“FR Americas Champion moves to Road to Indy with eye on IndyCar”

Linus Lundqvist will make his Road to Indy debut as the third driver named to the Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports partnership
“FR Americas Champion moves to Road to Indy with eye on IndyCar”
Linus Lundqvist will make his Road to Indy debut as the third driver named to the Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports partnership
Young Canadian levels up to Indy Lights program
Brownsburg, Ind. – With the start of the 2020 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Championship season quickly approaching, HMD Motorsports has added a third driver to their growing lineup. 17-year-old Canadian standout Antonio Serravalle, one of Canada’s top prospects for a bright career in the NTT IndyCar Series, will be moving up the Road to Indy ladder system and will pilot the Ferrari & Associates / Tycoon Capital No. 11 HMD Motorsports entry.
With plans to compete in five weekends, Serravalle will be joining HMD Motorsports at upcoming tests at Barber Motorsports Park and the series sanctioned Spring Training test at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kicking the season off at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the Canadian is slated to compete in the top rung of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder until his home event in Toronto and hopes to complete the full season pending current partnership negotiations.
“I’m excited to be moving up to Indy Lights,” said Serravalle. “I was able to test with HMD Motorsports in December, and it was a great experience! The team was extremely helpful getting me settled into the car and up to speed, and we were ultimately able to run towards the front of the field during the test. They are an experienced and professional team with nearly every team member having IndyCar experience, and I am grateful and excited to be working with them this season.”
Serravalle competed in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires for the past two seasons as a privateer effort alongside his father (who acted as engineer), where he earned a best finish of fourth. Gaining knowledge along the way and learning the Road to Indy program, he made the jump from karts to Indy Pro 2000 just two short seasons ago. Not having the opportunity to compete with a high caliber team or a consistent engineer and mechanic program week in and week out, Serravalle has managed to run fairly successful seasons while continuing to gain valuable on-track experience.
“Antonio will be a great addition to the team in 2020,” said HMD Team Owner, Henry Malukas. “After a hectic season last year, we were still able to be a frontrunning team and we expect nothing less this season. We are much more prepared and have put the proper people in the right positions. Antonio tested very well with the team in Sebring a few months back and working alongside a pair of returning Indy Lights drivers I imagine he will only continue to improve throughout the season. The goal is to get the first few events out of the way and assist him in finding the necessary pieces to the puzzle to be a long-term addition.”
Linked to Acura, Serravalle has received praise from the upper management of Honda Canada.
“Antonio’s experience is years ahead of his actual age,” stated a Honda Canada manager. “He is destined for greatness and will be great to follow through Indy Lights and onwards into IndyCar.”
Serravalle will be joining HMD Motorsports alongside returning Indy Lights drivers David Malukas and Santiago Urrutia. Before the start of the season, HMD Motorsports will be heading to Barber Motorsports Park for a private test early next week followed by Spring Training at Homestead-Miami Speedway the following week.
Please note that this is Press Release that the series sent out. This race took place during the press conference crowning Oliver Askew as Indy Lights champion, so I was not able to take adequate notes.
Kirkwood on the Cusp of Indy Pro 2000 Title With Laguna Win
MONTEREY, Calif. – Kyle Kirkwood is an unstoppable force in this year’s Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. The 20-year-old from Jupiter, Fla., overcame a deficit of more than three seconds to polesitter Sting Ray Robb in this afternoon’s Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca before grasping the lead when Robb ran briefly off the road at Turn Five with just over four laps remaining. Kirkwood needed no second bidding as he reeled off the laps to claim his ninth victory in
10 races for RP Motorsport USA.
The result means Kirkwood needs only to take the green flag in tomorrow’s 16th and final race of the season to clinch his second successive Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires championship crown. Kirkwood has amassed a remarkable record of 21 Road to Indy race wins in just two years following an equally dominant performance in last year’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship.
