IndyCars - Laguna Seca: Return to an old favorite

[MarkyS]

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It’s time for the IndyCar season finale, and for this year the series is returning to an old favorite venue, where a champion will be crowned, as we do…
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The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

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The iconic track hosts all kinds of racing, from open-wheel cars to SportsCars to motorcycles, but they haven’t had IndyCars here since 2004, when Canadian Patrick Carpentier pulled off a repeat, WINNING for the second year in a row. Fans of the track have been clamoring for a return of the series and they finally get their wish.

Laguna Seca is a 2.238-mile natural road course track with 300 feet of elevation changes over 11 turns, the most famous of which is the legendary “Corkscrew”, at Turn 8 and 8a, where the bottom drops out and the cars plummet down hill .(It is faintly circled in red in the pic above, at the top).

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Current team owner Bobby Rahal should have the deed to the place as he WON here as a Champ car driver in '85, '86, '87 and '88. The back straight is now known as the Rahal Straight. Other famous WINS here were by Paul Tracy in '93 and '94, Michael Andretti in '91 and '92 and Bryan Herta in '98 and '99 - but not before he was beaten by Alex Zanardi on the last lap of the 1996 race, with “The Pass” in the Corkscrew - Now, one of the most famous passes in racing history.
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Ticket sales and camping sales are reported to be very good and those race fans will be treated to no less than 11 races, this weekend. They include:

• Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• Global Mazda MX-5 Cup - 2 races on Saturday
• USF2000 - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• Indy Pro 2000 - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• Indy Lights - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday

…and, of course, the IndyCars will race on Sunday.

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Let’s look at all that support racing -

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Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA - This IMSA series is a one-make series that uses the Porsche 991 Cup car, similar to the GT3-spec racing version of the venerable Porsche 911. This series regularly produces great GT racing talents that go on to careers in SportsCars. The current GTD class Sprint Cup Champion in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series is Zacharie Robichon - A former Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge champion. No IndyCar drivers will be racing in Porsche Cup this weekend, so we will wish them safe and happy racing and concentrate elsewhere.

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Porsche 991 Cup cars at Watkins Glen

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Global Mazda MX-5 Cup - This is an IndyCar-sanctioned series but is the first step for SportsCar drivers from all over the world to learn their craft. The cars are race versions of the venerable Miata sports car, inexpensive but fast and competitive in the one-make spec series. The fields are always HUGE because of the low cost to run a season. This is where SportsCar driver begin their careers. No IndyCar folks are in this series, however, so we will wish them safe and happy racing and concentrate on the rest.
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Global MX5 Cup cars in action

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continued…

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[MarkyS]

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Support racing…(part 2)…
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USF2000 - This is the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system that develops IndyCar drivers and the cars will often be the first winged car with slicks that these young drivers will try. Despite their size, the racing is fast and furious with typically huge, international fields. Such will be the case at Laguna Seca. The cars were replaced with an entirely new version in 2017, the Tatuus USF-17, and it has been a wonder, breaking records at all the series venues. Gifted with 175 hp from its 2.0 liter Mazda MZR inline 4 cylinder, the transmissions are paddle-shifted 6-speed sequential boxes and the brakes are Performance Friction Brakes ZR24 4-piston calipers, front and rear, with a driver-adjustable bias - It’s all great stuff to learn to race with.

The battle for the championship will be decided at Laguna Seca, and it is TIGHT at the top. The current points leader is Hunter McElrea, an American-born New Zealander who took over the title lead with two WINS at the last races at Portland. Hunter drives for Pabst Racing and his nearest rival is Braden Eves for Cape Motorsports, just 6 point in arrears. The two races at Laguna will make a champion, with 66 points up for grabs.

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Hunter McElrea

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Indy Pro 2000 - This is the middle car on the ladder. Entirely new last year, it uses the same chassis as the Tatuus-USF17 but comes equipped with a much more powerful engine, much bigger tires and brakes and more wings, creating more downforce. In this iteration the car is the Tatuus PM-18. Even MORE than the USF2000 car, the PM-18 is heads and tails above the car it replaced and it too is shattering track records - sometimes by more than 4 seconds! The field is FULL of very talented kids from all over the globe, wanting to get in on the new car. These kids are more sophisticated and with better race craft than the kids from USF2000 , and it shows. Most of the series drivers are capable of a WIN on any given weekend.

