Archives for Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire – TSO

MRTI at Portland International Raceway – Saturday – Norman’s maiden pole, O’Ward incident cap off chaotic Indy Lights qualifying

Posted by  on Saturday, September 1st 2018     

Andretti Autosport once again had two drivers make headlines during the second Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires qualifying session at Portland International Raceway.

However while for most of the year it’s been Patricio O’Ward and Colton Herta, this morning it was O’Ward and Ryan Norman, for completely different reasons.

Norman scored his maiden pole in Indy Lights competition. But an off by O’Ward at Turn 4 leaves his Andretti crew facing a scramble drill to repair his damaged car before today’s first race of the weekend.

Qualifying for race two took place under cloudy skies just after 9:50 a.m. on Saturday morning.

For O’Ward, the opportunity to extend his record of pole positions in a season to 10 was there for the taking. But the chance came unglued shortly into the 30-minute session.

Six of the eight cars went out immediately after the green flag, with Juncos Racing’s pair of Victor Franzoni and Heamin Choi out next. Choi was back out for the first time since his incident in practice on Friday, after only completing three laps.

Early times were in the 1:07 range as the field of eight drivers warmed their Cooper Tires up to temperatures.

Belardi Auto Racing’s Aaron Telitz posted a 1:05.525 before his former Pro Mazda teammate O’Ward eclipsed that at 1:04.553.

There was a red flag with 22 minutes remaining, for O’Ward going wide, off course into the tires in Turn 4.

Per the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, the No. 27 Dallara IL-15 Mazda car was “not OK” while O’Ward was reported to get out of his car. Here is a photo of the car via @RoadToIndyTV.

Meanwhile the Andretti Autosport team was also checking the gearbox line of O’Ward’s teammate Norman’s car, as the engine cover was off the back of his car.

The No. 27 car was taken back to the paddock with left front suspension and nose damage. With less than four hours until the race start at 2:05 p.m. PT, the Andretti Autosport team faces a last-minute thrash to ensure O’Ward can make the start.

The session resumed with 10 and a half minutes remaining, and with O’Ward now sidelined and dropped down the order, the provisional grid was Colton Herta (1:04.963), Santi Urrutia, Victor Franzoni, Aaron Telitz, Ryan Norman, Patricio O’Ward, Dalton Kellett and Heamin Choi.

With limited time remaining, most teams bolted on a fresh set of sticker Coopers for the final run to the checkered flag.

Telitz improved to 1:04.786 to take the provisional pole with just over four minutes remaining.

Another red flag flew with just under four minutes remaining. Franzoni went off at Turn 11 and the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team quickly came to retrieve it. Franzoni got back going, out of the grass and into pit lane.

This was a quick red flag and with just over two minutes remaining everyone scrambled to get back out, with Herta, Norman, Kellett and Urrutia all in close quarters as Urrutia tried to pass the remaining three Andretti drivers. Telitz and Franzoni were out next and Choi, who was 19.5 seconds off pace, remained in the pits.

Telitz had 0.1765 of a second over Herta with Urrutia, Franzoni and Norman the provisional top five before the final laps.

However Norman went to the top at 1:04.5968 after the green flag to snatch the provisional pole.

He improved to 1:04.0687, a full half second quicker. Urrutia and Telitz both came close but were unable to topple the Gateway winner. Telitz missed by only 0.0079 of a second, at 1:04.0766.

For Norman this is his first pole ahead of his 32nd (Saturday) and 33rd (Sunday) races in Indy Lights. His best grid position had been second twice, most recently at Gateway Motorsports Park where he won last week.

“We weren’t so strong in Qualifying 1. But we slept on it and hit the marks,” Norman told IndyCar Radio. “I have to thank this team so much for what they’re doing for me. After Gateway, now I’m focused on race wins. At the same time I want to stay consistent.”

Telitz is second with Urrutia third and Herta only fourth, ahead of Franzoni, Kellett, O’Ward and Choi.

The first race of the weekend goes green later today at 2:05 p.m., with the main focus now on how the No. 27 car repairs go for O’Ward.

Indy Lights Qualifying #2 – Unofficial Results

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 48 Ryan Norman 1:04.069 –.—- 15
2 9 Aaron Telitz 1:04.077 0.0079 15
3 5 Santi Urrutia 1:04.189 0.1205 15
4 98 Colton Herta 1:04.798 0.7293 15
5 23 Victor Franzoni 1:05.184 1.1153 14
6 28 Dalton Kellett 1:05.225 1.1568 15
7 27 Patricio O’Ward 1:06.250 2.1816 5
8 7 Heamin Choi 1:24.302 20.2338 7
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MRTI at Portland International Raceway – Friday – Qualifying 1 – O’Ward scores record Indy Lights pole, VeeKay captures Pro Mazda pole

Posted by  on Friday, August 31st 2018     

O’Ward secures record ninth pole of Indy Lights season

Pole man Patricio O’Ward. (Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

He’s new to the Portland International Raceway circuit, but is not new to pole position. That was the story for Patricio O’Ward in qualifying for the first of two Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires races at the track.

O’Ward is in search of the Mazda Motorsports advancement scholarship to win the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires ladder. He’ll start from the best possible place to do so on Saturday with a record ninth pole position this year.

The four Andretti Autosport and two Belardi Auto Racing cars led the field out of the pits for the 30-minute qualifying session. Juncos Racing’s Victor Franzoni followed about half a minute later. Heamin Choi’s second car remained on pit lane at the start of the session, as the Juncos team had to repair it following his incident in the morning practice session.

After Patricio O’Ward’s 1:03.933 lap in the morning practice, it remained to be seen whether anyone could go faster in the heat of the day for qualifying. That question didn’t take long to get answered.

O’Ward and Colton Herta were both into the 1:03.8 range to start off the session. O’Ward then improved to a 1:03.1868 lap, which was significantly quicker.

Herta got down to a 1:03.3508 lap before a red flag flew with just under 20 minutes remaining, for Dalton Kellett off course at Turn 4.

