Archives for Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires

Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires at Laguna Seca – Saturday – Kirkwood on the Cusp of Indy Pro 2000 Title With Laguna Win

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-Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18): “I don’t know what happened. I nearly spun in a spot I shouldn’t have spun. It was just one of those things that happens so fast. I tossed the race away and then frustration kicks in. But this is my first time here, so to come out of practice fourth and take pole in one race and qualify third in the second, I was really happy. It was good to get a jump on the weekend. Hopefully we can get it tomorrow.”

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.”

 

 

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Road To Indy in Toronto – Saturday – Frost bounces back with impressive win in Toronto

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.

Road To Indy in Toronto – Friday – Kirkwood beats rivals to Indy Pro 2000 pole

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.

Indy Pro 2000 Unofficial Qualifying Results For Race #1

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.

A storybook beginning to the Indy Pro 2000 season for Parker Thompson and Abel Motorsports

If you could write a storybook beginning for a one-off driver, with a brand new Indy Pro 2000 team, it would parallel the Friday that Abel Motorsports and Parker Thompson had.

The rookie team that had made a quintet of Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires starts in USF2000 in 2018, and veteran driver broke the qualifying track record, won the first Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Allied Building Products race of the weekend and turned the quickest race lap.

Less than two weeks ago, the 21-year-old was not sure he was going to be able to continue his open-wheel career but was thrown a lifeline when he was able to work out a deal with Abel Motorsports to help them get their season off on the right foot.

Parker Thompson after winning the 1st Indy Pro 2000 race that Abel Motorsports entered (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

“This is huge for us, especially since we’re under the pressure of a one-race deal,” said the clearly thankful Red Deer, Alberta, Canada driver. “It’s great to finally stand on the top step of the podium since a win in St. Pete has always eluded me. It’s one of my favorite races and I’m always fast here but somehow I haven’t won it, so my mission is complete. I knew how good the car was; the Abel Motorsports guys gave me a rocket ship. I knew I was faster than Rasmus, though he did a better job at the start, but I worked him over, used my experience and the raw pace of the car to come through with the victory.”

The win is Thompson’s fourth Indy Pro 2000 victory, his 11th Road To Indy win and first trip to victory lane in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Juncos Racing, who has fielded the past two series scholarship winners, started off their season well, placing Rasmus Lindh and Sting Ray Robb on the podium.

The podiums for the pair of 17-year-olds were the 17th and 18th for the Speedway, Ind. based team on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit.

The seven rows of two came to the start zone, and Thompson was able to get a good jump, with Lindh falling line, before popping late to the outside to surprise Thompson, who had to brake a little earlier on the inside defensive line. The rookie held the preferred inside line going into Turn 2 to grab the lead.

Thompson later told TSO Ladder that he was distracted on the start and early in the race when the caution lights came on in his car for the first three laps of the race.

Thompson was also starting on new Cooper Tire slicks. Lindh told TSO Ladder that was a disadvantage on the first few laps that he knew he had to take advantage of the Canadian’s slick, fresh rubber. Note: those new tires came into play a little later on in the race

At the end of the first lap, the running order was Lindh, Thompson, Robb, Moisés de la Vara (Exclusive Autosport), Kyle Kirkwood (RP Motorsport), Nikia Lastochkin (Exclusive Autosport), Danial Frost (Exclusive Autosport), Antonio Serravalle (Pserra Racing), Kory Enders (DEForce Racing), Phillippe Denes (Fatboy Racing!), Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports), Parker Locke (Exclusive Autosport), Damiano Fioravanti (RP Motorsport) and Charles Finelli (Fatboy Racing!).

Kirkwood had contact with what appeared to be Sting Ray Robb in Turn 5 on the first lap of the 25 lap event, which along with a non-functioning radio, led to him not realizing his RP Motorsport team wanted him to come to pit road.

The Jupiter, Fla. native had another incident as he fell to the rear of the 14-car field, bringing out the caution on Lap 5. Kirkwood’s first career Road To Indy DNF (Did Not Finish) also ended a personal 11-race Road To Indy winning streak that started last May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

The green flag came back out to start Lap 8 with Lindh, Thompson, Robb, de la Vara and Lastochkin the top five.

Behind the front two, it was a pair of veteran competitors along with a pair of Exclusive Autosport pilots providing some excitement. Robb got in a little too deep into in Turn 1, and de la Vera was able to go to the inside of the Exclusive Autosport No. 2. Behind them, Lastochkin and Frost went side by side through Turns 1 & 2, before Lastochkin wisely yielded to his teammate who had the preferred line head to the high-speed Turn 3.

Three laps later Robb gets the final spot of the podium back from de la Vera, who lost a place on the next lap to Frost.

Fourth to ninth is all nose-to-tail on track, and up front, Thompson is starting to put pressure on Lindh.

By Lap 15, Thompson had cut Lindh’s lead to 0.2 seconds, while Robb was the quickest driver on the track. On the next lap, the pole-sitter got a better drive off the final corner and was able to complete the pass of Lindh on the inside in Turn 1. Lindh told TSO ladder that it was a fair pass, and not a surprise that Thompson was able to get by him.

Over the next two laps, Thompson was able to pull out a 1.2 second gap, before the yellow flag came back out for the second time. This time it was the DEForce Racing No. 7 of Kory Enders, which came to a stop along Bayshore Drive after making contact with the concrete barriers in Turn 10.

