IndyCars - Indianapolis: They do turn right at the Speedway, sometimes

[MarkyS]

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They do it when racing on the infield Road Course, as they will this weekend when we do…

The GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis

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The Grand Prix at Indy is supposed to be a tune-up to get locals to the track and get excited about the Indy 500, later in the month, but it has become one of the better road course races on the schedule, due in part to the excellent passing opportunities the layout affords, but also due to drivers simply going all out to WIN one at Indy.

That layout has been massaged a bit since it was configured to host the Formula One US Grand Prix, and if anything, it has been improved. The 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course incorporates portions of Turns 1 and 2 and the front straight of the IMS oval, but it also has another long straight in the middle of the infield. Cars run in a clockwise direction up the long front straight and enter the pit lane near the South end of the oval.

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There will be many fans in attendance this weekend and they will be treated to a lot of great formula car racing, with no less than 9 races. They include:

USF2000 - 3 races, with 2 on Friday and 1 on Saturday
Indy Pro 2000 - 3 races, with 1 race on Friday and 2 races on Saturday
Indy Lights - 2 races, 1 each on Friday and Saturday

And, of course, the IndyCars will race on Saturday.afternoon.

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Let’s take a look at all that Road to Indy support racing…(continued…)

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M

[MarkyS]

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Support racing…

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The Road to Indy is the ladder system that trains drivers to be ready to drive IndyCars. It is made up of three series - USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights:

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USF2000 is the bottom rung on the ladder - the starting point for most drivers. Most rookies here are coming from karting or from wingless formula cars like formula 1600s. This car will be the first one they drive to have wings and slick tires on it, as they begin to learn what aero downforce and mechanical grip mean to a race car. The carbon-composite / aluminum honeycomb Tatuus USF-17 has a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine with 175 hp built by Elite Engines and a Sadev SL75 six-speed sequential transmission with steering-wheel paddle shifters. Unlike other F4-spec race cars, it is built for the rigors of oval racing, with extra protection for the driver. The drivers in USF2000 come from all over the world to compete and the level of talent can range from extremely high to hopelessly outclassed but willing to learn. The fields are always large.

After 2 weekends of 2 races each the current points leader is sophomore Christian Brooks for Exclusive Autosport by virtue of sweeping the weekend at St. Petersburg. He has a healthy 23 point lead over 2nd place Kiko Porto for DEForce Racing.

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Christian Brooks in his Tatuus USF-17 for Exclusive Autosport

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Indy Pro 2000 is the middle rung of the ladder. The car is the Tatuus PM-18 which is essentially a stouter version of the USF-17. The chassis is the same, so teams who compete in USF2000 can easily convert their car to run in Indy Pro 2000 without a huge upcharge for a new car. The MZR-PM18A engine is also 2.0 liters but it puts out more power - 275 hp and almost 200 pounds of torque. The wings and the tires are all bigger, so the downforce, braking and grip is better. The drivers in “IP2K” are usually experienced junior formula drivers from all over the world. As a result, the level of competition is very high, with many drivers capable of podiums and WINS. It is rare for a driver to run away with the title. The fields are smaller than USF2000 but the commitment is higher.

After 2 weekends of 2 races each the current points leader is sophomore Braden Eves for Exclusive Autosport. Braden took a WIN at Barber and a WIN at St. Pete, but his lead is only 4 points on rookie Christian Rasmussen, the 2020 USF2000 Champion who still drives for Jay Howard Driver Development. Christian has a WIN and two P2s.

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Braden Eves for Exclusive Autosport in his PM-18

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Indy Lights is the top rung of the ladder and a fitting series to prepare to drive an IndyCar in battle. The car is the all-carbon composite Dallara IL-15. It has a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine, like the other 2 cars, but it is turbo-charged, like the big cars, and produces 450 hp with additional power available with Push-to-Pass, again, just like the big cars. It has more wing and tires than the other two cars and so more downforce, braking and grip. It also has much more downloadable information available for engineers to use, and as such is an important training tool for them, too. The drivers come from all over the world to compete and are usually among the highest level of junior formula drivers anywhere. The field will be the smallest of the three series, but the value of Indy Lights is evident when looking at the roster in IndyCars, where so many of the drivers are former Lights pilots, including former champions.

After 2 weekends of 2 races each the current points leader is sophomore David Malukas for HMD Motorsports due to getting a WIN apiece at Barber and St. Pete, with a P3 also at St. Pete. But David’s quasi-teammate, rookie Linus Lundqvist for GRG w/ HMD Motorsports, is only 3 points off with a P2 and a WIN at Barber and a P3 at St. Pete.

David Malukas in his Dallara IL-15 for HMD Motorsports

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Thursday will be a day of testing and practice for all three Road to Indy series and USF2000 will also qualify for Race 1 of the weekend. Let’s GET THIS GOING!!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Indianapolis - the Road to Indy starts rolling on track…

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…as all three series hold test and practice. Each series is having 2 private test sessions prior to the 1 official practice session for the race weekend and we have the results here. There is no difference between a test and a practice, other than track time is paid for by the series in a test and provided for free by the track in a practice. We will start with the first guys on track, the kids from USF2000. We have COMBINED the two test sessions and the practice to give you an idea of who ran well today.