The green flag flew shortly thereafter with O’Ward, Herta and Franzoni going back on track. Kellett returned to the track next ahead of Aaron Telitz and Ryan Norman. Santi Urrutia completed the runners on track with less than 12 minutes remaining.

Kellett had another off in Turn 11 later in the session into the tires, and pulled off course at that corner. Norman had an off-and-on at the same corner, but resumed.

O’Ward made it into the 1:02 bracket at 1:02.8074, a full half second clear of Herta.

Telitz moved into second at 1:03.3171 with Herta third with one minute to go. But Herta got him back at 1:03.1808, 0.3734 off the pole.

Ultimately, the pole time eclipsed Townsend Bell’s previous qualifying record of 1:04.991, set in 2001, by more than 2.1 seconds.

O’Ward told the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network’s Rob Howden on pit lane: “I didn’t know the track coming into the weekend. I knew I just had to get it together. I didn’t expect it by four tenths! Survive Turn 1 and we’ll have a chance to win. I did really well in Turns 4, 5 and 6. The lasts sector of the track is so fast and keeps you on your toes. It’s so narrow. There’s no room for error. I didn’t think I would like this place, but man I really do like it.

This pole is O’Ward’s ninth this year, which is a new single-season record. It broke a tie he had with Bryan Herta (1993), Townsend Bell (2001) and Thiago Medeiros (2004).

Qualifying two is Saturday at 9:50 a.m. The first race, where O’Ward can clinch the title, goes green at 2:05 p.m.

Indy Lights Qualifying #1 – Unofficial Results

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 27 Patricio O’Ward 1:02.807 –.—- 23
2 98 Colton Herta 1:03.181 0.3734 21
3 9 Aaron Telitz 1:03.317 0.5097 21
4 23 Victor Franzoni 1:03.452 0.6449 21
5 5 Santi Urrutia 1:03.593 0.7859 19
6 48 Ryan Norman 1:03.611 0.8034 21
7 28 Dalton Kellett 1:04.687 1.8800 14
8 7 Heamin Choi No Time — —

—

VeeKay grabs Pro Mazda pole for Race 1

Rinus VeeKay. (Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Rinus VeeKay’s coronation as champion of this year’s Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tires series is off to a good start at Portland International Raceway.

The Dutch teenager scored the pole position for Saturday’s first race of the weekend, ahead of his two sparring partners in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda from last year.

VeeKay took his No. 2 Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18 Mazda to a best time of 1:06.3317 around the 1.964-mile, 12-turn road course. The new car is a full two-plus seconds quicker than the previous qualifying record, set by Pablo Donoso in 2005, at 1:08.466.

VeeKay moved into the top spot with just under eight minutes remaining at 1:06.3475, then improved by a little over one hundredth before the checkered flag flew to end the 20-minute session.

While VeeKay will look for his sixth consecutive victory this season, last year’s USF2000 champion Oliver Askew is poised to return the “Soul Red” Mazda colors of Cape Motorsports to victory lane for the first time this season in Pro Mazda.

Askew will start alongside with a best time of 1:06.4202 in his No. 3 car. Askew seeks third place in the championship, and locked in a battle with Robert Megennis and David Malukas for that position.

Parker Thompson came up just 0.0008 of a second off a front row starting position, but the Exclusive Autosport driver may have the benefit of the clean line on the run down to Turn 1 from third place.

Malukas is fourth, ahead of Sting Ray Robb in fifth. Each of these three drivers are their lone representative from their respective teams (Exclusive, BN Racing and Team Pelfrey) this weekend, as all of their teammates have dropped off at some stage this season.

Megennis will look to continue his recent run of form, with four consecutive podium finishes, from sixth on the grid.

DEForce Racing’s Moises de la Vara will start seventh ahead of Cape’s Nikita Lastochkin. De la Vara was late out to the track and his car sounded off song, but he still managed to complete 10 laps.

The first race of the weekend for Pro Mazda goes green at 4:50 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Before they race, they’ll have their second qualifying session of the weekend on Saturday morning at 10:35 a.m.

Pro Mazda Qualifying #1 – Unofficial Results

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 2 Rinus VeeKay 1:06.332 –.—- 14
2 3 Oliver Askew 1:06.420 0.0885 15
3 90 Parker Thompson 1:06.421 0.0893 14
4 79 David Malukas 1:06.536 0.2044 15
5 82 Sting Ray Robb 1:06.735 0.4031 15
6 9 Robert Megennis 1:06.843 0.5111 15
7 12 Moises de la Vara 1:07.859 1.5276 10
8 8 Nikita Lastochkin 1:08.130 1.7986 13
category: Indy Lights News/Results, Pro Mazda News/Results
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MRTI at Portland International Raceway – Friday – Pro Mazda (VeeKay clinches title) and Indy Lights (O’Ward leads) practices

Posted by  on Friday, August 31st 2018     

Pro Mazda Practice Session #1 – Rinus VeeKay leads the way and clinches the Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire Championship.

The first open-wheel series on the 1.964-mile, 12-turn Portland International Raceway natural terrain course were the Mazda powered Tatuus PM-18 of the Pro Mazda series.

The 25-minute practice session was the fourth and most crucial practice session that Rinus VeeKay has led during the 2018 season.

By taking the green flag on the first official practice session of the race weekend, the Juncos Racing rookie goes from the presumptive Pro Mazda Champion to the official winner of an almost $800,000 Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship.

VeeKay’s lap of 1:06.543 is well below the track record of 1:08.466 set by Pablo Donoso in 2005.

The three drivers that are in contention for third place (a $20,000 prize and Indy Lights test), David Malukas, Oliver Askew, and Robert Megennis were the second, third and fourth quickest drivers, all within 2/10ths of VeeKay.

The top six drivers were all within 4/10ths.

The entire session was run under green conditions, and the eight drivers turned a total of 143 laps.