The current points leader is 2018 USF2000 Champion Kyle Kirkwood for Italian team RP Motorsport USA, winning 7 of the last 8 races. He took over the title lead at Portland from Swedish rookie Rasmus Lindh, driving for Junco Racing The two are now separated by only 20 points, with 66 points still up for grabs in the two remaining races.

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Kyle Kirkwood - now leading

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Indy Lights - The Lights are the top step on the ladder and a fitting stepping stone to the big cars. The Dallara IL-15 was new in 2015, replacing a decades-old chassis. It has a 450 hp AER-developed 2.0 liter turbo-charged engine that is equipped with “push-to-pass” - the button on the steering wheel that releases additional turbo boost for a limited time, adding 50 extra ponies to the engine - just like on the big cars. The tires, wheels, brakes and downforce are all bigger and more than Indy Pro 2000, as are all the electronics, making the IL-15 a great place to not only train drivers but also their race engineers. The series drivers are superb talents and the proof of that is that so many current IndyCar drivers are very recent Indy Lights drivers.

The current points leader is Oliver Askew driving for Andretti Autosport. Oliver has amassed enough points with his sweep of the weekend at Portland to only need to start each of the two remaining races at Laguna to be crowned the 2019 Champion. The weekend will thus be for bragging rights and to see who will be Vice-Champion. That will likely be Nederlander Rinus VeeKay for Juncos Racing. Both Askew and VeeKay recently tested in IndyCars and both are looking for permanent IndyCar rides in 2020.

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Oliver Askew - waiting to start his engine twice, this weekend

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Friday will be a day of practice for all the series racing this weekend and late in the day USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and the Indy Lights will all qualify for their first races of the weekend, to be run on Saturday. LET’S GO!!!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Laguna Seca - USF2000 hold practice and qualifying…

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Practice - That time when the car’s engineer and the driver work together to adjust the car to the venue, the track conditions and the expected weather of the race weekend, aiming to optimize the performance. Practice is essential if the team is to have any chance at WINNING.

The first series to practice this morning were the kids from USF2000, They followed that up with qualifying in the afternoon for Race 1, to be run on Saturday.

Here is the way that USF2000 will grid for Season Round 14, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie; the driver’s practice position is in ( )

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Row 1

Pole - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:24.9937s for a speed of 94.793mph (2)

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P2 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:25.5166s for a speed of 94.213mph (4)

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Row 2

P3 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:25.5778s for a speed of 94146mph (8)

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P4 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 01:25.6739s for a speed of 94.040mph (1)

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Row 3

P5 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.7224s for a speed of 93.987mph (7)

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P6 - Jak Crawford [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.8694s for a speed of 93.826mph (3)

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Row 4

P7 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports (10)
P8 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports (11)

Row 5

P9 - Wyatt Birchacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (16)
P10 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing (6)

Row 6

P11 - Zach Holden, Legacy Autosport (9)
P12 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing (14)

Row 7

P13 - Kyle Dupell, Newman Wachs Racing (17)
P14 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing (12)

Row 8

P15 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing (13)
P16 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (18)

Row 9

P17 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (5)
P18 - Ayrton Ori [R], Legacy Autosport (15)

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Notable:

• There are only two guys left in the title hunt and they are points-leader Hunter McElrea and Braden Eves - and there they are in the front row together. Both improved on their practice times to get there. They are only 5 points apart now, as Braden just picked up a point for pole.

• While Braden put the serious hurt on Hunter by more than half a second in qualifying, he was still more than a full second shy of Sage Karam’s remarkable track record from 2010. Karam was good - very good.

• Eduardo Barrichello has improved at every race since moving to DEForce racing a few races ago. He’s now in the TOP SIX group and we are not surprised.

• We are also never surprised to see 14-year-old Jak Crawford in the TOP SIX. Jak has been seriously impressive from DAY 1 of his USF2000 season.

• Wyatt Brichacek is new to the grid here, but not new to Jay Howard Driver Development, for whom he drove in United States F4 in 2018. He jumped from P16 in his first practice in the car to P9 in qualifying - very good start.

Wyatt Brichacek - new guy

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This race will be run on Saturday afternoon.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Laguna Seca - The Indy Lights practice and qualify…

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Following the kids from USF2000 the guys in Indy Lights held their one and only practice of the weekend and then qualified later in the day for their first race of the weekend.

