IndyCars - Indianapolis: They do turn right at Indy, too, sometimes

[MarkyS]

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It’s that time of year again when the IndyCars return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - not yet to do the Indy 500, but instead to show that IndyCars can turn both left and right on the Speedway’s twisty road course as they do…

The IndyCar Grand Prix at Indianapolis

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The 2.44-mile, 14-turn road course incorporates portions of Turns 1 and 2 and almost the entire front straight of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and the remainder of the circuit is within the infield, allowing for great spectator viewing from earthen mounds around the course. It’s always great fun to see the Indycars going clockwise around the Speedway. After getting up a huge head of steam on the straight, they then must funnel into a tight right-hander at Turn 1 - the heart-breaker turn that bites so many - followed by and equally tight Turn 2.

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IndyCar fans who come to see the Grand Prix will be treated to an open-wheel love-fest, as all the support racing will be provided by the three series that make up the Road to Indy ladder system. For two of them, USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, these are the first races since they opened the season with two races each at St. Pete, in March, and the kids are all anxious to go! There will be no less than 7 races over the next three days. They include:

• USF2000, with two races on Friday and Saturday
• Indy Pro 2000, with two races on Friday and Saturday
• Indy Lights, with two races on Friday and Saturday

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…and the IndyCars will race on Saturday, instead of the traditional Sunday, in order for teams to turn around operations to begin Indy 500 testing, next week.

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Let’s look at all that Road to Indy support racing…
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continued…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Support racing…

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USF2000 - The bottom rung on the ladder training system known as the Road to Indy, USF2000 uses the all-carbon Tatuus USF-17 car, powered by a 2.0 liter engine made by Elite Engines, with about 175 hp. The cars have racing slicks and adjustable wings. They are often the first such equipped cars the drivers will have driven. The transmissions are a six-speed sequential gearbox, with steering-wheel paddle shifters. The brakes are 4-piston monobloc caliper sets, front and rear.

The drivers are often entering formula cars for the first time, often right out of karting. They will range from 14-years-old to any age above, but youth is prevalent. Some will be rookies and some will be returning veterans and / or champions from other series. The fields are usually very large and competitive. They race hard. After St. Pete, the current points leader is Braden Eves, who WON both races for Cape Motorsports.

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Braden Eves in his # 8 USF-17 for Cape Motorsports at St. Pete

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Indy Pro 2000 - This is the middle rung of the ladder. IP2000 uses the PM-18 car from Tatuus, based on the USF-17, but with much bigger tires, much more wing, and a much more powerful engine. The Elite Engines 2.0 liter puts out 275 hp. The brakes are 274mm disc, front and rear, and bias is driver-adjustable, just like in the USF-17. Transmissions are six-speed sequential transmissions, controlled by paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. With the bigger tires and more wing, the cars have substantially more downforce that USF2000.

The fields are typically graduates from USF2000 or from European F3 and GP3, all used to more power and grip and with great racecraft. The level of competition across the board is more even, though the fields are smaller than USF2000. After St. Pete, the current points leader is Canadian Parker Thompson, who WON both races and leads for new team Abel Motorsports.

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Parker Thompson in his # 8 PM-18 for Abel Motorsports

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Indy Lights - The car is the Dallara IL-15 and is substantially bigger and better than the PM-18. It is much closer to an IndyCar in performance and feel - a great training ground to step up to the big cars. The Dallara uses a 450 hp turbo-charged engine from AER. The adjustable brakes are by PFC and are the biggest in the Road to Indy. The transmissions are 6-speed sequentials, with paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. The cars have much bigger wheels than the PM-18, providing much more grip. The IL-15 has one more thing - Push-to-Pass, just like on the big cars. That is, an additional burst of 50 horsepower is available to the driver under certain conditions, with the push of a button on the steering wheel.

