.

With 25 minutes remaining, only Megennis was on track. The rest of the field was on pit road making adjustments before bolting on fresh Cooper Tire rubber and heading back on the track.

Megennis finally brought his Cybersecurity sponsored car to pit road and was replaced on track by his teammate Askew, who was the first driver back on track after replacing his Portland International Raceway carry over Cooper Tires.

Askew was quickly joined by teammate Norman and Belardi Auto Racing rookie Lucas Kohl.

With 20-minutes remaining in practice, Askew turned his quickest lap of the morning. The Jupiter, Fla. native went to the top of the timing screen, dropping the lowest time in two consecutive laps. He hit pit road immediately after turning a lap of 77.1958 seconds.

Juncos Racing teammates VeeKay and Kellett were the only drivers still on pit road with 17-minutes remaining.

With 10-minutes left in the session, only VeeKay and Megennis were the only cars still on the track.

With four minutes remaining, Kohl spun at the exit of the Corkscrew. The Belco Trading/Kohltrade/IVI Vision didn’t leave the tarmac, and he was able to continue.

In the last three minutes of the session, the trio of Andretti Autosport drivers lowered the quickest lap time several times. Askew was the first driver to turn a sub-77-lap and was joined by Megennis in the 76-second range.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Practice #1 results

Indy Lights are back on track for qualifying at 3:55 pm. You can get their autograph session in the fan village at 1:30 pm.

Race Weekend Basics

Race #1: Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products
Race #2: Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products

Race #1 green flag time: Saturday, September 21 at 3:10pm
Race #2 green flag time: Sunday, September 22 at 9:10am

Race #1 distance: 30 laps or 45 minutes
Race #2 distance: 35 laps or 60 minutes

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca qualifying track record: 74.2329 seconds by Max Chilton (Carlin) in 2015
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca race track records: 76.1633 by by Max Chilton (Carlin) in 2015

• Each entry can utilize four new sets of Cooper Tire slicks as well as one set of used/scuffed tires from the race at Portland International Raceway
• The timing line is located at Turn 10
• Drivers failing to slow at least 15% in a timing sector with a local yellow will be subject to a two-place grid spot penalty
• Drivers who fail to heed the checkered flag at the end of a session will receive a two-grid spot penalty
• Causing one red flag will result in a driver losing their fastest lap
• Causing a second red flag will wipe out all of drivers laps, and they will be parked for the remainder of the session
• Driver points are distributed as follows: 30 – 25 – 22 – 19 – 17 – 15 -14 – 13 – 12 – 11 – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – an additional one point will be awarded to the pole sitter and to the driver who leads the most laps.

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.

As the last car on the track, championship leader Oliver Askew knew precisely what he needed to grab his fourth straight and seventh pole position of the season. The Andretti Autosport rookie delivered with a two-lap average of 159.918 mph. The Jupiter, Fla. native was the only driver with a lap above 160mph.

It’s Askew’s 18th pole in 44 career Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires starts, giving the 22-year-old a career pole percentage of an impressive 40.9%.

Oliver Askew and the Index Invest sponsored No. 28 on track at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

It is the second straight year that an Andretti Autosport driver will start on pole at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway.

The track temperature was 30 degrees cooler than it was during the afternoon practice equating to entirely different conditions for the drivers.

“Not really, a little bit of a wing adjustment because the COP (Center of Pressure) changes with the cooler air,” explained Askew when TSO asked if they made any adjustments going into qualifying. “In a situation like this when you haven’t driven in this condition, it’s all about adapting to what it’s giving you. You have to push as hard as you can to find the limit (on the out-lap), but there is a happy medium because you don’t want to bin it.”

Lucas Kohl was the first driver to take to the 1.25-mile oval at 7:30 pm for his two-lap qualifying effort. The Belardi Auto Racing rookie will start ninth after a two-lap qualifying effort of 155.278mph.

Veteran Dalton Kellett was the next driver on the track followed by HMD Motorsports rookie David Malukas. Kellett will start tomorrow’s race on the outside of the third row.

Malukas was the first driver to surpass the 159 mph barrier with a two-lap run averaging 159.013mph. The 17-year-old held onto the provisional pole through two drivers, Andretti Autosport rookie Robert Megennis and his teammate Toby Sowery.

Andretti Autosport veteran Ryan Norman, the third to last driver to turn in a qualifying effort grabbed the provisional pole with a two-lap average of 159.248mph.

Rinus VeeKay, who was off the pace in last week’s test at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway, was the second to last driver on track, turning in two laps that were good enough for an outside front-row start.

After the session, we had a chance to chat with VeeKay, and he was happy with his qualifying effort. The Dutchman reminded us that he won from the same spot on the grid in last year’s Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race at this track.

Cooper Tires Indy Lights Oval Challenge of St. Louis qualifying results 

The 75 lap Cooper Tires Indy Lights Oval Challenge of St. Louis is scheduled to get the green flag at 3:25 pm (central) on Saturday.

Points leader Oliver Askew led the lone practice session in preparation for the Cooper Tires Indy Lights Oval Challenge of St. Louis. The Andretti Autosport rookie turned the fastest lap of 161.000 mph, over 1mph quicker than his teammate Robert Megennis. 

Megennis, Rinus VeeKay, Toby Sowery, David Malukas, and Ryan Norman held down spots two through six and were separated by only 0.4mph. 

With 25-minutes remaining in the 45-minutes session, the yellow flag came out for a track inspection. 

Toby Sowery and David Malukas, with the newly renamed HMD Motorsports, held down the top two spots, followed by Rinus VeeKay, Oliver Askew and Robert Megennis. 