Portland International Raceway – Pro Mazda Practice Session #1 results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER FASTEST LAP GAP TOTAL LAPS
1 2 Rinus VeeKay 1:06.543 –.—- 20
2 79 David Malukas 1:06.700 0.1567 17
3 3 Oliver Askew 1:06.714 0.1713 19
4 9 Robert Megennis 1:06.799 0.2563 15
5 90 Parker Thompson 1:06.893 0.3504 19
6 82 Sting Ray Robb 1:06.941 0.3981 20
7 8 Nikita Lastochkin 1:07.440 0.8975 18
8 12 Moises de la Vara 1:08.327 1.7840 15

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire series is back on track for qualifying at 1:15 PM.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires practice session #1 – O’Ward pips Herta in a tight practice session.

Indy Lights points leader Patricio O’Ward spent much of the first and only practice session of the weekend behind fellow championship rival and teammate Colton Herta on the timing screens.

However, a last-second lap 1:03.933 seconds moved the Mexican driver to the point, only 0.086 seconds ahead of Herta.

O’Ward’s quickest lap is full second under the track record set by Townsend Bell in 2001.

It’s the fourth practice session that the 19-year-old has led this season.

The eight Indy Lights entries followed the Pro Mazda cars on the track, and when their practice session began it was 74F, and there was just the slightest mist in the air.

The 40-minute session was only green for nine minutes before the red flag came out for the first and only time.

Series returnee Heamin Choi was the cause of the red flag when his No.7 Juncos Racing Mazda/Dallara came to a stop in the bypass of the Festival Curves with left front suspension damage. The car of the South Korean turned left into the concrete wall under braking for Turn 1. Choi was only able to complete three laps.

At the half-way point of the session, Colton Herta had the quickest lap, followed by the championship leader Patricio O’Ward, Victor Franzoni, Ryan Norman, Santi Urrutia, Aaron Telitz, Dalton Kellett and Heamin Choi.

The top five drivers all set their quickest laps of the session on their final laps.

Portland International Raceway – Pro Mazda Practice Session #1 results

RANK CAR NO. NAME QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 27 Patricio O’Ward 1:03.933 –.—- 25
2 98 Colton Herta 1:04.019 0.0859 22
3 9 Aaron Telitz 1:04.235 0.3012 24
4 23 Victor Franzoni 1:04.263 0.3295 24
5 48 Ryan Norman 1:04.445 0.5111 23
6 5 Santi Urrutia 1:04.692 0.7591 24
7 28 Dalton Kellett 1:05.185 1.2512 27
8 7 Heamin Choi 1:28.168 24.2347 3

The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires drivers are back on track at 1:50 PM for their first qualifying session of the weekend.

category: Indy Lights News/Results, Pro Mazda News/Results
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MRTI finale at Portland International Raceway – Indy Lights – A $1 million prize will handed out to Patricio O’Ward or Colton Herta in the “City of Roses.”

Posted by  on Thursday, August 30th 2018     

The predecessors of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series have made 14 previous starts at the Portland International Raceway natural terrain road course, but this is the first appearance at the Oregon circuit since 2001 for the top level of the American Open Wheel Ladder.

Tommy Byrne won the first race in 1988, with familiar names Paul Tracy, Eric Bachelart, Andre Ribeiro and Greg Moore winning on the track just south of the Colombia River.

You can watch that 1988 race here:

Two drivers, Patricio O’Ward (Andretti Autosport) and Colton Herta (Andretti Steinbrenner Racing) still have a shot at collecting the $1 million advancement scholarship that guarantees a driver at least three Verizon IndyCar Series races. That includes a chance to qualify for 103rd Indianapolis 500.

Tale of the Indy Lights Championship Tape

PATRICIO O’WARD COLTON HERTA
19 AGE 18
Monterey, Mexico BORN Valencia, Calif.
San Antonio, Texas LIVES Valencia, Calif.
7 2018 WINS 4
8 2018 POLES 3
11 2018 PODIUMS 12
338 2018 LAPS LED 121
16 2018 BONUS POINTS 6
2.8 2018 AVG. QUICK RACE LAP 2.6
99.8% 2018 % OF LAPS COMPLETED 87.2%
19 INDY LIGHTS STARTS 31
7 INDY LIGHTS WINS 6
8 INDY LIGHTS POLES 19
12 INDY LIGHTS PODIUMS 19
51 MRTI STARTS 43
14 MRTI WINS 6
13 MRTI POLES 10
24 MRTI PODIUMS 19

In Patricio’s words:

“This is my first time racing at Portland, so I’m looking forward to getting on track and learning the track as quickly as I can. I’m ready to battle it out for the championship the last two rounds of the season and finish on top with a couple of wins

Patricio O’Ward works with his engineer at Gateway Motorsports Park – the 19-year-old comes into the Indy Lights finale weekend with a 25 point points lead. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

In Colton’s words:

“It’s a bittersweet feeling that the season is coming to an end, but I’m really excited to race on a new track, and finally fight for the championship. I had my first IndyCar test at this track a few weeks ago, and I really loved the track. It’s a short turnaround between race weekends, but I’m already looking forward to getting back into the car.”

Colton Herta and Andretti Steinbrenner Racing principal George Steinbrenner IV are all business at last weekends Indy Lights race at Gateway Motorsports Park ((Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Is the points race over?

Unlike the USF2000 and Pro Mazda fights, not quite yet. O’Ward has a comfortable 428-403 advantage over his teammate Herta, but there is still hope for the second-generation driver.

The simplest way for O’Ward to clinch the title is to outscore Herta in Race #1 on Saturday afternoon. If the Monterey, Mexico native can accomplish that, he doesn’t even need to start on Sunday to be crowned the champion.

If O’Ward fails to start Sunday’s Race #2, he will need a 25-point lead after Saturday, and taking the green flag on Sunday reduces that to needing a 19-point lead.

So what happens if Andretti Steinbrenner Racing’s Herta wins both races and scores max points?

A pair of wins from pole while leading the most laps would give Herta a final points tally of 467. O’Ward enters the weekend with 428 points meaning a max points weekend by Herta would require O’Ward to grab 40 points over the pair of races. Two fourth place finishes would not get the job done, but a third and fourth place finish would.