The drivers are typically graduates of USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, but can often come from GP3 or GP2 in Europe. These drivers are ready to make the move to the big cars by season’s end and many of the drivers in IndyCars are recent graduates of Indy Lights. The Lights have had 4 races in the season, so far, and the points leader after them is Oliver Askew for Andretti Autosport, who WON the last two.

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Oliver Askew in his # 28 Dallara IL-15 for Andretti Autosport

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Thursday is not an official race day open to the public, but it will be the test and practice day for all three Road to Indy series. Let’s get this going!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Indianapolis - the Road to Indy kids all hold test and practice…

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Each one of the three series that make up the Road to Indy ladder system held three on-track sessions today - two test sessions followed by the 1 and only race practice for the weekend - 9 sessions total. The first session for each was a test and it was considerably slower than the next test, followed by the practice. Those two sessions turned out to be extremely close, so we will combine the T-2 with the P-1 and give you the results for the day, starting with USF2000:

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Here is the order of speed for the USF2000 T-2 and P-1 sessions COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; The session is in ( )

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1 - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:25.6653s for a speed of 102.497mph (P-1)

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2 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:25.6878s for a speed of 102.470mph (T-2)

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3 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:25.7368s for a speed of 102.411mph (T-2)

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4 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 01:25.9582s for a speed of 102.147mph (P-1)

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5 - Anthony Famularo [R], BN Racing - time of 01:26.2439s for a speed of 101.809mph (P-1)

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6 - Jak Crawford [R], DEForce Racing (P-1)
7 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport (P-1)
8 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports (P-1)
9 - Zach Holden, BN Racing (P-1)
10 - Cameron Shields [R], Newman Wachs Racing (P-1)

11 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing (P-1)
12 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing (P-1)
13 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing (P-1)
14 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (P-1)
15 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (P-1)
16 - Alex Baron, Legacy Autosport (T-2)
17 - Dakota Dickerson, Legacy Autosport (T-2)
18 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (P-1)
19 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (T-2)
20 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing (P-1)

21 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (P-1)

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Notable:

• All of the TOP FIVE were fast guys at St. Pete and no surprise to be fast here, with the exception of young Anthony Famularo. Just turned 15 years old, Anthony was mid-pack at St.Pete, but has obvioulsy learned.

• Braden Eves is the current points leader by virtue of WINNING both St. Pete races, but one of them was a gift, as Darren Keane spun out of P1 on the last lap of Race 2 and Braden inherited the lead and WIN.

• We had heard that new kid on the block Jak Crawford was going to impress and damned if he didn’t.

• A few of the fast guys at St. Pete are struggling here, including Alex Baron, Christian Rasmussen, Dakota Dickerson and Manuel Sulaiman. Look for improvement during qualifying.

Braden Eves - Points leader

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On Friday, USF2000 will separately qualify for Race 1 and then Race 2 and then hold Race 1 in the morning. Next, Indy Pro 2000 test and practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Indianapolis - Indy Pro 2000 hold test and practice for the weekend….

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…and just like USF2000, the T-1 test session was considerably slower than the follwing test and the practice, so again,we will combine the T-2 test session and the P-1 practice, to see who was the rabbit for the day.

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Here is the order of speed for Indy Pro 2000, the T-2 and P-1 sessions COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; the session is in ( )

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1 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.2729s for a speed of 109.382mph (T-2)

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2 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.3724s for a speed of 109.246mph (T-2)

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3 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 01:20.5121s for a speed of 109.057mph (T-2)

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4 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport time of 01:20.6012s for a speed of 108.936mph (P-1)

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5 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing! - time of 01:21.0115s for a speed of 108.385 mph (P-1)

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6 - Ian Rodriguez [R], RP Motorsport Racing (T-2)
7 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport (T-2)
8 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/Jay Howard Driver Development (T-2)
9 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports (T-2)
10 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing (T-2)

11 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports (T-2)
12 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing (P-1)
13 - Jacob Loomis [R], JDL Racing (P-1)
14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing! (P-1)

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Notable:

• The TOP FIVE were all the fast kids at St.Pete with two exceptions: Parker Thompson is not among them, and he WON both St.Pete races, and Phillippe Denes is easily the best performer that FatBoy Racing! has ever fielded. Look for Thompson to improve during qualifying.