A crestfallen Robb had to settle for second place – for the fifth time this season – while Juncos Racing teammate Rasmus Lindh’s championship aspirations were all but extinguished after his distant third-place finish.
Robb, from Payette, Idaho, maintained his recent run of form by securing his second pole position in the last three races during qualifying yesterday. He seemed to be sitting pretty after setting a torrid pace in the opening stages and opening up a commanding lead of over three seconds inside the first 15 laps. But then, quite suddenly, the momentum shifted. While Robb’s pace slowed by almost a second per lap as his tires began to wear on the notoriously slippery and immensely challenging 2.238-mile road course, Kirkwood began to reap the benefits of a relatively conservative drive during the first half of the 25-lap contest.
The gap came down steadily, first to 2.8 seconds, then 2.5, 1.7 and 1.5 on consecutive laps. With five laps remaining, the two leaders were virtually nose to tail. Then, agonizingly and to his intense frustration, Robb’s car suddenly slipped sideways on the approach to Turn Five. He tried his darnedest to retain control but succeeded only in sliding wide onto the dirt, whereupon Kirkwood gratefully slipped past and into a lead he was able to hold comfortably until the finish.
Robb remained well clear of a surprisingly lackluster Lindh, from Gothenburg, Sweden, who nevertheless claimed his 12th podium of the season. But his 20-point deficit to Kirkwood at the start of the weekend has now ballooned to 28 points, such that Kirkwood’s tally is now out of reach as long as the Floridian starts tomorrow’s season finale.
In Lindh’s wake, Canadian Parker Thompson (Abel Motorsports) fought hard to hang onto fourth place after a race-long battle with Artem Petrov (RP Motorsport USA), from Saint Petersburg, Russia, and Singapore’s Danial Frost (Exclusive Autosport). Thompson’s teammate, Jacob Abel, also was hot on the heels of this group after a tigerish drive. Abel, who started fifth, had to lift abruptly off the throttle soon after the start when he ran out of space while trying to pass teammate Thompson, costing him several positions. He was trapped behind Los Angeles-based Russian Nikita Lastoshkin for the first 11 laps, but once past he quickly erased a deficit of more than four seconds to finish directly behind Frost.
RP Motorsport USA gained its ninth PFC Award of the campaign, although it was not enough to prevent Juncos Racing from clinching the coveted Teams Championship for the second straight year.
Canadian Antonio Serravalle (Pserra Racing/RP Motorsport USA) earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after improving from 13th on the grid to 10th at the finish line.
Provisional championship points after 15 of 16 rounds:
1. Kyle Kirkwood, 412
2. Rasmus Lindh, 384
3. Parker Thompson, 319
4. Danial Frost, 309
5. Sting Ray Robb, 308
6. Nikita Lastochkin, 229
7. Kory Enders, 189
8. Jacob Abel, 181
9. Moises de la Vara, 179
10. Antonio Serravalle, 175
Lindh will start on pole position for tomorrow’s final race of the season. The green flag will wave at 3:20 p.m., immediately following the NTT IndyCar Series finale.
Kyle Kirkwood (#28 Mazda/Firstex Industries/Bell Helmets/Sabelt-RP Motorsports USA Tatuus PM-18): “This has relieved a lot of pressure on me and on the team. It was tough today, with both Juncos cars ahead of me, and I was nervous going in, especially with Rasmus on the pole tomorrow. Going into the race, we knew all we had to do was finish ahead of Rasmus, so going for a pass on his teammate was not something I was willing to do. I turned up the wick toward the end, so I did push for a few laps and the car kicked out on him, which created an opportunity for me. I never expected that to happen but it worked out for the championship. Tomorrow will be fun, which is a real change from all the pressure this year.”