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Here is the way that Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 17, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie; the driver’s practice position is in ( )

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Row 1

Pole - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:16.0172s for a speed of 105.987mph (4)

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P2 - Toby Sowery [R], HMD Motorsports / Team Pelfrey - time of 01:16.6454s for a speed of 105.118mph (6)

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Row 2

P3 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:16.7916s for a speed of 104.918mph (1)

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P4 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:16.8760s for a speed of 104.803mph (2)

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Row 3

P5 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing - time of 01:17.0379s for a speed of 104.582mph (7)

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P6 - David Malukas [R], HMD Motorsports - time of 01:17.4098s for a speed of 104.080mph (5)

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Row 4

P7 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport (3)
P8 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing (8)

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Notable:

• Oliver Askew need only start his engines and thus get P8 points in each of the weekend races to WIN the 2019 title. Rinus VeeKay is also assured of the Vice-Championship, but both guys only know how to go 10/10ths, so both will push hard, this weekend. They are trying to impress IndyCar teams for 2020.

• While VeeKay makes the Netherlands proud with another series pole, he comes nowhere close to Max Chilton’s 2015 qualifying record - almost 1.8 seconds quicker.

• Toby Sowery is coming off his first series WIN at Portland and he’s particularly hot, right now. The Englishman is feelin’ it and it’s showing.

Max Chilton was scary fast here in 2015

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This race is scheduled for a Saturday afternoon start.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Laguna Seca - Indy Pro 2000 hold their practice and qualifying…

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Following the Lights guys the Indy Pro 2000 gang had their practice and then qualified for Race 1 of the weekend late in the day.
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Here is the way that Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 15, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie; the driver’s practice position is in ( )

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Row 1

Pole - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.1652s for a speed of 100.502mph (4)

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P2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport USA - time of 01:20.4459s for a speed of 100.152mph (2)

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Row 2

P3 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.4514s for a speed of 100.145mph (7)

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P4 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports - time of 01:20.8790s for a speed of 99.615mph (1)

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Row 3

P5 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports - time of 01:21.0776s for a speed of 99.371mph (9)

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P6 - Artem Petrov [R], RP Motorsport USA - time of 01:21.1621s for a speed of 99.268mph (10)

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Row 4

P7 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing! (13)
P8 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport (8)

Row 5

P9 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing (3)
P10 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport (5)

Row 6

P11 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing (6)
P12 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development / BN Racing (11)

Row 7

P13 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/RP Motorsport USA (12)
P14 - Antoine Comeau [R], Turn 3 Motorsport (14)

Row 8

P15 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing! (15)

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Notable:

• Sting Ray Robb has had a great year, with 10 TOP FIVES, including a P3 and 4 P2s. A WIN is surely close for the Idaho native - Maybe this weekend? This is his 2nd pole of the year, but no new record. That still belongs to Richard Kent from 2008, and by more than a full second.

• Points-leader Kyle Kirkwood and his rival, Rasmus Lindh, are both in the TOP THREE, and 3rd in the points, but out of contention, is Parker Thompson in P4. The fast guys are always the fast guys, right?

• Russian Artem Petrov is in his 3rd race of the year. He made big mistake that caused a big schlemozzle at Portland, so everyone is wary of his judgement, but his skills are without question exciting. He’s got game.

• Jacob Able is also competing in USAC’s F3 Americas series and he’s fast there, too.

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This race is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Laguna Seca - the IndyCars practice…

The big cars had three practices on the day. P-1 was in the morning, following all three Road to Indy series. Then P-2 was in the afternoon. That was followed by a pit-stop practice and “warm-up” session - essentially a 3rd practice. Everyone was fastest in the P-2 session, except for Alexander Rossi, who topped the warm-up session. Here is the ranking for the day.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars practice sessions COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:09.9105s for a speed of 115.244mph

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2 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:09.9305s for a speed of 115.212mph

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3 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - time of 01:09.9317s for a speed of 115.210mph

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4 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:10.0988s for a speed of 114.935mph

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5 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - time of 01:10.1353s for a speed of 114.875mph

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6 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
7 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
8 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Will Power, Team Penske
10 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

11 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
12 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
13 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
14 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
15 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport
16 - Max Chilton, Carlin
17 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
18 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
19 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
20 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

21 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
22 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
23 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
24 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM

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Notable:

• Ryan Hunter-Reay is one of four veterans with experience here and he’s drawing on it, for sure.

• Colton Herta has the Laguna Seca race-winning experience of his father, Bryan Herta, to draw on, Felix Rosenqvist has the experience of Scott Dixon to draw on and Santino Ferrucci has the experience of Sebastien Bourdais to draw on. All three of those veterans have been here before, as has Tony Kanaan.