• Ian Rodriguez is new to the grid, this week, and he is already pulling his weight at RP Motorsport Racing. He posted P3 in the P-1 practice session, though he was a little faster in the T-2 test session.

Sting Ray Robb (left) and Ian Rodriguez

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On Friday Indy Pro 2000 is going to qualify separately for each race and then late in the day they will hold Race 1. next, the Indy Lights test and practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Indianapolis - The Indy Lights hold test and practice…

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…and just like the other two Road to Indy series their first test session was slower than their T-2 Test session and their P-1 Practice session, but unlike the others, everyone in Indy Lights were fastest in the Practice, so that is what we present.
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Here is the order of speed for the Indy Lights P-1 practice session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R} denotes rookie

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1 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:16.2589s for a speed of 115.139mph

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2 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 01:16.3108s for a speed of 115.061mph

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3 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:16.4811s for a speed of 114.805mph

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4 - Zachary Claman, Belardi Auto Racing - 01:16.6352s for a speed of 114.574mph

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5 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:16.7783s for a speed of 114.360mph

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6 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing / Team Pelfrey

7 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport

8 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing

9 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

• At this level, everyone is good and some are just great. Points leader Oliver Askew has WON the last two races, yet he barely made the TOP FIVE, today. It’s just that everyone is good and the differences are measured in tiny increments.

• England’s Toby Sowery has been spectacular in the first four races, so far, and he doesn’t have a contract. He is racing race-to-race, as he is able to gather sponsorship on the fly. Success helps.

• Ryan Norman was expected to do well in this his 3rd season but didn’t do as well as he wanted to at either St. Pete or Circuit of the Americas. He will push hard to regain some mojo.

Ryan Norman (left) and Toby Sowery

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The Lights will qualify for Race 1 on Friday morning and then hold Race 1 in the afternoon. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Indianapolis - USF 2000 Qualify for Race 1 of the weekend…

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In the Road to Indy, each race gets their own qualifying session. It takes more time than just using the 2nd-fastest lap of a single session to grid a second race, but it also gives the teams a chance to adjust their cars before qualifying for a second or third race. This morning, the first on-track activity of the day is the qualifying for USF2000, Race 1 of the weekend.

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Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 2, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.7198s for a speed of 103.640mph

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P2 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.7602s for a speed of 103.591mph

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Row 2

P3 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.8435s for a speed of 103.489mph

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P4 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:24.9201s for a speed of 103.396mph

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Row 3

P5 - Jak Crawford [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.0269s for a speed of 103.266mph

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P6 - Zach Holden, BN Racing - time of 01:25.1967s for a speed of 103.060mph

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Row 4

P7 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
P8 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P10 - Alex Baron, Legacy Autosport

Row 6

P11 - Anthony Famularo [R], BN Racing
P12 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing

Row 7

P13 - Cameron Shields [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P14 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing

Row 8

P15 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P16 - Dakota Dickerson, Legacy Autosport

Row 9

P17 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing
P18 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 10

P19 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports
P20 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 11

P21 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• This is Braden’s 2nd pole of the season of three races and the 9th pole in a row for Cape Motorsports.

• The TOP SEVEN drivers were all within a half second of each other and all but the last three were within a second of each other - this is a talented group of youngsters and all hungry.

• Darren Keane will be trying to make up for his disappointment at losing Race 2 at St. Pete on the final corner and young Jak Crawford - only 14 years old - will be trying to establish that he belongs. This qually certainly makes his case.