Sting Ray Robb (#2 Go Out Local/Big Idaho Potato Truck/OMP/Intervention.com-
Rasmus Lindh (#10 Chicago Pneumatic/PWR Junior Team/SKF-Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18): “The team has done a great job with the car, (although) we’ve been struggling with qualifying lately. We didn’t focus so much on the race pace so I think we need to do that for tomorrow, so we can win tomorrow and make the championship a bit closer in the end. We’ve had a very consistent year and I’m getting experience every step of the way. This is only my second year in cars so I’m learning every time I go out.”
After a forgettable weekend in Wisconsin, Exclusive Autosport rookie Danial Frost needed a bounce-back weekend. The 17-year-old made that happen with an aggressive first lap, first turn move to get onto the top step of the podium and lead all 25 laps on the way to his second win of the season.
It’s the first Indy Pro 2000 win for Exclusive Autosport, the only Canadian team in the race.
Points leader Rasmus Lindh, started second and finished second, but it wasn’t as easy as the box score made it appear.
Parker Thompson who was bitten by an aggressive qualifying strategy and red flag put in a lunch pail effort to grab his 29th career Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires podium.
The lone Indy Pro 2000 session on Saturday is the first Cooper Tires Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products which is scheduled to get the green flag at 9:25 am.
The first race of the weekend, the Indy Pro 2000 Cooper Tires Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products, got underway at 9:25 am. The ambient temperature was 72F, and the track temperature was 87F.
Pole sitter Kirkwood got a great jump with Lindh matching him. But it was Frost, from his inside second row starting spot, that got a better jump; making an aggressive three-wide inside move and grabbing the lead as they exited Turn 1.
Kirkwood and Lindh made the long run down Lakeshore Drive side-by-side with both drivers smoking the tires under braking. The pole-sitter could not get it slowed down enough and Lindh was able to get underneath Kirkwood who kept it off the tire barriers.
Kirkwood immediately came under pressure from his RP Motorsport teammate Rodriguez, and the two drivers made contact in Turn 5. Kirkwood’s Soul Red No. 28 he began to fall through the field after suffering wing damage.
At the end of the first lap, the running order was Frost, Lindh, Kirkwood, Ian Rodriguez, Robb, Nikita Lastochkin, Antonio Serravalle, Moisés de la Vara, Phillippe Denes, Kory Enders, Charles Finelli, and Jacob Abel.
Kirkwood was forced to pit road for repairs and lost a lap while the RP Motorsport repaired his damaged PM-18.
The 25 lap race settled in for the next five laps before the first caution came out when DEForce Racing veteran Moisés de la Vara made significant contact in Turn 11. The Mexican was able to get out of his No. 6 under his own power.
During the clean-up for de la Vara’s incident, race control announced that Rodriguez was being penalized for avoidable contact and being sent to the rear of the field. Due to attrition, the Guatemalan was able to move his way back through the field for a solid fifth-place finish, his third straight top five.
The green flag came back out as Frost started his ninth lap. Behind the leaders, Finelli looped his No. 83 as he got back to the gas. A disaster was avoided as Rodriguez barely avoided t-boning the No. 83 Fatboy Racing! machine.
On Lap 12, Robb surprised his teammate, braking deeper than Lindh in Turn 3 and moving to the second step of the podium. Behind that battle, Thompson was able to move past Lastochkin for fifth.
Lindh immediately began putting immense pressure on his teammate, and the next lap returned the favor in Turn 3.
On the next lap, Robb was pushing too hard and made contact with the concrete wall in Turn 6. The Juncos Racing veteran was forced to pit road and retired from the race.
On Lap 15, Thompson moved to the podium, getting by fellow Canadian Serravalle for the final spot on the podium
The full course yellow came out for the second time when Finelli ended up in the Turn 8 tire barriers. The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team got him pointed in the correct direction, and the green flag came back out with five laps remaining.
Frost got a great jump on Lindh, but the Swede was able to put pressure on the Exclusive Autosport rookie, getting beside him in the Turn 3 braking zone, but the Singapore driver was able to hold on to the lead for the final three laps, crossing under the checkered flag 0.4500 seconds ahead of Lindh.