Here is the order of speed for USF2000 test and practice sessions COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; the driver’s best session is in ( )

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1 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.2063s for a speed of 104.272mph (T-2)

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2 - Kiko Porto, DEForce Racing - time of 01:24.5142s for a speed of 103.893mph (T-2)

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3 - Josh Pierson, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.6243s for a speed of 103.757mph (T-2)

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4 - Michael D’Orlando, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.7853s for a speed of 103.560mph (T-2)

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5 - Nolan Siegel, DEForce Racing - time of 01:24.8910s for a speed of 103.431mph (T-2)

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6 - Josh Green, Turn 3 Motorsports (T-2)
7 - Christian Brooks, Exclusive Autosport (P-1)
8 - Myles Rowe [R], Force Indy (T-2)
9 - Spike Kohlbecker [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports
10 - Jace Denmark [R], Pabst Racing (T-2)

11 - Simon Sikes, Marotti Autosport / Legacy Autosport (T-2)
12 - Prescott Campbell, DEForce Racing (T-2)
13 - Elysiah Navarro [R], DEForce Racing (T-2)
14 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport (T-2)
15 - Thomas Nepveu [R], Cape Motorsports (T-2)
16 - Erik Evans [R], Velocity Racing Development
17 - Peter Vodanovich [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (T-2)
18 - Evan Stamer [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports (T-2)
19 - Dylan Christie [R], Turn 3 Motorsports (T-2)
20 - Billy Frazer [R], Exclusive Autosport (T-2)

21 - Jackson Lee [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (T-1)
22 - Bijoy Garg, Jay Howard Driver Development (P-1)
23 - Trey Burke [R], Joe Dooling Autosports (P-1)
24 - Kent Vaccaro [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (P-1)
25 - Michael Myers, Michael Myers Racing (T-2)
26 - Grant Palmer [R], Exclusive Autosport (P-1)

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Notable:

• The TOP FIVE are no surprise. All are series vets who have been to Indianapolis before and all have been fast so far, this season. In fact, the TOP TEN have all shown speed.

• Most of the best times were put in during the T-2 session but Yuven also TOPPED the T-1 session, so the kid from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin is fast on the circuit. Yuven already has 1 race WIN and a pole this season.

• Points leader Christian Brooks TOPPED the P-1 session, but that was still only the 7th fastest time of the day. Brooks didn’t run in the T-1 session and came in P10 in the T-2 session.

• The “speed boys” at Pabst Racing have two guys in the TOP FIVE, but so do the guys from DEForce Racing.

• Not entered this weekend is Andre Castro for Marotti Autosport / Legacy Autosport. Too bad, as he was much improved at St. Pete, with 2 TOP TENS. Not starting three races destroys his title hopes and does nothing for his growth.

• Grant Palmer missed both test sessions but put in some time in the practice. Grant needs all the seat time he can get and he isn’t getting it. This is not like Exclusive Autosport.

Andre Castro (left) and Grant Palmer

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Yuven Sundaramoorthy

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USF2000 will qualify for Race 1 later in the day. Next up, Indy Pro 2000 test and practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Indianapolis - Indy Pro 2000 test and practice…

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The middle series on the Road to Indy ladder also put in 2 test sessions and a practice and we have COMBINED the results of all three sessions here.

Here is the order of speed for Indy Pro 2000 test and practice sessions COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; the driver’s best session is in ( )

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1 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:20.7767s for a speed of 108.700mph (T-2)

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2 - Manuel Sulaiman, Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.8316s for a speed of 108.626mph (T-2)

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3 - Artem Petrov, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:20.9372s for a speed of 108.484mph (T-2)

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4 - Reece Gold [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.9505s for a speed of 108.466mph (T-2)

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5 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 01:21.0255s for a speed of 108.366mph (T-1)

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6 - Braden Eves, Exclusive Autosport (T-2)
7 - Hunter McElrea, Pabst Racing (T-1)
8 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (T-1)
9 - Enaam Ahmed [R], RP Motorsport USA (T-2)
10 - Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports (T-1)

11 - James Roe [R], Turn 3 Motorsport (T-2)
12 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (T-1)
13 - Kyffin Simpson [R], Juncos Racing (P-1)

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Notable:

• Any of the TOP SEVEN here are capable of podiums and with the exception of Colin Kaminsky all are previous race WINNERS.

• The entire field was covered by less than a second, all day long. This is a tight group of superb young racers.

• Artem Petrov TOPPED both the T-1 session and the P-1 session, but both Christian’s and Manny’s T-2 time bested him for the day.

• Not here this weekend are Cameron Shields, Enzo Fittipaldi, Hunter Yeany and Flinn Lazier.

• Points-leader Braden Eves had his bad accident here in 2020, ending up on his roll hoop and fracturing a vertebrea in his neck, putting him out for the rest of the season. He has unfinished business, here.

Braden Eves

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Christian Rasmussen

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Indy Pro 2000 will qualify for Race 1 on Friday morning and then race just before noon. Next up, the Indy Lights hold testing and practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Indianapolis - The Indy Lights hold their tests and practice…

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As with the other two series, the Lights put in 2 test sessions followed by their one and only practice for the weekend. In this case every driver’s T-2 test was their best performance of the day, so that is what we are presenting here.

Here is the order of speed for Indy Lights T-2 test session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:15.3920s for a speed of 116.463mph

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2 - Toby Sowery, Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.4203s for a speed of 116.420mph

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3 - Alex Peroni [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:15.5181s for a speed of 116.269mph

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4 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 01:15.6169s for a speed of 116.117mph

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5 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andrtetti Autosport - time of 01:15.6649s for a speed of 116.043mph

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6 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport
7 - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports
8 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Racing
9 - Antonio Serravalle [R], Pserra Racing
10 - Nikita Lastochkin [R], HMD Motorsports

11 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports
12 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport
13 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• Linus TOPPED both the T-1 and T-2 test sessions - remarkable, given that he’s never been here before and he’s racing against Road to Indy veterans who know the track well.