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USF2000 will hold Race 1 later today. next, Indy Pro 2000 qialify for their Race 1…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Indianapolis - Indy Pro 2000 qualify for Race 1 of the weekend…

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Next up for their first qually of the day is the middle rung on the Road to Indy ladder, Indy Pro 2000.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 3, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:18.8931s for a speed of 111.295mph

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P2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 01:19.4811s for a speed of 110.472mph

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Row 2

P3 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing! - time of 01:19.6301s for a speed of 110.265mph

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P4 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:19.1715s for a speed of 110.904mph

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Row 3

P5 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:19.6699s for a speed of 110.210mph

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P6 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:19.9821s for a speed of 109.780mph

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Row 4

P7 - Ian Rodriguez [R], RP Motorsport Racing
P8 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport
P10 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Jacob Loomis [R], JDL Racing
P12 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/Jay Howard Driver Development
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• Rasmus set a new track record with his pole, beating the old record of Oliver Askew. Danial Frost also passed Oliver’s old record of 01:19.3319 seconds.

• Danial Frost, Ian Rodriguez, Jacob Abel and Antonio Serravalle all got docked two grid positions due to passing the checkered flag - going an extra lap after the session was over.

• Sting Ray Robb lost his fastest lap due to blocking during qualifying.

• Points-leader Parker Thompson is still not finding his usual speed.

Parker Thompson

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Indy Pro 2000 will hold this race later today. Next, the IndyCars hold their first practice of the day…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday mid-day at Indianapolis - the big cars hold their first practice…

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The Indycars came out for their first practice in cool and dry conditions, and an old master came to the top.

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Here was the order of speed for the Indycars P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:09.2890s for a speed of 126.721mph

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2 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 01:09.4256s for a speed of 126.472mph

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3 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:09.4536s for a speed of 126.421mph

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4 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:09.5272s for a speed of 126.287mph

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5 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - timeof 01:09.5282s for a speed of 126.285mph

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6 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
7 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
8 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
9 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
10 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

11 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
12 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM
13 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
14 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
15 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing
16 - Pato O’Ward [R], Carlin
17 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
18 - Max Chilton, Carlin
19 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w / Vasser Sullivan
20 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

21 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
22 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
23 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
24 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Will Power has WON this race 3 times, including the last two. He got his TOP TIME late in the session, bumping Spencer Pigot off the top, after he was the leader for most of the session.

• Helio Castroneves is taking time off his SportsCar duties, driving for Acura Team Penske, to do an IndyCar tune-up before he attempts to do the 103rd Indy 500.

Will Power (left) and Helio Castroneves - Roger Penske’s boys

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The IndyCars will hold a 2nd practice later today, so they can qualify, late in the day. Next, the Indy Lights qualify for their first race…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - The Indy Lights qualify for their Race 1…

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…to be run later today. This is the qualifying for the 5th race of the season for the Indy Lights, following two races at St. Pete and two at Circuit of the Americas.

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Here is the way the Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 5, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.1921s for a speed of 116.773mph

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P2 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.2212s for a speed of 116.728mph

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Row 2

P3 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.3808s for a speed of 116.481mph

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P4 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.5069s for a speed of 116.286mph

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Row 3

P5 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 01:15.6743s for a speed of 116.029mph

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P6 - Zachary Claman, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:15.6868s for a speed of 116.010mph

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Row 4

P7 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing
P8 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing / Team Pelfrey

Row 5

P9 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

• This is Rob’s first Indy Lights pole and his second Road to Indy pole. He stole it from Rinus VeeKay at the last minute.

• All the cars were within 1 second of each other except for rookie Lucas Kohl. This is a tight group with a lot of talent.

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The Lights will hold this race right after the IndyCar second practice, today. Next up, USF 2000 qualify again…This time for Race 2…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - USF 2000 qualify for Race 2 of the weekend…

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The kids from USF2000 came out for another qualifying on the day, this one for their 2nd race of the weekend, which they will run tomorrow.