Cooper Tires Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products Indy Pro 2000 Race #1 – Unofficial Results
RANK | CAR NO | NAME | TEAM | DIFFERENCE |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 68 | Danial Frost | Exclusive Autosport | 25 LAPS |
2 | 10 | Rasmus Lindh | Juncos Racing | -0.45 |
3 | 8 | Parker Thompson | Abel Motorsports | -1.7381 |
4 | 11 | Antonio Serravalle | Pserra Racing/Jay Howard Driver Development | -3.0377 |
5 | 5 | Ian Rodriguez | RP Motorsport Racing | -6.448 |
6 | 51 | Jacob Abel | Abel Motorsports | -6.7097 |
7 | 7 | Kory Enders | DEForce Racing | -11.0195 |
8 | 28 | Kyle Kirkwood | RP Motorsport Racing | -1 LAP |
9 | 98 | Phillippe Denes | FatBoy Racing | -5 LAPS |
10 | 90 | Nikita Lastochkin | Exclusive Autosport | -10 LAPS |
11 | 2 | Sting Ray Robb | Juncos Racing | -11 LAPS |
12 | 83 | Charles Finelli | FatBoy Racing | -11 LAPS |
13 | 6 | Moises de la Vara | DEForce Racing | -21 LAPS |
That’s the lone Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires session of the day, the middle rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will be back on track at 9:55 am on Sunday.
A rookie pole for a rookie team.
Christian Rasmussen, a 20-year-old from Copenhagen, Denmark scored his first and Jay Howard Driver Development’s first USF2000 pole in a red flag shortened session.
“It feels amazing,” said Rasmussen to TSO Ladder. “Being on the streets of Toronto feels amazing. I’m glad I could finally do it; it’s been a long way here. We’ve been struggling a little the first part of the season, so it’s good to back where I feel I belong. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
Christian Rasmussen wheeling the JHDD/CSU | One Cure/Lucas Oil sponsored No. 6 around the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)
For the fourth time this season, Cape Motorsports veteran Darren Keane will start a race from the front row. The driver who led the morning session turned a quick lap of 73.758 seconds.
Starting behind Rasmussen is the Soul Red No. 22 of Hunter McElrea. The American born Kiwi wasn’t sure he would make the qualifying session after a meeting with the Turn 8 tire barriers in the morning practice.
Keane’s rookie teammate, 14-year-old Reece Gold will start a career-best fourth.
Current points leader Braden Eves will have some work to do tomorrow. The 20-year-old start the race from the outside of the third row.
Before we get into our qualifying report, here are few clarifications on the USF2000 incidents from this morning.
The first red flag occurred when Yuven Sundaramoorthy made heavy contact in Turn 10/11. The S-team Motorsports No. 21 was subsequently clobbered by Jak Crawford’s No.52, which also sustained substantial damage.
The second red flag came out when Hunter McElrea was swallowed by the tire barriers at the exit of the right-hand Turn 8. His teammate Colin Kaminsky was following closely behind him and was unable to avoid t-boning the Mazda/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory Partners No. 22. Reece Gold, who was right behind Kaminsky, made the smart choice of nosing it into the tire barriers instead of tagging the two stranded Pabst Racing cars.
All three Pabst Racing cars made it out for qualifying and ended up third (McElrea), fifth (Kaminsky) and 14th (Sundaramoorthy). Crawford made a last minute appearance, completing one lap. He’ll start the race in the 17th spot.
I’ll have more on the impressive effort by the Pabst Racing crew to fix their three damaged cars between practice and qualifying later tonight.
The USF2000 session began on time under hazy skies.
Jay Howard Driver Development rookie Christian Rasmussen was the early leader in a 20-minute session that was interrupted by a 13+ minute red flag.