Schmozzle

Avoiding trouble, especially on the first lap will be a key to collecting a podium finish. There have been a total of 23 cautions in the 14 Indy Lights races at Portland International Raceway, and only three of those have been caution free. Nine of the 14 Indy Lights races at the circuit has had a first lap caution.

Herta has one very slight advantage.

The Andretti Steinbrenner Racing driver has been a little bit better on natural terrain road courses collecting three wins and finishing on the podium in all eight races, giving him a slight eight-point advantage over O’Ward.

With four wins and six podiums, O’Ward has been no slouch on the natural terrain road courses himself. The only bobble came at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May where he started on pole in both races but finished fourth and seventh.

Battles for fourth and sixth.

Ryan Norman and Victor Franzoni have been on different trajectories over the past five races. Norman’s exciting win a few days ago at Gateway Motorsports Park moved the 20-year-old ahead of Franzoni and into fourth place for the first time this season.

“I’m still feeling great after my first win at Gateway, and I can’t wait to keep that same momentum moving forward to Portland,” explained the first time winner Norman. “I have been studying the track a lot with my engineer, and I’ll be looking to close out the season with another win.”

Outside of points leader O’Ward, Norman has been the hottest driver in the last five races. Conversely, Franzoni has scored the fewest points since Iowa.

Belardi Auto Racing sophomore Aaron Telitz is a slim five points ahead of Andretti Autosport veteran Dalton Kellett for sixth place in the championship. Telitz, who won two Indy Lights races last year has four podiums in 2018.

One last chance to impress.

Whether a driver is looking to move up to the Verizon IndyCar Series, return to Indy Lights next year, or possibly continue their racing career elsewhere, ending the season on a high note is the goal.

Belardi Auto Racing duo Santi Urrutia and Aaron Telitz have not had the season they expected when the first practice began at St. Petersburg in March, but a win this weekend means they leave the season with positive momentum.

Chalk one up for Andretti Autosport.

Andretti Autosport has scored the maximum 40 team points in eight of the first fifteen Indy Lights races of 2018. The four-car squad has an insurmountable 140 point advantage over Belardi Auto Racing headed to the final doubleheader of the year.

Andretti Autosport is the fourth different team to take home the team championship prize following Belardi Auto Racing in 2017, Carlin in 2016 and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015.

The 2018 crown is the first team championship for the Indianapolis based squad since 2009 and their third in the last decade (2008, 2009, 2018).

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires team points

RANK TEAM POINTS
1 Andretti Autosport 540
2 Belardi Auto Racing 400
3 Juncos Racing 250
4 Team Pelfrey 59

Returning

South Korean driver Heamin Choi will be returning to the Indy Lights doubleheader to end the season for the third time in four years. Choi made seven Indy Lights starts with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015 and 2016. Choi who has also made USF2000 and Pro Mazda starts will be driving the No. 7 for Juncos Racing, the team he tested with at the 2017 edition of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test.

Notebook

  • Much like Indy car at Portland International Raceway, Indy Lights has also had some close finishes. Eight of the 14 races have been decided by less than one second. Only Paul Tracy (1990), Eric Bachelart (1991) and Greg Moore (1995) are Portland race winners that have gone on to take the championship, providing proof of the unpredictable nature of Portland International Raceway.
  • Headed to the final two races, Ryan Norman is the only driver to have completed all 585 laps contested.
  • Frank Freon and Tommy Byrne are the two most successful Indy Lights drivers at Portland International Raceway. Freon has two wins and three podiums in three starts for three different teams. Byrne made five starts on the Rose City street circuit, winning twice and finishing on the podium in another event.
  • Belardi Auto Racing duo Aaron Telitz and Santi Urrutia both need one podium to keep their career Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires podium percentage about 50% – an incredible accomplishment.
category: Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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MRTI at Gateway Motorsports Park – Saturday – Ryan Norman scores exciting first Indy Lights win

Posted by  on Saturday, August 25th 2018     

From a competitive motocross rider to an Indy Lights race winner in only five years. Ryan Norman’s path to four-wheeled motorsports has not been conventional but has still been impressive.

Only three seasons ago the 20-year-old from Aurora, Ohio was competing in SCCA Formula Enterprise competition.

Norman’s first win came at the expense of his teammate Colton Herta who led the first 69 laps of the 75 lap race before settling for second place.

Herta did finish ahead of fellow Andretti Autosport rookie Patricio O’Ward, cutting the Mexican drivers lead to 25 points and pushing the championship to Portland International Raceway in one weeks time.

The Andretti Autosport front row of Herta and Norman brought the field to the green flag after a pair of pace laps.

Herta and Norman quickly fell into line, but behind them, they went three wide.

Urrutia, who started in seventh was the big mover when the green flag came out, using the outside line to move up to third.

Championship leader O’Ward was cautious at the start, falling back to fifth.

The running order at the end of the first lap was: Herta, Norman, Santi Urrutia, Aaron Telitz, Patricio O’Ward, Victor Franzoni and Dalton Kellett.

It didn’t take long for O’Ward to start to move forward, getting around Telitz on Lap 3 and setting after the No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing machine of Urrutia.

On Lap 7, O’Ward peeked to the outside of Urrutia going down the front straight before diving inside in Turn 1. He was forced to back out of the move and regroup.

The next lap, O’Ward made a brave move around the outside of the Uruguayan in Turn 1 and Turn 2, completing the pass on the run to Turn 3.

That battle allowed Telitz to get back up under the rear wing of his teammate. Urrutia got high and loose in Turn 1 but was able to keep control after getting sideways and hold his teammate behind him.

The lead for Herta over Norman when Lap 10 of 75 began was 0.9861 seconds. Another 2.88 seconds afield of Norman was teammate Norman. Urrutia, Telitz, Franzoni, and Kellett rounded out the running order.