• The entire field was covered by less than 1 second all day long. These are excellent young racers who are very close in talent, for the most part.

• We are surprised by how well Tasmanian Alex Peroni has taken to the track. Like Linus, he knows it not.

• Toby Sowery was P2 in T-2 and P-1. Toby started the season a little cold but this is more like the Toby we are used to.

• Danial Frost TOPPED the P-1 session, with Toby in P2 and Linus in P3. Frost was also P3 in the first test session - He was the best of the Andretti stable all day.

• Rob Megennis, on the other hand, is underperforming, as one of the few sophomores in the field. His best time was a P5 in the P-1 session, so he improved by the end of the day. We also think points-leader David Malukas could and should do better. His best was a P4 in the first test.

Rob Megennis (left) and David Malukas

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Linus Lunqvist

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The Indy Lights will qualify early on Friday and hold Race 1 of their weekend in the mid-afternoon. Next up, USF2000 qualifies…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday afternoon at Indianapolis - USF2000 qualifies for the weekend…

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Usually, the Road to Indy holds a separate quallly session for each race, butr on a three-race weekend with a condensed schedule, this weekend will be different. This session will grid Race 1 with the driver’s fastest lap. Race 2 will grid by EITHER a driver’s second-quickest qualifying lap or their fastest lap in Race 1 - whichever is better. Race 3 will grid by EITHER a driver’s second-quickest qualifying lap or their fastest lap in Race 2 - whichever is better.

That makes the qually session even more important and also a one-shot deal for each driver - get it right or hope your race laps are better than your qually session would indicate.

Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 5, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Christian Brooks, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:24.6284s for a speed of 103.752mph

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P2 - Josh Pierson, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.6560s for a speed of 103.719mph

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Row 2

P3 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.7071s for a speed of 103.656mph

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P4 - Spike Kohlbecker [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.8480s for a speed of 103.484mph

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Row 3

P5 - Josh Green, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:24.9509s for a speed of 103.359mph

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P6 - Kiko Porto, DEForce Racing - time of 01:24.9612s for a speed of 103.346mph

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Row 4

P7 - Thomas Nepveu [R], Cape Motorsports
P8 - Nolan Siegel, DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Simon Sikes, Marotti Autosport / Legacy Autosport
P10 - Dylan Christie [R], Turn 3 Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Myles Rowe [R], Force Indy
P12 - Michael D’Orlando, Cape Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Prescott Campbell, DEForce Racing
P14 - Erik Evans [R], Velocity Racing Development

Row 8

P15 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport
P16 - Elysiah Navarro [R], DEForce Racing

Row 9

P17 - Billy Frazer [R], Exclusive Autosport
P18 - Jace Denmark [R], Pabst Racing

Row 10

P19 - Michael Myers, Michael Myers Racing
P20 - Evan Stamer [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports

Row 11

P21 - Bijoy Garg, Jay Howard Driver Development
P22 - Jackson Lee [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 12

P23 - Peter Vodanovich [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P24 - Kent Vaccaro [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 13

P25 - Grant Palmer [R], Exclusive Autosport
P26 - Trey Burke [R], Joe Dooling Autosports

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Notable:

• This is Christian’s 2nd pole this season and fourth in his Road to Indy career. To get it he beat 15-year-old Josh Pierson by a scant 0.0276 seconds. Josh held pole until there was only about 30 seconds left in the session and then Christian laid down a flyer and stole it.

• This is also Spike Kohlbecker’s best start of the season. Spike gets better with each race and could be a legitimate title contender, soon.

• 22 of the 26 drivers were within one second of Brooks’ pole-lap. The field in USF2000 gets more and more impressive with each passing year.

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This race will take place Friday, mid-morning, following qualifying for Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights and the first practice session for the big cars. This session was the last on-track activity of the day.

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M

[MarkyS]

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

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The IP2K boys were first on track this morning with a 30 minute session to qualify for their weekend of racing and taking his first pole in IP2K was 16-year-old rookie Reece Gold for Juncos Racing.

Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 5, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Reece Gold [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:19.9481s for a speed of 109.826mph

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P2 - Braden Eves, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:20.2331s for a speed of 109.436mph

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Row 2

P3 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:20.3334s for a speed of 109.299mph

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P4 - Kyffin Simpson [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.4104s for a speed of 109.195mph

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Row 3

P5 - Enaam Ahmed [R], RP Motorsport USA - time of 01:20.5831s for a speed of 108.961mph

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P6 - Artem Petrov, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:20.6176s for a speed of 108.914mph

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Row 4

P7 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P8 - Hunter McElrea, Pabst Racing

Row 5

P9 - Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports
P10 - Manuel Sulaiman, Juncos Racing

Row 6

P11 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
P12 - James Roe [R], Turn 3 Motorsport

Row 7

P13 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

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Notable:

• Christian Rasmussen help provisional pole until the last few seconds of the session when Reece came in and stole it. Gold was a sophomore in USF2000 last season and turned it on, taking 10 podiums and 2 WINS, ending the season in 3rd. This is his 2nd Road to Indy pole.

• Almost taking pole was Braden Eves who like Reece, put in a flyer at the very end. Indianapolis is the site of his bad shunt in 2020 so this is a bit of redemption for him.

• Nice performance for Brit Enaam Ahmad, who is a very accomplished and talented driver, but is over here on a shoe-string budget, dependent on good results to keep him racing in IP2K. This will help.