The cause of the red flag was hard contact with the tire barriers at the exit of Turn 8 by Zach Holden in the No. 14 Legacy Autosport USF-17. It appeared the Greenfield, Ind native got too deep into the bumpy right-hander. The rear of the car made contact with the tire barriers tearing of the rear wing and damaging at a minimum the left rear suspension.
It took a while to get the track crew a while to get the tire barrier appropriately situated, and when the green flag came out, only 90 seconds were remaining in the session. None of the 17 drivers were able to get enough heat in their Cooper Tires to improve their lap times.
It the first career USF2000 pole for Rasmussen and Jay Howard Driver Development.
The season-opening races of the season in St. Petersburg, Fla. was the first time the Dane had driven on a street course, and it’s a discipline he appreciates.
This is my second street race,” explained Rasmussen to TSO Ladder. “I like it. There are consequences if you go off. If you go off, you actually hit a wall. On a lot of the other tracks, you can push it a bit too far, and you can rejoin the track with no harm done. If you do that here, there is a consequence. I appreciate that.”
USF2000 Unofficial Qualifying Results For Race #1
RANK | CAR NO | NAME | TEAM | QUICK LAP | DIFFERENCE | TOTAL LAPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Christian Rasmussen | Jay Howard Driver Development | 1:13.545 | –.—- | 6 |
2 | 2 | Darren Keane | Cape Motorsports | 1:13.758 | 0.2131 | 6 |
3 | 22 | Hunter McElrea | Pabst Racing | 1:14.135 | 0.5903 | 6 |
4 | 3 | Reece Gold | Cape Motorsports | 1:14.499 | 0.9542 | 6 |
5 | 23 | Colin Kaminsky | Pabst Racing | 1:14.527 | 0.9814 | 6 |
6 | 8 | Braden Eves | Cape Motorsports | 1:14.559 | 1.0140 | 6 |
7 | 24 | Bruna Tomaselli | Pabst Racing | 1:15.051 | 1.5057 | 6 |
8 | 73 | Cameron Shields | Newman Wachs Racing | 1:15.057 | 1.5120 | 6 |
9 | 41 | Eduardo Barrichello | Miller Vinatieri Motorsports | 1:15.143 | 1.5975 | 6 |
10 | 40 | Jack William Miller | Miller Vinatieri Motorsports | 1:15.253 | 1.7078 | 6 |
11 | 27 | Matt Round-Garrido | BN Racing | 1:15.270 | 1.7248 | 5 |
12 | 14 | Zach Holden | Legacy Autosport | 1:15.524 | 1.9790 | 2 |
13 | 12 | Manuel Sulaiman | DEForce Racing | 1:15.662 | 2.1164 | 6 |
14 | 21 | Yuven Sundaramoorthy | Pabst Racing | 1:15.800 | 2.2551 | 6 |
15 | 7 | Christian Bogle | Jay Howard Driver Development | 1:15.817 | 2.2719 | 6 |
16 | 36 | Nolan Siegel | Newman Wachs Racing | 1:16.014 | 2.4686 | 6 |
17 | 52 | Jak Crawford | DEForce Racing | 1:22.316 | 8.7710 | 1 |
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship teams and drivers will start a full day of on-track activity at 8 am on Saturday at the Honda Indy Toronto.
Advantage Kyle Kirkwood. The pole-sitter in all 11 previous Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires races held on the streets surrounding Exhibition Place has gone on to visit victory lane.
The pole lap is the first of the season for Kirkwood’s Soul Red No. 28 from the RP Motorsport stable. It’s the 20-year-old’s sixth career Road To Indy pole.
Kyle Kirkwood navigates the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit on the way to his first Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires pole (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)
The inside front-row start is the first pole in Toronto for RP Motorsport.
Kirkwood set the pole-winning lap of 68.698 seconds just after the half-way mark of the session, withstanding a strong push from points leader Rasmus Lindh, who will start on the outside of the front row for the second time this season.