On lap 30, Herta’s lead had dropped to 0.5 seconds. The pair of leaders had pulled almost five seconds ahead of O’Ward.

At the crossed flags, Herta’s lead was only 0.2980 seconds and over the second half of the race that lead was never more than 0.6 seconds.

Further back Belardi Auto Racing teammates Urrutia and Telitz waged a back and forth battle 10-lap battle for fourth with the spot officially changing hands five times between Lap 46 and Lap 53.

With 20 laps to go, Norman was still in the tire tracks of Herta only 0.3491 seconds back.

Behind them, the Belardi Auto Racing teammates were still battling for position.

With 15 laps remaining, Norman started trying different lines in Turn 1 to see if he could get a run on his second generation teammate.

After the race, Norman mentioned that because they had 10 seconds over O’Ward, he felt comfortable trying different lines, knowing that he’d be able to hang on to the spot if he made a mistake.

On Lap 62 Herta turned his quickest lap of the race, but couldn’t shake Norman.

With ten laps left the leading duo caught teammate Kellett, who graciously pulled to the inside to let them continue the battle.

On Lap 68 and 69, Norman made a high entry into Turn 1 going to the outside of Herta but was unable to complete the pass.

On the next lap, Norman made the same move, tucking right in behind Herta before popping low late into Turn 3. The two drivers were close to making contact but raced cleanly. Norman pulled ahead to lead lap 70.

Two laps later, Herta went to the inside of his teammate. Once again, the two were close but didn’t make contact. Herta took one more look underneath Norman after taking the white flag, but Norman’s car was better in Turn 1.

Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires race results

RANK CAR NO DRIVER TEAM DIFFERENCE
1 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 75 LAPS
2 98 Colton Herta Andretti Steinbrenner Racing 0.2055
3 27 Patricio O’Ward Andretti Autosport 14.4474
4 5 Santi Urrutia Belardi Auto Racing 18.1805
5 9 Aaron Telitz Belardi Auto Racing 18.4407
6 23 Victor Franzoni Juncos Racing 19.5890
7 28 Dalton Kellett Andretti Autosport -1 LAP

The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series championship fight heads to Portland International Raceway next weekend.

category: Indy Lights News/Results

MRTI at Gateway Motorsports Park – Sunday – Herta grabs pole – Norman starts second – O’Ward has code brown moment

Posted by  on Saturday, August 25th 2018     

Colton Herta put together the only two-lap qualifying effort quicker than 140mph to grab a single bonus point and the upper hand in his attempt to stave off elimination from the chase for the $1 million Indy Lights Advancement scholarship.

The 75-lap race will be the third time that Herta will start on pole in 2018 and the tenth of his Indy Lights career, moving him into a tie with Townsend Bell for fourth on the career list.

Herta told TSO that he was relatively conservative on his qualifying run because he was concerned by what happened to Patricio O’Ward on his first of two qualifying laps.

O’Ward, who led the practice just before qualifying had a moment at the exit of Turn 2 on his first lap which resulted in a lap at 157.311 mph was the slowest of the fourteen qualifying laps. O’Ward almost made up for his mistake by turning the fastest of the fourteen qualifying laps at 159.988mph.

The two extreme laps equated to a two-lap average of 158.638mph. The points leader will start on the inside of the second row, directly behind Herta.

The qualifying session began immediately after the Pro Mazda session when the K-Line Insulators sponsored No. 28 of Dalton Kellett took to the 1.25-mile oval for the Canadian’s two-lap qualifying run. Kellet’s two-lap average of 158.277 mph means he will start on the inside of row three.

For the third straight Indy Lights oval race, Ryan Norman will start inside of the first two rows. His second place starting spot matches the best of his Indy Lights career for the Andretti Autosport sophomore.

Only a stout qualifying effort by Aaron Telitz prevented an Andretti Autosport lockout of the two front rows by slotting between O’Ward and Kellet.

The seven cars two-lap qualifying averages were separated by a scant 1mph.

The single point for winning the pole moves Herta to within 31 points of O’Ward.

Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires qualifying results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUAL AVERAGE (MPH) LAP 1 (MPH) LAP 2 (MPH)
1 98 Colton Herta Andretti Steinbrenner Racing 159.075 158.664 159.489
2 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 158.904 158.654 159.155
3 27 Patricio O’Ward Andretti Autosport 158.638 157.311 159.988
4 9 Aaron Telitz Belardi Auto Racing 158.412 158.287 158.538
5 28 Dalton Kellett Dalton Kellett 158.277 158.550 158.006
6 23 Victor Franzoni Juncos Racing 158.184 158.126 158.242
7 5 Santi Urrutia Belardi Auto Racing 158.102 157.990 158.215

The 75-lap race rolls off at 4:45 pm.

category: Indy Lights News/Results
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MRTI Revised Tentative schedule for Saturday at Gateway Motorsports Park

Posted by  on Friday, August 24th 2018     

Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire

10:50 AM – 11:05 AM – Pro Mazda practice
11:30 AM – Pro Mazda qualifying
3:40 PM – Mazda St. Louis Pro Mazda Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires

11:10 AM – 11:25 AM – Indy Lights practice
immediately following Pro Mazda qualifying – Indy Lights qualifying
4:40 PM – Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires

 

category: Indy Lights News/Results, Pro Mazda News/Results
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MRTI action from Gateway Motorsports Park – Friday – VeeKay leads Pro Mazda practice – Herta leads Indy Lights practice – both drivers below the track record

Posted by  on Friday, August 24th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

 

VeeKay is quicker than Pro Mazda track record at Gateway Motorsports Park

After a season-long battle in USF2000 last year, current Pro Mazda points leader Rinus VeeKay, and reigning USF2000 champion Oliver Askew should are used to trading quick laps. The pair swapped the fastest lap a number of times during the session, but it was VeeKay with a lap of 142.186 mph that ended with the quickest lap. Askew, Parker Thompson, Robert Megennis and David Malukas rounded out the top five.

VeeKay’s quick lap is almost 2mph faster than the Pro Mazda track record.