• Falling on his face a bit is Manuel Sulaiman who should easily be TOP FOUR with his talent and a Juncos car. Juncos is known for being king-makers in Indy Pro 2000.

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Reece Gold - Juncos magic doesn’t hurt to have

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Indy Pro 2000 will hold Race 1 of the weekend just before Noon today. Next, the Indy Lights qualify…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Indianapolis - The Indy Lights qualify…

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The Road to Indy’s top series came out for their qually session this morning and Sweden’s Linus Lundqvist took his 2nd pole of the season for Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motrorsports.

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

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Row 1

Pole - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:15.0978s for a speed of 116.920mph

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P2 - Toby Sowery, Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.2204s for a speed of 116.729mph

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Row 2

P3 - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports - time of 01:15.2637s for a speed of 116.662mph

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P4 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andrtetti Autosport - time of 01:15.2846s for a speed of 116.629mph

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Row 3

P5 - Alex Peroni [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:15.4630s for a speed of 116.354mph

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P6 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.4915s for a speed of 116.310mph

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Row 4

P7 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing
P8 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Racing

Row 5

P9 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports
P10 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport

Row 6

P11 - Nikita Lastochkin [R], HMD Motorsports
P12 - Antonio Serravalle [R], Pserra Racing

Row 7

P13 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• There are at least ten guys who could grab pole in this field, but the TOP FOUR are probably the most likely and so it goes. Linus is showing his ability to jump onto any track and get the most out of his car, regardless of his familiarity with the venue. He held provisional pole for the whole session.

• Similarly, we are impressed with Tasmanian Alex Peroni who also is new to the United States, but totally undaunted.

• We’re still wondering why sophomore Rob Megennis is not TOP FOUR. This is where he collected his 2020 WIN in the series, and in the same Andretti car.

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Linus Lundqvist

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The Lights will hold Race 1 in the mid-afternoon, today. Next up, the IndyCars take to the track for their first practice session…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Indianapolis - The IndyCars come out for practice…

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After a day of Road to Indy action, the big cars finally got their first shot at the Road Course this morning and the first piece of news is that Max Chilton is having problems travelling from England to the States. As a result, the # 59 Gallagher Chevrolet for Carlin had to be withdrawn from the race. The team is instead spending their time converting the road course car to Speedway configuration for the start of Indy 500 practice, next week, when hopefully Max will be here.

Max Chilton - stuck in Old Blighty

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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 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 109.8784s for a speed of 125.656mph

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2 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 109.9646s for a speed of 125.498mph

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3 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 110.0624s for a speed of 125.323mph

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4 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 110.0643s for a speed of 125.319mph

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5 - Romain Grosjean [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing - time of 110.1587s for a speed of 125.151mph

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6 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
7 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske
8 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
9 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
10 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

11 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
12 - Ed Jones, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
13 - Will Power, Team Penske
14 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Steinbrenner
15 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
16 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
17 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
18 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
19 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
20 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP

21 - Juan Pablo Montoya, Arrow McLaren SP
22 - Jimmie Johnson [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
23 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
24 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises
25 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

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Notable:

• Alexander Rossi looked smooth and felt confident, despite his early season travails to now. It’s due to his belief that the car is actually very good, but the team has had bad luck. TOPPING the session kinda proves his point.

• Jack Harvey has had very good luck and success at this track before and also looked and spoke confidently. Jack and Alex were the only guys to crack 109s on time.

• Not so happy were the guys from both Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren SP who are mired in the back end. Alex Palou was unable to put in any laps due to a water leak in his Honda.

• On track for this race are Juan Pablo Montoya for Arrow McLaren SP as a tune-up to the 500. Similarly, Charlie Kimball is here for AJ Foyt Enterprises, also as a tune-up, but Charlie was only able to put in 4 laps, for some reason.

• Charlie’s teammate, Sebastien Bourdais, was also short on laps with an electrical gremlin.

• Best rookie was Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean for Dale Coyne, cracking the TOP FIVE. It’s not surprising, as the Indy Road Course is the track that is most similar to Formula One race tracks in style and configuration. Indeed, it was the home of the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix for years.

• Rookie Scott McLaughlin was the 2nd best Team Penske guy and made the TOP TEN, while teammate Josef Newgarden, a former WINNER here, made TOP FIVE. Teammates Will Power and Simon Pagenaud have 4 and 3 WINS on the road course, respectively, but they haven’t come alive yet.

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Alexander Rossi

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The IndyCars will hold a second practice later today. Next, USF2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend. The grid for that is in post # 6…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Indianapolis - USF2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend…

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The first guys to actually race this weekend were the kids from USF2000 and they made it a great one with WINNER Yuven Sundaramoorthy for Pabst Racing, taking his 2nd WIN of the young season from a P3 start. P2 went to Michael d’Orlando for Cape Motorsports from his P12 start while P3 went to pole-sitter Christian Brooks for Exclusive Autosport.

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Brooks took off at the drop of the green with P2 Josh Pierson for Pabst Racing and Yuven following. Back in the pack, Prescott Campbell for DEForce Racing and Myles Rowe for Force Indy collided, shearing off Rowe’s front wing which Campbell actually got stuck with. Both cars pitted for repairs as the track stayed green. By the end of the first lap Michael d’Orlando had already taken P8 from his P12 start while Cape teammate Thomas Nepveu had moved from P7 to P5. On lap 3 Josh Pierson passed Christian for the lead in Turn 1 but Brooks did the over/under and retook the spot in Turn 2. Spike Kohlbecker for Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports passed Thomas Nepveu for P5. On lap 4 Josh Green for Turn 3 Motorsports passed Yuven to take over P3.