Danial Frost, who tapped the wall during the morning practice session will start behind Kirkwood, his best road or street course starting spot of the season.
Lindh’s Juncos Racing teammate Sting Ray Robb will start fourth, the seventh time he’s started in the front two-rows this year.
Parker Thompson, who is second in the championship and won the first two street course races of the year, will have some work to do in Saturday’s race. The Canadian will start the race from the seventh spot.
Due to an extended track clean-up from the Stadium Super Truck practice, the 20-minute qualifying session began four minutes late. The ambient temperature was 74F, and the track temperature was 94F. The humidity was a sweat-inducing 61%, which was down from an uncomfortable 68% during the first NTT IndyCar Series practice.
Lindh, Kirkwood, and Robb all led during the first 10 minutes of the 20-minute session, with Kirkwood’s 68.698-second lap leading the way.
The red flag came out with four minutes remaining for an incident involving Jacob Abel in Turn 4.
The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team got the No. 51 out of the way and the green flag came back to allow drivers one flying lap to improve.
The top 10 when the green flag came back out were Kirkwood, Lindh, Frost, Robb, Rodriguez, Lastochkin, Thompson, Denes, Serravalle, and Enders.
Rodriguez and Thompson were both able to improve their lap times, but their positions did not improve.
RANK | CAR NO | NAME | TEAM | QUICK LAP | DIFFERENCE | TOTAL LAPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 | Kyle Kirkwood | RP Motorsport Racing | 1:08.698 | –.—- | 15 |
2 | 10 | Rasmus Lindh | Juncos Racing | 1:08.939 | 0.2410 | 15 |
3 | 68 | Danial Frost | Exclusive Autosport | 1:09.127 | 0.4292 | 11 |
4 | 2 | Sting Ray Robb | Juncos Racing | 1:09.169 | 0.4711 | 15 |
5 | 5 | Ian Rodriguez | RP Motorsport Racing | 1:09.307 | 0.6090 | 15 |
6 | 90 | Nikita Lastochkin | Exclusive Autosport | 1:09.431 | 0.7336 | 14 |
7 | 8 | Parker Thompson | Abel Motorsports | 1:09.473 | 0.7753 | 12 |
8 | 98 | Phillippe Denes | FatBoy Racing | 1:09.772 | 1.0740 | 13 |
9 | 11 | Antonio Serravalle | Pserra Racing/Jay Howard Driver Development | 1:10.286 | 1.5879 | 15 |
10 | 7 | Kory Enders | DEForce Racing | 1:10.846 | 2.1478 | 11 |
11 | 83 | Charles Finelli | FatBoy Racing | 1:18.196 | 9.4979 | 1 |
12 | 51 | Jacob Abel | Abel Motorsports | 1:19.956 | 11.2579 | 3 |
13 | 6 | Moises de la Vara | DEForce Racing | No Time | — | — |
The third Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires session of the day, qualifying for the Sunday morning race, rolls off at 6:30 pm, giving the teams four hours to get their PM-18 turned around.
Chris Griffis Memorial Road to Indy Test Returns to Indianapolis
“The additional off-track activities are a really good idea because the more engaging it can be for everyone, the more value we can add for people who are interested in the Road to Indy, the better it will be for everybody.”
Aaron Telitz will once again be in a Belardi Auto Racing Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires machine in 2019, this time competing at Road America on June 21st through June 23rd.
Road America is always a special track for both Belardi Auto Racing and Aaron Telitz as it’s right in their backyards in Wisconsin. The track has also been very good to both. Aaron Telitz turned his Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires championship around in 2016 by winning both races on his way to becoming the series champion.
The track has also been kind to Belardi Auto Racing, seeing the team score three podiums (2016, 17, and 18) and a win in 2016 with Zach Veach driving the No. 5 machine.
Wisconsin native Telitz will be piloting the No. 4 Endodontic Specialists of Wisconsin Dallara IL- 15 during the race weekend at Road America.