After a slight six hour and fifteen-minute delay, the Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tires series was able to get on track for practice at 5:45 pm. Off and on (more on) rain threw a wrench into Friday proceedings at Gateway Motorsports Park. The session began under cloudy skies, but by the end of the session at 6:15 pm, the sun was starting to peak out.

At the half-way mark of the 30-minute session, Askew with a lap at 139.270mph was the quickest driver. He was followed in the top five by VeeKay, Thompson, Megennis, and Scott.

With just over 10 minutes left in the session Askew was the first driver to go over the 140mph mark, and on the next lap, the reigning USF2000 champion broke 141mph., well quicker than the track record of 140.370mph set last year by Victor Franzoni.

Drivers came in for fresh Cooper Tires at varying times and it Juncos Racing sophomore VeeKay that was the first driver to go quicker than Askew, but by just seven-thousandths of a second. That’s 0.0007 seconds.

The entire session ran under green conditions and the 11 car field turned a total of 439 laps with 55-year-old Charles Finelli turning 50-laps.

Mazda St. Louis Pro Mazda Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires practice #1

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM FAST LAP (mph) TOTAL LAPS
1 2 Rinus VeeKay Juncos Racing –.—- 37
2 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 0.2009 41
3 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 0.6723 45
4 9 Robert Megennis Juncos Racing 0.8057 35
5 79 David Malukas BN Racing 0.8188 35
6 8 Nikita Lastochkin Cape Motorsports 0.9613 49
7 10 Harrison Scott RP Motorsport Racing 1.0153 34
8 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 1.0756 36
9 83 Charles Finelli Fatboy Racing 1.2706 50
10 82 Sting Ray Robb Team Pelfrey 1.4100 38
11 27 Mathias Soler-Obel RP Motorsport Racing 1.8385 39

 

Herta starts pivitol championship weekend off on the right foot

Colton Herta, who desperately needs to finish ahead of his teammate Patricio O’Ward started the race weekend off on the right foot by leading Friday’s Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires practice session with a quick lap of 161.432mph.

Like VeeKay in Pro Mazda, that lap was below the track record.

After the slightest break for some more deceleration lane drying efforts, the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires drivers took to the 1.25-mile egg-shaped oval for a 30-minute practice. After a mostly grey day, the clouds over the St. Louis area began to part, and the sun started to come out.

Championship contenders Herta and O’Ward were the drivers at the head of the timesheet for the first half of the session. At the halfway point, the majority of the field was on pit road making adjustments. Herta, with a lap of 161.359mph, was the quickest driver at the half-way point. The second generation was joined in the top five by O’Ward, Ryan Norman, Santi Urrutia and Victor Franzoni.

That top 10 remained the same for the second half of the session.

Like the Pro Mazda practice, the entire 30 minutes were run under the green flag. The drivers turned a total of 293 laps. Belardi Auto Racing veteran Urrutia turned 46 laps, the most in the field.

Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires practice #1

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM FASTEST LAP TOTAL LAPS
1 98 Colton Herta Andretti Steinbrenner Racing 161.432 43
2 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 161.032 45
3 27 Patricio O’Ward Andretti Autosport 160.616 36
4 23 Victor Franzoni Juncos Racing 159.841 40
5 5 Santi Urrutia Belardi Auto Racing 159.432 46
6 28 Dalton Kellett Andretti Autosport 158.788 40
7 9 Aaron Telitz Belardi Auto Racing 158.737 43

In our understanding, the track time situation for the top two rungs of the Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires is fluid. There is the possibility that they will practice, qualifying or might go straight into the race. We don’t expect that decision to come until tomorrow morning.

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Indy Lights preview from Gateway Motorsports Park – the final oval – O’Ward is looks to clinch

Posted by  on Thursday, August 23rd 2018     

In 12 short days, one Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires driver will have a head start on realizing their dream of becoming a Verizon IndyCar Series driver. The $1 million advancement scholarship will be awarded to championship winner at the Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires banquet in Portland, Ore. on Labor Day.

But, before that is a trio of races that begin with a short oval race this weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Patricio O’Ward and Colton Herta are currently separated by 32 points courtesy of a five-race run that began at Iowa Speedway in July. O’Ward stood on the top step of the podium in four of those races and finished ahead of Herta in all five races.

Herta, a sophomore with Andretti Steinbrenner Racing held a 17 point advantage six weeks ago when the field met in the cornfields of Iowa for second of three oval races. But, combine a hot-streak by the 19-year-old O’Ward with a miserable weekend in Canada by Herta, and you have the 49 point swing that has seen O’Ward outscore Herta by a margin of by 49 points (almost 10 points per race).

O’Ward, who was born in Monterey, Mexico but lives in San Antonio, Texas has won seven races so far this year, and another win would provisionally put the championship on ice.

Maybe a championship clinching victory at Gateway Motorsports Park will get the double thumbs of from Andretti Autosport rookie Patricio O’Ward (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Three wins to close out the season, and O’Ward can tie Greg Moore’s season record of 10 wins in a season. The Canadian won 10 of the 12 races in 1995 to win the PPG/Firestone Indy Lights championship by over 100 points.

“We’ve had a couple weeks off, so I’m definitely ready to climb back into the No. 27 machine this weekend,” said O’Ward. “Gateway is a tricky oval, and with only one race, it’ll be even more important to do well in the practice and qualifying sessions. The end of the championship is in sight, and I want to continue to perform well and build on my current lead in the points standings. I’m chasing after a couple more race wins to end my rookie season strong.”

The most important thing for Herta to accomplish this weekend is to score seven more points than O’Ward. That will guarantee that the title fight moves to the Pacific Northwest on Labor Day Weekend.

That task is a little bit easier with 50% more points on offer for each of the trio Indy Lights oval races on the 2018 schedule.