Lap 5 saw Grant Palmer for Exclusive Autosport all the way up to P15 from his P25 start. Lap 6 started off with Yuven retaking P3 from Josh Green. In the mean time Brooks and Pierson were running literally nose-to-tail and continued to do so, but Pierson could not find a way past Brooks. On lap 8 d’Orlando passed both Spike and Josh Green to take over P4, with Spike slotting into P5. Yuven then made an attempt to pass Pierson in Turn 1 but failed to make the corner. He ran down to the escape road and rejoined, still in P3. He then made another attempt to pass his teammate and made it stick. He was now in P2.

On lap lap 9 Yuven passed Brooks in Turn 1 and took the lead while Michael passed Pierson to take over P3. Yuven then took off for what was the biggest lead of the race, but still not by much. On the final lap of the race Michael was able to get Brooks in Turn 7 to take over P2 and Yuven crossed the finish line 1.89 seconds over d’Orlando, who was half a second over Christian.

A great race, with tons of action!

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Notable:

• In his post-race interview Sundaramoorthy said he knew his car was faster, but just wanted to let Brooks lead until near the end. His biggest fear was taking out his teammate, Josh Pierson, on his way to the front, and that contributed to his off-course excursion, but he knew where the escape road was and made quick work of it.

• Biggest mover was Grant Palmer who ended the day P14 from his P25 start. Other movers were Jace Denmark for Pabst (P18 to P10) and of course that great run by Michael d’Orlando to the podium from P12.

• Fastest Lap was set by Nolan Siegel for DEForce Racing and that will hold him in good stead for Race 2.

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Your happy podium - That’s Michael d’Orlando on the left in P2, Yuven Sundaramoorthy in the middle in P1 and Christian Brooks on the right in P3:

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USF2000 will hold Race 2 this afternoon. Next up, Indy Pro 2000 holds Race 1. The grid for this is in post # 7…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Indianapolis - Indy Pro 2000 holds their first race of the weekend…

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…and the WINNER was rookie Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard Driver Development from his P3 start. P2 was Braden Eves for Exclusive Autosport from his P2 start while P3 went to pole-sitter Reece Gold for Juncos Racing.

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Jay Howard with his WINNING driver

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On the opening lap Braden got by Reece to take the lead in Turn 1. By the time they were in Turn 7 Christian also got by Gold to take over P2. On lap 3 Reece was nose-to-tail with Rasmussen to attempt to retake P2 while Braden began to open up a safe lead. For many laps the field began to stretch out with everyone getting a comfortable distance from everyone else.

On lap 17 Enaam Ahmad for RP Motorsport USA had a mechanical on track and stopped on the front straight, near the big pylon, out from his good P5 position. That brought out a full-course caution, bunching up the field and erasing Braden’s very comfortable lead.

On the lap 22 restart Christian was all over Braden and at the end of Hulman Boulevard he took Braden in Turn 7. Artem Petrov for Exclusive Autosport also took P5 from James Roe for Turn 3 Motorsports. For the next three laps Braden was all over Christian, looking for a way to retake the lead. On the final lap he caught him in the final corners and the two were side by side going up the front straight to the checkered flag. Christian WON by a mere 0.07 seconds, with Reece only a half-second behind Braden:

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Team Cooper Tire

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Notable:

• With the WIN Christian is now tied with Braden for the championship lead, at 124 points. The rest of this weekend will make the difference between them.

• Reece Gold put in Fastest Lap of the race.

• Colin Kaminsky for Pabst Racing and James Roe for Turn 3 Motorsports were the biggest movers, with 4 passes apiece.

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Your happy podium - That’s Braden Eves on the left in P2, Christian Rasmussen in the middle in P1 and Reece Gold on the right in P3:

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Indy Pro 2000 will be first guys on track Saturday morning for Race 2. Next up, the IndyCars hold their final practice session…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - The big cars come out for the P-2 practice…

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This will be the last chance to get it right before qualifying, later today, for Saturday’s IndyCar race. Most of the teams that struggled a bit in the morning session improved in the afternoon, as expected.

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

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1 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:09.3323s for a speed of 126.642mph

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2 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 01:09.4020s for a speed of 126.515mph

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3 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:09.4747s for a speed of 126.383mph

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4 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:09.4999s for a speed of 126.337mph

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5 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske - time of 01:09.5514s for a speed of 126.243mph

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6 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing
7 - Romain Grosjean [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
8 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
9 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
10 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP

11 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
12 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
13 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
14 - Ed Jones, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
15 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Steinbrenner
18 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
19 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
20 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

21 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises
22 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
23 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
24 - Jimmie Johnson [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
25 - Juan Pablo Montoya, Arrow McLaren SP

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Notable:

• Team Penske fully shows up, with Josef in P1, Will Power in P3, rookie Scott McLaughlin in P5 and Simon Pagenaud in P8. Whatever problems they were having this morning seem to be resolved.

• Still struggling mightily is Chip Ganassi Racing. Only Alex Palou seems to be close to pace with his P13, once they repaired his leaky radiator. Marcus Ericsson is not quite as good at P18 and Scott Dixon had a clutch problem that kept him off track for almost the whole session. He will be going into qualifying almost blind.

• Colton Herta just signed a two-year extension with Andretti Autosport and he is showing he may be their TOP DAWG - not Alexander Rossi, as many assumed.