• All four of the title contenders are in the TOP EIGHT, with Alexander Rossi the fastest of the group.

Ryan Hunter-Reay

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Title contenders - Left to right, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Simon Pagenaud and longshot Scott Dixon

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continued…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Laguna Seca - the IndyCars practice…(part 2)…

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We also want to present the results of the warm up, as that is almost always done with the race set-up of the cars, rather than a possible qualifying set-up, and shows how the cars may race on Sunday a lot better. While it is slower than the P-2 session it is telling in its own right.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars warm-up session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:10.0988s for a speed of 114.935mph

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2 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:10.8926s for a speed of 113.648mph

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3 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - time of 01:10.8950s for a speed of 113.644mph

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4 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:11.0371s for a speed of 113.417mph

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5 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:11.1182s for a speed of 113.287mph

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6 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
7 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
8 - Max Chilton, Carlin
9 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
10 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

11 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
12 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
13 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
14 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
15 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
16 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
17 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
18 - Will Power, Team Penske
19 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
20 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM

21 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
22 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
23 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
24 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan

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Notable:

• If indeed this is showing more of how the cars will race, it bodes well for all the title contenders, especially Alexander Rossi, with the exception of Josef Newgarden, who is mired in P16. .Don’t count on that, however. Penske will pull his feet out of the fire, you can bet.

• This is Alexander Rossi’s home track. He was raised nearby and got his love of racing by visiting Laguna Seca as a young lad, but he has never raced here.
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Alexander Rossi (left) and Josef Newgarden

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The IndyCars will hold another practice on Saturday morning and then qualify on early Saturday afternoon.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Laguna Seca - USF2000 come out for their 2nd qualifying…

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In the Road to Indy each race of a weekend gets its own qualifying session, instead of using the 2nd fastest lap for each driver in a single qualifying session. It takes more time and care but it also allows each team to adjust their cars between qualifying. USF2000 held their 2nd qualifying this morning for Race 2 on Sunday, and immediately we have big drama, as the points leader loses his laps, and will start from the rear of the field.

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Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 15, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 01:24.9014s for a speed of 94.896mph

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P2 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.3626s for a speed of 94.383mph

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Row 2

P3 - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:25.4515s for a speed of 94.285mph

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P4 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.6132s for a speed of 94.107mph

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Row 3

P5 - Jak Crawford [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:25.6873s for a speed of 94.026mph

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P6 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:25.7673s for a speed of 93.938mph

Row 4

P7 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports
P8 - Zach Holden, Legacy Autosport

Row 5

P9 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing
P10 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 6

P11 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing
P12 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing

Row 7

P13 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P14 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 8

P15 - Kyle Dupell, Newman Wachs Racing
P16 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 9

P17 - Ayrton Ori [R], Legacy Autosport
P18 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing

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Notable:

• The big news was that Hunter McElrea spun once and stopped on track once more, early in the session and brought out two red flags. That means he could no longer run qualifying laps and lost the laps he had. He will thus have to start Race 2 from the back - a great gift to championship rival Braden Eves. They are only separated by 5 points, with 64 points still up for grabs.

• This is Colin’s 3rd pole of the season. The driver for the “Speed Boys” at Pabst Racing has 9 TOP FIVE finishes, including 4 podiums, but no WINS. Colin is hungry and due. He can help teammate Hunter McElrea by keeping Braden Eves behind him.

• Reece Gold has been one of the very impressive youngsters in the series, with his 15th birthday only a few weeks ago. He’s starting in the first three rows for the 2nd time this year.

• Still 14 years old, Jak Crawford just continues to blow us away with his outsized talent. He’s besting guys with years of racing more than he has.

• Eduardo Barrichello has his best start of the year, and helps give DEForce Racing two cars in the first three rows.

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Hunter McElrea - behind the 8-ball

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This race will run on Sunday morning, after the Lights Race 2.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Laguna Seca - Indy Lights qualifys for Race 2…

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Following USF2000 the Indy Lights also put in their 2nd qualifying of the weekend, and we have those results.