The green flag came out for the final time with five laps to go, and Thompson was able to get a significant jump over Lindh, who had teammate Robb right on his tail.

Sting Ray Robb fights to keep his No. Juncos Racing No. 2 off the wall while catching his teammate (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

“My goal for the year is to win the championship, so to get the points is a benefit, explained Robb after the race. “I fell back on the restart but made a good move on Moises (de la Vara) to start getting back toward the leaders. I was laying down qualifying laps, but I didn’t have enough to get it done in the end. We’ll make a few changes to the car and come out faster tomorrow.”

The best battle in the last five laps was between Fioravanti and Locke for the tenth spot with the American Locke getting by the Italian with two laps to go.

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Allied Building Products Race #1 Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM DIFFERENCE
1 8 Parker Thompson Abel Motorsports –.—-
2 10 Rasmus Lindh Juncos Racing -1.324
3 2 Sting Ray Robb Juncos Racing -1.791
4 68 Danial Frost Exclusive Autosport -3.106
5 90 Nikita Lastochkin Exclusive Autosport -4.933
6 6 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing -5.463
7 11 Antonio Serravalle Pserra Racing -7.287
8 98 Phillippe Denes FatBoy Racing -7.651
9 51 Jacob Abel Abel Motorsports -8.239
10 91 Parker Locke Exclusive Autosport -11.023
11 5 Damiano Fioravanti RP Motorsport Racing -11.239
12 83 Charles Finelli Fatboy Racing! -34.5580
13 7 Kory Enders DEForce Racing -9 laps
14 28 Kyle Kirkwood RP Motorsport Racing -22 laps

Key Step on the Road to Indy to be Rebranded for 2019

Indy Pro 2000 Logo
Key Step on the Road to Indy to be Rebranded for 2019

PALMETTO, Fla. – The middle step on the world-renowned Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development ladder is being rebranded as the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in time for the 2019 season.

Fitting in between the entry-level Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires – which provides the final stepping stone to the IndyCar Series –  Indy Pro 2000 will continue to build on a strong foundation which was further strengthened this year following the introduction of the state-of-the-art Tatuus PM-18.

Originally debuting as Star Mazda in 1991, then reformed as Pro Mazda in 2013 when Andersen Promotions took over the helm after the previous administration ceased operations, the series has served as a vital training ground for many of today’s open-wheel stars during its 28-year history.

Current IndyCar drivers Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Spencer Pigot and Graham Rahal all established their credentials in either Star Mazda or Pro Mazda, while recently crowned champion Rinus VeeKay is poised to move up one more step on the ladder when he enters the Indy Lights fray for 2019.

Indy Pro 2000 competitors next season will vie for a champion’s purse valued at $596,700 to progress to Indy Lights and follow in their footsteps, with the aim of graduating to the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.

“We are indebted to the tremendous support of Mazda over the past nine years, but now, as the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires legacy continues to grow, we feel the time is right to introduce a new look as we head into a new season,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions.

“The Tatuus USF-17 has been hugely successful from the time it was introduced in USF2000 two years ago, and since the same chassis – along with some considerable enhancements – forms the basis for the PM-18, it makes sense to incorporate this into the name evolution while also strengthening our ties to INDYCAR. We are excited to roll-out the new Indy Pro 2000 branding over the course of the next few months.”

The rebranding will go into effect immediately on the Indy Pro 2000 website (indypro2000.com) and social media platforms with the new handle of @IndyPro2000 on both Twitter and Facebook. Instagram will feature all three series under Road To Indy Official.

The Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires slate of 16 races at nine venues will kick off March 9/10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., where all three levels of the Road to Indy will be in action. The Road to Indy annual Spring Training will take place one week prior on March 2/3 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Coverage of Indy Pro 2000 will continue to include global live streaming of all practice, qualifying and race events on indypro2000.com, indycar.com, RoadToIndy.TV and the Road to Indy TV App. In 2016, Road to Indy became the first American racing series with a dedicated broadcast channel on demand. The channel is available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku in addition to an official App on Xbox One.

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About Indy Pro 2000: The Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires traces its roots back to 1991, when it originally debuted as the Star Mazda Championship. Over the course of its 28-year history, it has proven to be a vital training ground for many of today’s top drivers. The series is sanctioned by INDYCAR and owned and operated by Andersen Promotions. It is the second official step on the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder system with the series’ champion awarded a scholarship package to advance to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competition the following year. For more information, visit www.indypro2000.com.

About the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires: The vast majority of the IndyCar Series grid is comprised of drivers who have come through the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires – one of the most successful driver development programs in the world. Comprised of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, the ladder system provides a unique, scholarship-funded path to the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. The mission of the Road to Indy is to develop and advance, and that includes not only drivers but teams and personnel as well.

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company: Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is the parent company of a global family of companies that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of innovative, great-performing tires that you can count on to last for thousands of miles, getting you where you need to go, and back again. Cooper is proud to be the spec tire for all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires, a development program within the Verizon IndyCar Series. Cooper tires can also be seen on the track as a sponsor of the Americas Rallycross and short course off-road racing. Headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper, with its subsidiaries, has manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design operations in more than one dozen countries around the world. To connect with Cooper, visit www.coopertire.com, www.facebook.com/coopertire or www.twitter.com/teamcoopertire.