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Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 4, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.5396s for a speed of 103.861mph

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P2 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.6434s for a speed of 103.734mph

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Row 2

P3 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.6668s for a speed of 103.705mph

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P4 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:24.8705s for a speed of 103.456mph

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Row 3

P5 - Jak Crawford [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:24.8830s for a speed of 103.441mph

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P6 - Zach Holden, BN Racing - time of 01:24.9206s for a speed of 103.395mph

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Row 4

P7 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
P8 - Cameron Shields [R], Newman Wachs Racing

Row 5

P9 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport
P10 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P12 - Alex Baron, Legacy Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Anthony Famularo [R], BN Racing
P14 - Dakota Dickerson, Legacy Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P16 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 9

P17 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P18 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing

Row 10

P19 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing
P20 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 11

P21 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• This is a remarkably similar cast of characters in the TOP SIX here as was the case for Race 1, earlier in the day, with the exception “Manu” Cabrera is replaced here by Manuel Sulaiman. The fast kids are still the fast kids.

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This race is scheduled for early Saturday morning. Next up, Indy Pro 2000 do their second qually of the day…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - Indy Pro 2000 do their second qually of the day…

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…and this one will be applied to Race 2 of the weekend, to be run on Saturday morning.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 4, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:18.8898s for a speed of 111.300mph

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P2 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:19.1437s for a speed of 110.943mph

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Row 2

P3 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 01:19.3480s for a speed of 110.657mph

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P4 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:19.4791s for a speed of 110.474mph

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Row 3

P5 - Ian Rodriguez [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 01:19.5865s for a speed of 110.325mph

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P6 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:19.6948s for a speed of 110.175mph

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Row 4

P7 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing
P8 - Jacob Loomis [R], JDL Racing

Row 5

P9 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
P10 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing

Row 6

P11 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/Jay Howard Driver Development
P12 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing!

Row 7

P13 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• Two Juncos Racing cars on the front grid, with another new track record for Rasmus Lindh, as he takes his 5th Road to Indy pole.

• This time veteran Sting Ray Robb incurs no penalties and gets to show his strength.

• Points leader Parker Thompson is still not finding the speed he normally has.

• Gentleman racer Charles Finelli for FatBoy Racing! put in no time and will start last and young teammate Phillippe Denes didn’t do much better, compared to his first qually.

Charles Finelli

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This race will be run on Saturday morning, right after the 2nd USF2000 race. Next, the IndyCars hold their 2nd and final practice before qualifying…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - The IndyCars hold their 2nd practice…

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…and this one will be their last chance to get things ready for qualifying, later today. Everyone went faster in this session than the P-1 session, so improvements are the order of the day.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCar P-2 practice session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - time of 01:08.0393s for a speed of 129.049mph

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2 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:08.2471s for a speed of 128.656mph

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3 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 01:08.2663s for a speed of 128.620mph

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4 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w / Vasser Sullivan - time of 01:08.2971s for a speed of 128.562mph

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5 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:08.2971s for a speed of 128.562mph

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6 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
7 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
8 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM
9 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
10 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing

11 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
12 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
13 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
14 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
15 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
16 - Will Power, Team Penske
17 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
18 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
19 - Max Chilton, Carlin
20 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport

21 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
22 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
23 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
24 - Pato O’Ward [R], Carlin

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Notable:

• Young phenom Colton Herta reminds everyone why he is called “young phenom”. Colton was mid-pak, this morning.

• Spencer Pigot, Felix Rosenqvist and Scott Dixon remain top performers through two sessions, while all the Team Penske drivers fall off.