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Josef Newgarden

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The IndyCars will qualify for the GMR Grand Prix later today. Next up, the Indy Lights hold their first race of the weekend…

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M

.

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Indianapolis - The Indy Lights hold Race 1 of their weekend…

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…and the WINNER from pole was Linus Lundqvist for Global Racing Group w/ HMD Motorsports, flag to flag. P2 was quasi-teammate David Malukas for HMD Motorsports from his P3 start while P3 went to Toby Sowery for Juncos Racing from his P2 start.

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After keeping ahead of fellow front-row starter Toby Sowery in Turn 1 at the start, Lundqvist’s lead was 0.7 seconds at the end of the first lap. Rob Megennis for Andretti went from P10 to P8 past Benjamin Pedersen for GRG w/ HMD Motorsports.and Sting Ray Robb for Juncos Racing. Christian Bogle for Jay Howard Driver Development made a great start and moved from P13 to P10 past Nikita Lastochkin for HMD Motorsports, Antonio Serravalle for Pserra Racing and Benjamin Pedersen. Up front, Sowery had his hands full trying to keep David Malukas behind him on the first few laps.

On lap 4 Malukas finally took Sowery in Turn 1, then the field stretched out, with Lundqvist opening up a 2-second gap to David, making it impossible for Malukas to use Push-to-Pass on him. (It is restricted to following cars within 1.5 seconds of the car they are pursuing). On lap 9 Christian attempted to pass Sting Ray for P9 in Turn 1 but spun off, dropping him back to P12.

On lap 14 Danial Frost for Andretti Autosport passed Alex Peroni for Carlin at Turn 7 to take P5, but two laps later Peroni returned the favor in Turn 1 and retook P5. That was the last pass of the race, as whenever Malukas got close to that dangerous 1.5-second gap, Linus would open it up again, setting Fastest Lap in the process. He crossed the line 2.4 seconds to the good while David was 8 seconds ahead of Toby at the finish.

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Notable:

• With this WIN Linus takes a 4-point lead over David Malukas in the points, with Kyle Kirkwood for Andretti - P4 today - in 3rd, 14 point back of David.

• This is Toby Sowery’s 1st podium of the season.

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As they are only doing 2 races this weekend, the Lights will be able to hold a 2nd qually session on Saturday morning for Race 2, scheduled to run in the early afternoon. Next up, USF2000 holds their 2nd race of the weekend. The grid for that follows…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Friday afternoon at Indianapolis - USF2000 grids for Race 2 of the weekend…

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The grid for Race 2 was set by taking either the driver’s 2nd fastest qualifying lap OR their fastest Race 1 lap - whichever was best. That will almost always be the qually lap.

Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 6, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.7217s

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P2 - Christian Brooks, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:24.7741s

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Row 2

P3 - Josh Pierson, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.8949s

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P4 - Spike Kohlbecker [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.9497s

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Row 3

P5 - Josh Green, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:25.0034s

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P6 - Kiko Porto, DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.0081s

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Row 4

P7 - Nolan Siegel, DEForce Racing
P8 - Thomas Nepveu [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Dylan Christie [R], Turn 3 Motorsports
P10 - Myles Rowe [R], Force Indy

Row 6

P11 - Michael D’Orlando, Cape Motorsports
P12 - Prescott Campbell, DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Erik Evans [R], Velocity Racing Development
P14 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Simon Sikes, Marotti Autosport / Legacy Autosport
P16 - Billy Frazer [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 9

P17 - Elysiah Navarro [R], DEForce Racing
P18 - Jace Denmark [R], Pabst Racing

Row 10

P19 - Michael Myers, Michael Myers Racing
P20 - Jackson Lee [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 11

P21 - Evan Stamer [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports
P22 - Bijoy Garg, Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 12

P23 - Kent Vaccaro [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P24 - Peter Vodanovich [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 13

P25 - Trey Burke [R], Joe Dooling Autosports

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Yuven Sundaramoorthy

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The race with this grid…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Friday afternoon - USF2000 holds Race 2 of the weekend…

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…and the WINNER, leading from pole to checkers, was Yuven Sundaramoorthy for Pabst Racing, taking his 3rd WIN of the season. P2 went to teammate Josh Pierson from his P3 start, while P3 went to Kiko Porto for DEForce Racing, from his P6 start.

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Starting from pole, Yuven’s main focus at the green flag was to keep P2 starter Christian Brooks for Exclusive Autosport behind him at Turn 1, which he accomplished. By lap 2 Michael d’Orlando for Cape Motorsports had jumped from his P11 start to P9. Josh Pierson then took Brooks in Turn 1 for P2. Spike Kohlbecker for Ignite Autosports w/ Cape Motorsports fell from P4 to P6 behind Josh Green for Turn 3 Motorsports and Kiko Porto. On lap 4 d’Orlando passed Dylan Christie for Turn 3 Motorsports on his way to P8, Thomas Nepveu for Cape Motorsports took P6 from Spike and Kiko passed Josh Green to take over P4.

On lap 6 d’Orlando was into P7 past Spike, then two laps later took P6 from Nepveu. On lap 10 Kiko started an assault on Brooks for the P3 spot. The two ran beside each other for most of the lap, when Kiko finally took the Californian. Spike also passed Nepvue to take over P7. In the mean time, Yuven was keeping Josh Pierson just far enough behind him to remain unthreatening.

On lap 11 d’Orlando took over P5 from Josh Green in Turn 7. On lap 12 he took P4 from Christian Brooks. For the next 4 laps Yuven kept Pierson behind him a small gap sufficient to do the job and finished the race just over a second to the good, with Josh 1.5 seconds ahead of Kiko.