With 15-minutes remaining, the top five had not changed. 

At that point in the session, most drivers were in pit road for adjustment and a fresh set of Cooper Tire slicks. 

The Andretti Autosport drivers were the first back out on the 1.25-mile oval, with Askew grabbing the top spot on the timing screen with seven minutes remaining. 

The top four drivers at that point in the session were separated by only 0.05 seconds, equating to three-tenths of a mile per hour. 

Sowery and Malukas waited to go out on the track, but could not improve on their times and were eventually surpassed by Megennis and VeeKay to end with the fourth and fifth quickest times. 

The eight drivers turned a total of 360 laps in the 45-minute session. Megennis turned 59 laps the most of any driver. 

Cooper Tires Indy Lights Oval Challenge of St. Louis practice #1 results 

The top rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will be back on track at 7:30 pm (central) for two-lap, single-car qualifying. 

By Steve Wittich

Oliver Askew, who took the pole for race #1 yesterday afternoon, wasn’t satisfied with his lap time. The 22-year-old was the only driver to get into the 70-second range. His lap at 70.808 seconds broke that track record of Santi Urrutia from 2016 by one-tenth of a second.

After the session, Askew told Katie Hargitt that he had been studying Colton (Herta) and Patricio’s (O’Ward) data from last year, and he finally pipped them.

Askew makes it three for three, with all of the Road To Indy series race #1 pole sitters repeating the feat for race #2.

After having an issue in qualifying yesterday and only turning in the sixth-best lap, VeeKay recovered and will start beside his championship rival on the front row.

For the second straight qualifying session, it was Toby Sowery that ended up with the third quickest lap.

The second Indy Lights qualifying session of the weekend began promptly at 9:45 am. The ambient temperature was already 77F, and the track temperature was 84F.

With 10 minutes gone in the session, VeeKay held the provisional pole.

At the half-way point of the second session, VeeKay held the provisional pole with a lap at 71.5007 seconds. The Andretti Autosport trio of Megennis, Norman and Askew were the next three drivers on the timing screen, all within two-tenths of a second of VeeKay.

All nine drivers were on pit-road for adjustments and fresh Cooper Tire slicks.

With one-third of the 30-minute qualifying session, Megennis was the first driver to get back on the 2.258-Mile, 13-Turn Mid-Ohio Road Course.

It took three laps to get the Coopers up to the optimal operating temperature, but with just over four minutes remaining, Askew turned his fastest lap of the session at 71.4248 seconds.

Megennis jumped to the provisional pole, but that didn’t last long before Askew became the first driver to break into the 70-second range.

For the second straight qualifying session, Aaron Telitz and the No. 4 Belardi Auto Racing AER/Dallara IL-15 of brought out a red flag. This morning, the veteran spun in Turn 1, getting stuck in the gravel trap.

That ended the session 30 seconds early, and Telitz lost his fastest lap of the session.

Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio

The 20-lap or 50-minute Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Race #1 is scheduled to get underway at 1:20 pm.

By Steve Wittich

For the fifth time in 12 Indy Lights race this year, it will be Oliver Askew and his Index Invest Andretti Autosport No. 28 that will start on the pole. It’s the Jupiter, Fla. natives 16th career Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires pole win.

After getting out of the car, he told Katie Hargitt from NBC Gold that winning the pole at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is “massively important,” especially at a track where overtaking can be a challenge. He also thanked his crew for a “car that is on rails.”

Andretti Autosport has now won four straight poles at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and six overall.

Askew’s pole-winning lap was 0.2074 seconds quicker than fellow Andretti Autosport rookie Robert Megennis, who will start on the front row for the fourth time this year.

Oliver Askew hammers an apex at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the way to the pole for Race #1 (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Toby Sowery and his Gap Guard/Rich Energy sponsored No. 2 from the BN Racing/Team Pelfrey stable will start on the inside of the second row, the English driver’s best start since the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Starting beside Sowery, is Andretti Autosport veteran, Ohioan Ryan Norman.

The first of two Indy Lights qualifying session got underway at 2:30 pm. The ambient temperature was 80F, and the track temperature was 108F. A slight cloud cover began to roll in, meaning the track temperature was 10 degrees cooler than it was for the start of USF2000 qualifying.

Robert Megennis held the early provisional pole before his fellow Andretti Autosport rookie Askew took the top spot.

After just 10 minutes of running, Belardi Auto Racing veteran Aaron Telitz spun in Turn 12. The Belardi Auto Racing No. 4 got stuck in the long grass and had to be pushed back to the pavement by the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team. The Rice Lake, Wisc., based driver was able to drive back to the pits and rejoin the session.

For causing a red flag, Telitz lost his quickest lap of the session and will start seventh.

Because the red flag came out just before the half-way point of the session, the crews made adjustments to the AER/Dallara IL-15s and bolted on fresh Cooper Tire slicks.

When the green flag flew with 16-minutes remaining Askew held the provisional pole with a lap timed at 72.222 seconds. That was 0.3433 seconds ahead of his closest championship rival VeeKay. Dalton Kellett, Megennis and Norman made up the remainder of the top five.

All nine drivers were able to go quicker on their fresh Coopers. Much like the first half of qualifying, it was Askew that quickly went back to the point.

But behind him, things were much different. Askew’s teammate Megennis and Norman, along with Sowery were able to improve more than the Juncos Racing duo of Kellett and VeeKay.

Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Qualifying #1 Results

The first Indy Lights race of the weekend, a 30-lap or 50-minute race is scheduled to get the green flag tomorrow at 1:20 pm. However, the series will be back on track before that for Qualifying #2 at 9:45 am.