“I couldn’t be more excited to get a chance to drive in my home race with Belardi Auto Racing! Ilove Road America, all my friends, family, and fans that come out will have a car to cheer for.I’m looking forward to a fun weekend and putting my No. 4 root canal Belardi Auto Racing caron the top step of the podium,” said Aaron Telitz
Rounds eight and nine of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Championship kicks off on June 21st at 10:05 am with practice and is followed by qualifying for race 1 at 2:15pm. June 22ndhas qualifying beginning at 10:15am followed by race 1 at 1:50pm. Race 2 goes green at 8:50am on June 23rd. Keep up with all the action by following @belardiracing on social media!
INDIANAPOLIS (05.16.2019) – Andretti Autosport announced today that Window World will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the primary sponsor for Jarett Andretti’s No. 18 Indy Lights Dallara for the 2019 Freedom 100 presented by Cooper Tires. Also decorating the racing machine of the third-generation driver are Harding Group, MI Windows and Doors, and Superior Auto as associate sponsors.
“It’s great to go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and make this step in my career with a company that’s been there since the beginning,” said Andretti, driver of the No. 18 Window World Dallara for Andretti Autosport. “Dad’s (John Andretti) last Indianapolis 500 was with Window World as a primary sponsor and I can’t wait to represent them at IMS again. It is also an honor to represent both Harding Group, MI Windows and Doors, and Superior Auto in the Freedom 100. They have all been supportive of my racing career and I am looking forward to running all four company’s logos at the biggest race of my career thus far.”
With his rookie start at the Freedom 100, Andretti will become the seventh Andretti family member to compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Known as the largest window replacement company in America, Window World serves customers from over 200 locations. Committed to delivering the highest quality products, Window World prides their company to deliver value and quality through their affordable prices.
“Supporting Jarett (Andretti) in the upcoming Freedom 100 Indy Lights race is an absolute joy. Window World has had a long-standing partnership with Jarett’s father, John Andretti, for quite some time,” said Tammy Whitworth, Chairman and CEO for Window World. “We were privileged to watch John race around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the No. 43 Window World car some years ago, and it’s wonderful to be able to share that same honor with his son Jarett on Friday. We wish him the absolute best.”
Indianapolis-based paving company, Harding Group, has been a supporter of Andretti’s racing career, specifically in sprint cars, since 2016. Harding Group will appear on the engine cover, side nose and shock cover of the No. 18 racing machine.
“Really excited for Harding Group to sponsor Jarett Andretti for the Freedom 100 during Miller Lite Carb Day,” said Mike Harding, owner of Harding Group. “Jarett is such a strong racer; I really think he can be a major competitor against the full-time Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires drivers. We’re looking forward to having a great race come May 24th!”
Headquartered in Gratz, Pa., MI Windows and Doors is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of precision-built vinyl and aluminum windows and sliding patio doors. MI Windows has been serving the needs of distributors, remodelers, exterior contractors, architects, builders, and homeowners for over 70 years.
“MI Windows and Doors is so proud to continue our support of Jarett Andretti and this exciting next chapter in his racing career,” said Matt DeSoto, CEO of MI Windows and Doors. ‘’The Freedom 100 is a thrilling event and we wish Jarett the best as he continues his journey. Our team will be cheering for him the entire way!”
With over 65 location across Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, Superior Auto prides their company on being specialty leader in the “buy-here/pay-here” business model. The “buy-here/pay-here” model allows Superior Auto to focus on selling quality used vehicles and providing customers with in-house financing options. Superior Auto has been a long time partner of the third-generation driver throughout his Andretti Short Track career.
The Freedom 100 presented by Cooper Tires will air live on NBCSN on Friday, May 24, at 1:00 p.m. ET. Practice for the Freedom 100 presented Cooper Tires begins Monday, May 20, and will be streamed live on Road to Indy TV app with Qualifying for the Freedom 100 on Thursday, May 23.