• All but the final two cars are within a second of each other. Both Tony Kanaan and Pato O’Ward improved over the morning, but not nearly as much as everyone else and they are mired at the bottom, as a result.
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left to right, Colton Herta, Tony Kanaan and Pato O’Ward

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The IndyCars are going to qualify late in the day for Saturday’s race. Next up, the first race of the weekend, as Indy Lights hold Race 1 The grid for this is in post # 9…

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - The Lights hold Race 1 of the weekend…

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…and at the end we have a new first-time WINNER, as New York City’s Rob Megennis WINS his first Indy Lights race in his rookie season with Andretti Autosport. P2 was his teammate, Oliver Askew, while P3 went to Rinus VeeKay for Juncos Racing.

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Rob Megennis for the WIN!

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As the field came up the front straight on lap 1 Rinus VeeKay got a ton of wheelspin, instead of traction, and slipped back from his P2 start to P4 behind Andretti’s Ryan Norman. That allowed P3 starter Oliver Askew to close on pole-sitter Rob Megennis. By lap 3 Askew had used his Push-to-Pass to get beside Rob as they approched Turn 1 and Askew slipped into the lead. Megennis now had the Push-to-Pass option that leader Askew could not use and by lap 5 Megennis returned the favor and retook P1 in almost the identical pass as Oliver had used.

At that point Megennis began to inch away from Askew, trying to get a safe gap. On lap 6 Rinus and David Malukas for BN Racing were able to pass Ryan Norman and took over P3 and P4 respectively in the Turn 7-8 complex. Within a few laps Rob had put a gap of just over 1 and a half seconds to Askew and that negated Oliver’s Push-to-Pass, which doesn’t work outside that 1.5-second window. Soon, the gap was as big as 2.5 seconds.

For the rest of the race Megennis was able to maintain a consistent 2.5-second gap back to Oliver. On lap 16 Ryan Norman regained P4 from David Malukas. On lap 24 Zachary Claman for Belardi Auto Racing passed Dave for P5 and that was the last pass of the race. Megennis beat Askew to the line by a safe 2 seconds.

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Notable:

• This is Rob’s 2nd WIN in the Road to Indy, as he was also a WINNER in USF2000.

• With his P2 Oliver Askew maintains the points lead on the field.

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Oliver Askew in P2 on the left, Rob Megennis in P1 in the middle and Rinus VeeKay in P3 on the right:

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The Lights will qualify first thing in the morning on Saturday and then hold Race 2 soon after. Next up, USF2000 hold their first race of the weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 6…

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - USF2000 holds a barn-burner…

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…and when the smoke cleared Braden Eves for Cape Motorsports took his 3rd-straight WIN in a row, just barely beating Road to Indy Shootout champion Hunter McElrea for Pabst Racing, while Manuel Sulaiman cruised in P3 for DEForce Racing.

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The race began with a pass, as Hunter went from P3 to P2 past Darren Keane for Cape Motorsports, but as the field approached Turn 1 P5-starter Jak Crawford for DEForce Racing tagged the rear of Keane’s car at the apex of the turn, spinning Darren and collecting Mexico’s Manuel Cabrera for Exclusive Autosport. Darren, Jak, Zach Holden for BN Racing and Alex Baron for Legacy Autosport all fell to the rear, while Cabrera retired and Manuel Sulaiman took over P3.

On lap 6 Darren had gone from dead last to P16. By lap 7 he was P15. On lap 8 Keane advanced to P14, while Jak Crawford and Zach Holden took over P10 and P11, respectively. On lap 9 Hunter McElrea passed Braden Eves for the P1 spot, while Darren pushed into P13 with the Fastest Lap of the race. On lap 11 Colin Kaminsky for Pabst took P4 form Cameron Shields for Newman Wachs while Jak took P9 from Bruna Tomaselli for Pabst and Darren took P12 from Alex Baron.

By lap 13 Jak was P8 and Darren was P10. Lap 14 saw Braden retake the lead from Hunter. On the last lap, lap 15, Jak got greedy and went after Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatieri in Turn 2 and the two spun off together and out. Meanwhile, Hunter was by Braden for the lead, again, but within a few corners Braden was BACK in the lead and he crossed the finish line 0.3 seconds to the better. Darren Keane recovered all the way to P6 at the end.