Points available for the three Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires oval races in 2018

POSITION POINTS POSITION POINTS POSITION POINTS
1 45 10 17 19 4
2 38 11 15 20+ 2
3 33 12 14
4 29 13 12
5 26 14 11
6 23 15 9
7 21 16 8
8 20 17 6
9 18 18 5

Herta will be making his fourth Indy Lights short-oval start this weekend and has finished fourth (Iowa Speedway – 2017), third (Gateway Motorsports Park – 2016) and second (Iowa Speedway – 2018). A victory would be the next logical result in the pattern.

“I’m super excited to get back in the car and to race on an oval, explained series sophomore Herta. “To be able to run on such a short track adds a lot of excitement for us and the fans. We’re in a crucial part of the season for the championship, and I’ll need to do my best to pick up the win. The Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing / Curb team has done consistently well all season, so I expect we will have a great weekend.”

Herta (at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and O’Ward (at Iowa Speedway) have split the two ovals races headed to the final left-turn only race of the season.

O’Ward, who by scoring a pair of bonus points (pole and most laps led) at Iowa, has scored two more oval points then Herta has.

2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires oval points headed to Gateway Motorsports Park

RANK DRIVER OVAL PTS
1 Patricio O’Ward – R 85
2 Colton Herta 83
3 Santi Urrutia 62
4 Dalton Kellett 61
5 Ryan Norman 55
6 Aaron Telitz 44
7 Victor Franzoni – R 43
8 Davey Hamilton, Jr. 21

Santi Urrutia, last year’s winner at Gateway Motorsports Park and the series vice-champion the previous two years is out of contention for the first time. However, a few wins would be a solid way to end what will likely be his last season of Indy Lights.

The battle for fourth place is one to watch over the course of the next two weekends of competition. A total of 29 points only separates Victor Franzoni (4th), Ryan Norman (5th), Aaron Telitz (6th) and Dalton Kellett (8th).

Of those four, 20-year-old Norman is the hottest driver of the bunch. The Journey sponsored driver of the No. 48 Andretti Autosport Mazda/Dallara has scored 109 points over the course of the last five races. That’s 23 points more than Franzoni, 19 more than Telitz and ten more than teammate Kellett.

“I’m excited to be getting back in the car after a long break,” said Norman. “When we tested here the Journey car was really fast, so I’m feeling confident about where we’re at going into the weekend. We’ve got some momentum behind us from my third-place finish at Mid-Ohio and I’m looking to build off of that at Gateway and go for the top step of the podium.”

Kellett and Telitz are currently tied for sixth with 250 points, and the edge at Gateway Motorsports Park should go to Kellett. Kellett has four podiums in seven ovals starts and outscored Telitz 61 to 44 in the first two oval races of 2018.

“Myself and the entire K-Line / Ten80 team are really looking forward to Gateway this weekend,” said the veteran Canadian. “We’ve tested here previously with all four cars and it went well – the No. 28 car was competitive and I think that will show this weekend. We should be able to roll off of the trucks and only make some minor changes to get things ready for the race. Last year with the fresh re-pave, the track was slick and challenging and it’ll be interesting to see if that will be the case again this year. If it is, it’ll be a game to see who can get up to speed the earliest. It should be a fun race for sure!”

At Gateway Motorsports Park

The Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires will be the eighth time that the various iterations of Indy Lights visit the 1.25-mile egg-shaped oval in Madison, Ill.

Last year’s entertaining battle between polesitter Juan Piedrahita and eventual winner Santi Urrutia was the first for the series at Gateway Motorsports Park in 13 years. Urrutia used a second last lap pass to grab his first career oval win.

The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires field on the front straight at Gateway Motorsports Park (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The first Indy Lights race at Gateway was won by Ed Carpenter Racing driver coach and spotter in 1997. Townsend Bell, NBCSN IndyCar analyst, started on pole twice, has led 148 laps, and won the 2000 race. Double Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon won the race in 2001.

Seven different teams have visited victory lane in the seven Indy Lights races at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Last year’s Indy Lights race at Gateway Motorsports Park

Nuggets

Andretti Autosport was the only Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires team to test at the 1.25-oval. That should give them a slight advantage with track time limited.

O’Wards next win will be his fifteenth career Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires win. He’s made 50 starts across Pro Mazda and Indy Lights.

With eight poles through the first 14 races of the season, O’Ward is currently tied with Ed Jones, Townsend Bell, Thiago Mederios, and Bryan Herta for the single-season record.

A pair of podiums in two of the last three races would put veteran Aaron Telitz at an even 40 for his Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires career. That would mean the Belardi Auto Racing driver would have a career podium rate of over 50%.

If three of the four Andretti Autosport/Andretti Steinbrenner Racing drivers make it to the podium, it will match Dorricott Racing, who put Townsend Bell, Casey Mears and Jason Bright on the podium in 2000.

The single 45-minute practice will take place at 3:15 PM on Friday, with qualifying at 7:15 PM. Sunday’s 75-lap race rolls off at 4:45 PM.

The Indy Lights race will be broadcast on NBCSN at 12:00 pm EDT on Sunday, August 26.

Don’t miss any of the action:

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Rebuilding Indy Lights – Part 2 of 3 – the role of INDYCAR

Posted by  on Wednesday, August 15th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

We’re back with Part 2 of our series on rebuilding the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series. You can read Part 1 – Rebuilding Indy Lights – Part 1 of 3 – A more reliable power plant, decreased costs, more prize money, and new teams.

In this installment, we’ll take a look at what role INDYCAR will play in strengthing the top level of American Junior Open Wheel Ladder.

“(The health of Indy Lights) is extremely important,” explained Jay Frye, President of Competiton and Operations INDYCAR, to TSO Ladder. “We started working last fall on a five-year plan for that series to mirror the Indy Car five year plan. It’s very important to us (INDYCAR). Obviously, there have been a lot of drivers that have graduated through the program to the Verizon IndyCar Series.

“This year there were some issues with car counts. Some of that was a by-product of the series success because a couple of teams graduating to IndyCar – which is great!

“We wanted to make sure there was a plan and a direction that called for cost reductions, increased prize money, some testing changes as well as the driver guidelines. Indy Lights is a very important part of the IndyCar Series.”