Another great battle, with lots of passing throughout.

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Notable:

• Yuven set another Fastest Lap, with the 1 series point that goes with it. He is now only 9 points behind Brooks in the standings. Sundaramoorthy will start from pole for Race 3 on Saturday.

• Biggest passer was again Michael d’Orlando, P11 to P4. The 3rd-year veteran only needs to qualify better to be a title contender. He is a passing machine.

• The race had 142 on-track passes from start to finish in the all-green running. The kids know how to race hard and clean.

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Your happy podium - That’s Josh Pierson in P2 on the left, Yuven Sundaramoorthy in P1 in the middle and Kiko Porto in P3 on the right:

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USF2000 will close out their weekend on Saturday morning with Race 3, right before the IndyCar warm-up. Next up, the IndyCar qualify…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Indianapolis - the IndyCars are qualified!..

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After another exciting session of knock-out qualifying the IndyCars are set to race on Saturday with a rookie in the lead, as Romain Grosjean for Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing takes pole.

Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for the GMR Grand Prix, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Romain Grosjean [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing - time of 01:09.4396s for a speed of 126.447mph

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P2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:09.5665s for a speed of 126.216mph

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Row 2

P3 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 01:09.6528s for a speed of 126.060mph

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P4 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:09.7118s for a speed of 125.953mph

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Row 3

P5 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske - time of 01:09.7140s for a speed of 125.949mph

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P6 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 01:09.8662s for a speed of 125.675mph

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Row 4

P7 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
P8 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport

Row 5

P9 - Ed Jones, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
P10 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske

Row 6

P11 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P12 - Will Power, Team Penske

Row 7

P13 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
P14 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
P16 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 9

P17 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P18 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP

Row 10

P19 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
P20 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 11

P21 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
P22 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Steinbrenner

Row 12

P23 - Jimmie Johnson [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
P24 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 13

P25 - Juan Pablo Montoya, Arrow McLaren SP

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Notable:

• This is precisely why Grosjean chose to come race IndyCars - to compete in a series where he stands a chance of having big accomplishments. This is his first pole since his days in GP2, more than ten years ago. Romain’s biggest fear now is how he will handle his first rolling start from pole. Turn 1 on the Road Course at Indianapolis is a killer.

• Scott McLaughlin was the other rookie in the Firestone Fast Six. In fact, most of the usual suspects were NOT in the Fast Six. Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Rinus VeeKay, Colton Herta, Simon Pagenaud and Scott Dixon failed to make the cut, though for some, just barely.

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Romain Grosjean - 1st pole in 3rd series race

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC, starting at 2:00pm EASTERN time on Saturday. There will be a morning warm-up at 10:45am. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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.M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Indianapolis - Indy Pro 2000 grids for Race 2 of the weekend…

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The grid for IP2K Race 2 was set by taking either the driver’s 2nd fastest qualifying lap OR their fastest Race 1 lap - whichever is best. That will almost always be the qually lap.

Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 6, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Reece Gold [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.2499s

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P2 - Braden Eves, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:20.2843s

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Row 2

P3 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:20.4909s

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P4 - Enaam Ahmed [R], RP Motorsport USA - time of 01:20.6921s

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Row 3

P5 - Kyffin Simpson [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.7237s

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P6 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:20.7342s

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Row 4

P7 - Hunter McElrea, Pabst Racing
P8 - Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Artem Petrov, Exclusive Autosport
P10 - Manuel Sulaiman, Juncos Racing

Row 6

P11 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
P12 - James Roe [R], Turn 3 Motorsport

Row 7

P13 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

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Notable:

• In Race 1 Reece Gold was on pole also, but was quickly eaten up by first Braden Eves and then Christian Rasmussen. The question is whether or not he can prevent that from happening again.

• This is Enaam Ahmad’s best starting position this season. Hopefully, he can take advantage of that.

• Series stalwarts Hunter McElrea, Artem Petrov and Manuel Sulaiman are typically in the TOP SIX, but all had unusually bad qualifying experiences and will have to fight to get to the front in this group.

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Reece Gold

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Up next, the race…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Saturday morning at Indianpolis - IP2K puts on a wild one!..

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Indy Pro 2000’s Race 2 of their weekend will be remembered for the wild start, where all expectations went unrealized and the bizarre happened, conspiring eventually to give Artem Petrov for Exclusive Autosport his first WIN of the season. P2 was his teammate Braden Eves while P3 went to Kyffin Simpson for Juncos Racing - but BARELY!

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USF Pro 2000

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The race started with P3 starter Christian Rasmussen and P6 starter Wyatt Brichacek, both for Jay Howard Driver Development, in the pits with mechanicals. As the field hit Turn 1 P2 starter Braden Eves took a shot at pole-sitter Reece Gold for Juncos Racing, who went off, trying to defend. That caused a lot of confusion and movement in the corner trying to avoid contact and when the field emerged in Turn 2 it was all shook up. Kyffin Simpson was P1 from P5, Artem Petrov was P2 from P9, Hunter McElrea for Pabst Racing was P3 from P7, Enaam Ahmed for RP Motorsport USA was in his P4 spot and Braden Eves was in P5. Gold was in the grass and unable to get out of it. A full-course caution was called and he was pushed back on course before the field came around, rejoining on the lead lap in P11.