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Notable:

• This is not only Braden’s 3rd WIN but also Hunter’s 3rd podium and Manuel Sulaiman’s 2nd podium of the season.

• Darren Keane’s bad luck is only salved by his remarkable talent. His P21 to P6 showing keeps him salvagable for the season.

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Hunter McElrea in P2 on the left, Braden Eves in P1 in the middle and Manuel Sulaiman in P3 on the right:

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USF2000 will race again on Saturday morning. Next up, the last race of the day, as Indy Pro 2000 hold Race 1 of the weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 7…

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - Indy Pro 2000 hold Race 1 of the weekend…

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…and when it was over we have another first-time WINNER, as Sweden’s Rasmus Lindh finaly gets his first Road to Indy WIN, driving for Juncos Racing. P2 was Kyle Kirkwood in a remarkable come-back for RP Motorsport Racing and P3 was Singapore’s Danial Frost for Exclusive Autosport.

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Ras for the WIN!

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The race had a false start on lap 1 followed by another on lap 2, when Kyle Kirkwood jumped the start. Race Control spanked the Florida-based driver by sending him to the tail of the field. Once the race got under way in lap 3 Frost jumped into P2 behind pole-sitter Lindh while Sting Ray Robb for Juncos took over P3. As the lead went through Turn 1 Moises de la Vara for DEForce Racing hit Phillippe Denes for FatBoy Racing! in the rear, spinning him and Ian Rodriguez for RP Motorsport Racing. Rodriguez was out, while Moises, Phillippe and Kory Enders for DEForce all went up the escape road to rejoin.

The fracas had left Nikita Lastochkin for Exclusive and Parker Thompson for Abel Motorsports in P4 and P5 respectively from their P9 and P12 starts. It also enabled Kirkwood to go from dead last to P6 before the first lap was over. On lap 4 Sting Ray locked his brakes in Turn 7 and dropped from P3 to P6 as Kirkwood took Parker for P4. Within a lap Kirkwood was past Lastochkin for P3.

On lap 12 Sting Ray recovered P5 from Parker and one lap later was into P4 past Nikita. Nikita also fell to Parker, now again in P5. On lap 20 Kirkwood pounced again and was by Danial Frost to take over P2 and that was the last pass of the race, as Kirkwood ran out of time to hunt down Lindh, who WON by less than a second.

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Notable:

• In 14 starts for Pabst Racing in 2018 in USF2000 Rasmus had 5 podiums, and 9 P4s or better, but no WINS.

• With his P5 Parker Thompson retains the points lead, but will start on the last row tomorrow, and will need a bit of luck.

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Kyle Kirkwood in P2 on the left, Rasmus Lindh in P1 in the middle and Danial Frost in P3 on the right:

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Indy Pro 2000 will hold their 2nd race of the weekend on Saturday, in the morning. Next, the IndyCars qualify!..

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It’s time for the IndyCars to qualify!

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…and that means it’s time for the obligatory qualifying explanation page, where we try to make the rules for qualifying crystal clear. Of course, we end up with a crystal full of mud, but at least we tried!
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So, how does this work? Around ovals qualifying is simple: One car at a time runs the fastest they can for 2 hot laps (after a warm-up lap) and the fastest average speed is the pole sitter, but…

On road and street courses it gets complicated…

The Firestone Fast Six

Qualifying is done in three segments of TEN MINUTES for the first two and SIX MINUTES for the last. Today, there are 24 cars attempting to qualify. In Segment One, the first 12 cars will be sent out for ten minutes. During that time they will run as fast as they can, being timed. The fastest SIX advance to Segment Two. Then, the 12 remaining cars are sent out for ten minutes to do the same. The fastest SIX from that group also advance to Segment Two. The 12 cars that did NOT advance line up in grid spots P13 through P24, based on their times.