 

Josef Newgarden celebrates winning the Indy Lights championship in 2011 (Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR – Chris Jones)

Only six years later, the American, now driving for Team Penske celebrates his Verizon IndyCar Series championship (Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR – Chris Jones)

First, let’s take a quick look back at how we got here.

The current iteration of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series, owned and operated by the Indy Racing League (now INDYCAR) began operations in 2002. The new Infiniti powered Dallara race cars filled a hole left when Championship Auto Racing Teams folded the original Indy Lights series to concentrate on the Toyota Atlantic Series.

In 2013, INDYCAR ceded operations, but not ownership, of Indy Lights to Anderson Promotions, who began steering the top level American Open Wheel series in 2014. After working to stabilize an ever decreasing car count, the first major order of business for the promoter of the opening two steps on the Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires was to replace an aging chassis and engine package that was entering its 13th year of competition.

The 2015 season began with a sleek new Dallara chassis, a Mazda MZR-R turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, developed by Advanced Engine Research, and a full-time double-digit car count for the first time in a couple of seasons.

Car counts remained stable through the 2017 championship won by Kyle Kaiser, but a little foreshadowing of issues to come came in November of 2016 when Schmidt Peterson Motorsports shuttered their Indy Lights program to concentrate on their Verizon IndyCar Series program. 

Andretti Autosport, Belardi Auto Racing, and Carlin picked up the slack by running more cars and the 2017 season had a respectable 14 full-time entries.

Just 13 months after Schmidt Peterson Motorsports ended their Indy Lights program, Carlin announced that they would be entering the Verizon IndyCar Series.  The energy and effort required to properly build and field a two-car IndyCar program meant that their championship-winning Indy Lights program was put on hold for the 2018 season.

Combine losing two teams with drivers like Zachary Claman DeMelo, Matheus Leist, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rene Binder and Alfonso Celis, Jr. and the budget and reliability issues we covered in Part 1, and you end up with seven full-time entries.

INDYCAR’s role in rebuilding Indy Lights takes on a number of forms. Increased prize money (which we covered in Part 1), more defined driver guidelines for earning an IndyCar license, some potential changes to testing for IndyCar teams that participate in Indy Lights and a move towards a common chassis down the road.

Frye did remind TSO Ladder that: “This plan is not done, it’s an evolving plan. We think it’s a good start. We have a long way to go and a lot more to do. But, at least we have a plan. We have a foundation to build from.”

Driver guidelines

In high speed and high-pressure sport like racing, utilizing processes and guidelines allows consistency. INDYCAR, the sanctioning body, uses these formalized process and guidelines in race control, in technical inspections, so setting up a more formalized way of approving drivers makes sense.

“I’m a big believer in process and guidelines, and this is just another piece of that, that wasn’t necessarily formalized,” said Frye to TSO Ladder. “And, even this doesn’t capture everything. You can’t capture every series in the world – you can’t capture every piece.”

“The diversity of the IndyCar series with road courses, street courses and different types of ovals makes it hard to say that there is one thing that you have to do to get an IndyCar license.

“Now we have this guideline and more formalized process.”

There will be two steps to getting approval to compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The first step is getting a testing license and the second step is being approved to race.

Frye expanded on that saying: “There might be places where we tell drivers – hey, it would be great to go get a couple of races in an Indy Lights type car or something equivalent to that before you move to next step of the process, which is an IndyCar testing license. We will evaluate you, and based on the evaluation; you might have to go back and do another Lights race. Or, you might have to do another test, or you might just get your license.”

Frye, a former NASCAR team principal, used the informal process of being allowed to race at Daytona International Raceway or Talladega as an example. There was an informal understanding that before a young driver could take part in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series a

Frye reiterated that: ”It’s not designed to preclude anybody. It’s just a template; a guideline.”

Testing

At present, two Verizon IndyCar Series rules involve a couple of different aspect of Indy Lights.

Rule 6.6.7. covers IndyCar teams testing current Indy Lights series drivers. An IndyCar team can test as many Indy Lights drivers as they have entries and that day can be shared with a current driver. In 2018, that test day had to occur during the off-season.

In 2019, that test day can be used during the season.

Rule 6.6.8. deals with full-season entrants in the IndyCar series that also participate in Indy Lights. The team will receive an extra IndyCar test day once the Indy Lights team has participated in its fifth race. In 2018, that occurred in early May after the first Indy Lights race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Remember, Frye did say that “this plan is not done, it’s an evolving plan,” so this could change before the 2019 Testing Regulations are finalized.

TSO editorial note from Steve – I really hope that the benefits of an IndyCar team taking part in any, or all three rungs of the Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder receive more than one additional test day.

A common chassis.

Currently, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda series and Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire series utilize a common chassis (tub) with many other parts crossing between the two series as well. That will eventually be the goal between Indy Lights and IndyCar.

In January 2017, INDYCAR announced a multi-year extension with Dallara to utilize the IR-12 (DW-12) chassis that runs through the 2020 season. Anderson recently told Indy Lights teams that the life of the IL-15 would be extended three more years, which would be the end of the 2021 season.

However, after that time period, the goal of INDYCAR will be to have more similarities between the IndyCar and Indy Lights race cars.

“I think eventually the more we can do to make Indy Lights like Indy Car the better,” explained Frye to TSO Ladder. ‘The chassis will be similar. A Lights team can graduate (to IndyCar). It also gives an IndyCar team a potential revenue source where maybe they can sell parts to Indy Lights teams. There are lots of things like that, that will go back and forth. It will take a couple of years to get to that point, but I think that will certainly be involved.”

And, don’t forget, as was discussed in Part 1, INDYCAR has increased the number of dollars that they are adding to the prize pool.

Also, thank you for Jay Frye for taking the time to explain INDYCAR’s role to me.

We’ll be back with Part 3 early next week where we’ll take a look at what Mazda has meant to the sport, the potential addition of new sponsors (and manufacturers), and more.

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