When the the race restarted on lap 4 Artem jumped on Kyffin and took P1 in Turn 1, while Braden passed both Enaam and Hunter to take over P3. On lap 5 Colin Kaminsky for Pabst and James Roe for Turn 3 Motorsports collided while battling for P7 and took each other out, bringing out another caution. At the same time Manuel Sulaiman for Juncos had engine troubles and coasted to a halt on track. This had all whittled the field down to 8 cars on the lead lap.

On the lap 9 restart Braden took P2 from Kyffin in Turn 1 while Reece took P7 from Jacob Abel for Abel Motorsports. On lap 10 Hunter McElrea tried a pass on Braden in Turn 1 but missed the corner and dropped from P4 to P8. Reece Gold passed Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatieri to take over P5. On lap 13 Reece was past Enaam in Turn 2 to take P4. On lap 14 Christian Rasmussen, 2 laps down, put in the Fastest Lap of the race to help his Race 3 position.

For the next several laps the order was Artem in P1, Braden in P2, Kyffin in P3 and Reece in P4 and all four were covered by only a second and a half as they all looked for opportunities to pass. No one was able to find one until Reece caught Kyffin on the final lap in Turn 12. The two cars ran aside each other to the line. Artem beat Braden by 0.49 seconds at the line with Kyffin 1.5 seconds back, beating Reece to the line by only 0.012 seconds.

A great race with too much action to fully detail!

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Notable:

• This is Artem’s first WIN for 2021, but will likely not be his last. He is now 3rd in the points, behind Braden and Christian Rasmussen. He was both confused and bemused at how he ended up in P2 on that first lap.

• It ended up being a 1-2 for Exclusive Autosport and a 3-4 for Juncos Racing. Those are the two best teams in the series, as it happens, and this kinda shows it.

• Enaam Ahmed came home in P5 and that was his best finish of the season, so far.

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Your happy podium - That’s Braden Eves in P2 on the left, Artem Petrov in P1 in the middle and Kyffin Simpson in P3 on the right:

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IP2K will close out the weekend just before Noon with Race 3. Next up, Indy Lights qualifies for Race 2…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Saturday morning at Indianapolis - The Indy Lights qualify for Race 2…

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Since there are just two races for the Lights this weekend, they were able to schedule qualifying sessions for each and we have the results of the 2nd session here.

Here is the way Indy Lights will gride for season Round 6, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports - time of 01:15.1851s for a speed of 116.784mph

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P2 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 01:15.2806s for a speed of 116.636mph

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Row 2

P3 - Toby Sowery, Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.2909s for a speed of 116.620mph

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P4 - Alex Peroni [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:15.5165s for a speed of 116.271mph

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Row 3

P5 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.5334s for a speed of 116.245mph

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P6 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andrtetti Autosport - time of 01:15.5388s for a speed of 116.237mph

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Row 4

P7 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport
P8 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing

Row 5

P9 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport
P10 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Antonio Serravalle [R], Pserra Racing
P12 - Nikita Lastochkin [R], HMD Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• Toby Sowery led the session for the first half but David finally eclipsed his time in the 2nd half. Linus made a stab at taking the top spot but was just short.

• This is rookie Sting Ray Robb’s best qually effort of the season, so far.

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David Malukas

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The Lights will hold Race 2 just before the IndyCar race. Next, USF2000 holds their final race of the weekend. The grid for this follows…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Saturday morning at Indianapolis - USF2000 grids for Race 3 of the weekend…

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The grid for USF2000 Race 3 was set by taking either the driver’s 2nd fastest qualifying lap OR their fastest Race 2 lap - whichever was best. That will almost always be the qually lap.

Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 7, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.7217s

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P2 - Christian Brooks, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:24.7741s

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Row 2

P3 - Josh Pierson, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.8949s

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P4 - Spike Kohlbecker [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.9497s

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Row 3

P5 - Josh Green, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:25.0034s

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P6 - Kiko Porto, DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.0081s

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Row 4

P7 - Nolan Siegel, DEForce Racing
P8 - Thomas Nepveu [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Dylan Christie [R], Turn 3 Motorsports
P10 - Myles Rowe [R], Force Indy

Row 6

P11 - Michael D’Orlando, Cape Motorsports
P12 - Prescott Campbell, DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Erik Evans [R], Velocity Racing Development
P14 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Simon Sikes, Marotti Autosport / Legacy Autosport
P16 - Billy Frazer [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 9

P17 - Elysiah Navarro [R], DEForce Racing
P18 - Michael Myers, Michael Myers Racing

Row 10

P19 - Jackson Lee [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P20 - Evan Stamer [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports

Row 11

P21 - Jace Denmark [R], Pabst Racing
P22 - Bijoy Garg, Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 12

P23 - Kent Vaccaro [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P24 - Peter Vodanovich [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 13

P25 - Trey Burke [R], Joe Dooling Autosports
P26 - Grant Palmer [R], Exclusive Autosport

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Notable:

• Yuven holds pole for the second time, this weekend. If he can keep ahead of the pack early on, he should be able to control the race and sweep the weekend.

• Christian Brooks still leads the points, but by a lot less than when the weekend started. He will try to stem the bleeding. It will help Yuven if teammate Josh Pierson can pass Brooks and provide a buffer, but Josh will also want to pass Sundaramoorthy. He will just be more careful about it.

• Kiko Porto is currently 3rd in the points and he too will go all out to advance.

• Watch for both Michael d’Orlando and Grant Palmer to make lots of passes. Both had bad qualifying sessions that have them back where they shouldn’t be and both have shown the ability to correct that a lot.

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Yuven Sundaramoorthy - 3 for 3?

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Next, the race…

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M