In Segment Two, the 12 that advanced once again run as fast as possible for ten minutes. The fastest 6 of this group advance to Segment Three. The other 6 line up on the grid on spots P7 through P12, based on their times.

Segment Three is also known as The Firestone Fast Six. These cars go out and run as fast as they can for only six minutes and then line up P1 through P6 on the grid, based on their times, and that is how pole is set.

Don’t screw it up! - You have to go as fast as you can but you CANNOT afford to over-cook it: If a car causes a red or full course yellow condition in any segment, the car’s best two timed laps of the segment will be disallowed and that car will not be allowed to advance to the next segment. If a car causes two red or full course yellow conditions in any segment, all segment times shall be voided and the car shall not be permitted to participate in the remainder of qualifying.

Qualifying can be very exciting to watch, as it looks like a very fast race going on, but the cars try to stay separated from each other, so as to get the best possible time without someone mucking up their hot laps. You will see the pole switch SEVERAL TIMES from car to car, as the time runs down.

The pole winner not only gets to start on pole but wins the NTT P1 Award and the valuable series point that goes with it.
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Will Power for Team Penske was the pole-sitter in 2018, with a time of 01:07.7044 seconds for a speed of 129.687 miles per hour. He would go on to WIN the race.

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The IndyCars are qualified!

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…and it ended up a most unexpected result, with a first-time pole-sitter and a number of regular fast guys nowhere to be seen.

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Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for the IndyCar GP of Indianapolis, with times fo the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:08.2785s for a speed of 128.597mph

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P2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:08.2979s for a speed of 128.560mph

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Row 2

P3 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM - time of 01:08.3238s for a speed of 128.512mph

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P4 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - time of 01:08.3743s for a speed of 128.417mph

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Row 3

P5 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 01:08.4609s for a speed of 128.254mph

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P6 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:08.7901s for a speed of 127.640mph

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Row 4

P7 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P8 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske

Row 5

P9 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
P10 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w / Vasser Sullivan

Row 6

P11 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P12 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 7

P13 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
P14 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing

Row 8

P15 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
P16 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

Row 9

P17 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
P18 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Row 10

P19 - Pato O’Ward [R], Carlin
P20 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport

Row 11

P21 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P22 - Max Chilton, Carlin

Row 12

P23 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
P24 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Felix had 3 poles in his 10 Indy Lights starts in 2016, but this is his first IndyCar pole in his 5th start.

• This is Jack Harvy’s best IndyCar start and his first trip to the Firestone Fast Six.

• Spencer Pigot has been the best Ed Carpenter Racing car all day, but it was Ed Jones who carried the team flag in qualifying.

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC, starting at 3:00pm EASTERN time on Saturday afternoon.This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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IndyCar has released qualifying highlights…

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2019 NTT IndyCar Series: Indy GP Qualifying Highlights

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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett and Robin Miller join Sebastien Bourdais…

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…for a recap of the day at Indianapolis:

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RACER: Indy GP Qualifying Report

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Saturday morning at Indianapolis - The Indy Lights hold their final qualifying…

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…for their second race of the weekend, to be run later today, around Noon.

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Here is the way the Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 6, with times for the TOP SIX: [R} denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:14.993s for a speed of 117.082mph

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P2 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.052s for a speed of 116.991mph

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Row 2

P3 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.141s for a speed of 116.852mph

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P4 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 01:15.221s for a speed of 116.728mph

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Row 3

P5 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.275s for a speed of 116.645mph

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P6 - Zachary Claman, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:15.312s for a speed of 116.587mph

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Row 4

P7 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing / Team Pelfrey
P8 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing

Row 5

P9 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

• This is Rinus VeeKay’s 1st Indy Lights pole, and he swapped back and fourth with Rob Megennis, until finally securing it in the last minute.

• The TOP EIGHT are covered by less than 1/2 a second.

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This race will be run later today, just before the IndyCar race. Next, USF2000 hold their Race 2 of the weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 10…

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