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Here is the way that Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 18, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:15.6709s for a speed of 106.472mph

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P2 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:15.8486s for a speed of 106.222mph

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Row 2

P3 - Toby Sowery [R], HMD Motorsports / Team Pelfrey - time of 01:16.1037s for a speed of 105.866mph

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P4 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:16.2283s for a speed of 105.693mph

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Row 3

P5 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:16.3927s for a speed of 105.466mph

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P6 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing - time of 01:16.4708s for a speed of 105.358mph

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Row 4

P7 - David Malukas [R], HMD Motorsports
P8 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

• This is Rinus VeeKay’s 2nd pole of the weekend. The Nederlander wants to finish the season impressing everyone he can. 2020 is just around the corner.

• All the consistently fast guys are in the first two rows, so no surprises, here.

This race will be run on Sunday morning.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Laguna Seca - the IndyCars hold their final practice before qualifying…

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…later today, and the series rookie and Rookie of the Year points-leader Felix Rosenqvist for Chip Ganassi Racing tops the charts for the day.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-3 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:10.4065s for a speed of 114.433mph

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2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:10.5888s for a speed of 114.137mph

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3 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:10.5930s for a speed of 114.130mph

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4 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - time of 01:10.6122s for a speed of 114.099mph

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5 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:10.7109s for a speed of 113.940mph

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6 - Max Chilton, Carlin
7 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing
8 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
10 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

11 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
12 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport
13 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
14 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
15 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
16 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
17 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
18 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
19 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM
20 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

21 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
22 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
23 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
24 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Felix has never been here before but after Thursday’s test day declared the he loved the place. It shows. He’s been fast all weekend.

• All four title contenders made the TOP TEN but Josef Newgarden was P2 and Alexander Rossi was P10. The difference was a mere 0.285 seconds but that will be huge when it comes to qualifying.

• The most comfortable driver here has to be Simon Pagenaud, who has 3 recent races in SportsCars here, including two WINS. If anyone knows what to expect fromn the gtrack,in the way of tire degradation, it’s Pagenaud.

• It’s no surprise that Max Chilton is also fast here. He owns the track record for Indy Lights, taken in 2015

Felix Rosenqvist

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The IndyCars will have an amazing qualifying session here this afternoon, and it’s going to be LIVE on NBC-SN, starting at 1:30pm PACIFIC time.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Laguna Seca - The Indy Pro 2000 gang hold final qualifying for the weekend…

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Following the IndyCar practice session the middle rung of the Road to Indy ladder qualified for their Race 2 of the weekend.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 16, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:19.8986s for a speed of 100.838mph

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P2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport USA - time of 01:20.4261s for a speed of 100.176mph

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Row 2

P3 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:20.4745s for a speed of 100.116mph

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P4 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:20.4745s for a speed of 100.116mph

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Row 3

P5 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:20.8872s for a speed of 99.605mph

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P6 - Artem Petrov [R], RP Motorsport USA - time of 01:21.1025s for a speed of 99.341mph

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Row 4

P7 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing
P8 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Antoine Comeau [R], Turn 3 Motorsport
P10 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/RP Motorsport USA

Row 6

P11 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports
P12 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development / BN Racing
P14 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing!

Row 8

P15 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• This is Rasmus Lindh’s 5th pole of the year and he picked a great time to get it, as he contests with Kyle Kirkwood for the series title. He just whittled the difference down to 19 points, with 64 points still up for grabs.

• Everyone else in the first three rows are fast guys and have been fast guys - even series newbie Artem Petrov, who is making his 2nd weekend start.

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This race will be run after the IndyCar race, on Sunday

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M

[MarkyS]

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The IndyCars are qualified!..

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The session, as usual, had lots of drama, including a penalty for top performer Felix Rosenqvist that had him lose his two fastest laps, after a spin that impeded the qualifying run of James Hinchcliffe. Rosenqvist, who was P1 at the moment, fell out and didn’t advance out of Q1. He was still quick enough on his 3rd lap to secure a P-14 start.

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

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Row 1

Pole - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - time of 01:10.1405s for a speed of 114.867mph

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P2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:10.1831s for a speed of 114.797mph

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Row 2

P3 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:10.2105s for a speed of 114.752mph

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P4 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:10.6719s for a speed of 114.003mph

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Row 3

P5 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - time of 01:10.8003s for a speed of 113.796mph

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P6 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - time of 01:10.8616s for a speed of 113.698mph

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Row 4

P7 - Will Power, Team Penske
P8 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 5

P9 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
P10 - Max Chilton, Carlin

Row 6

P11 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
P12 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing

Row 7

P13 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport
P14 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 8

P15 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
P16 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 9

P17 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
P18 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 10

P19 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
P20 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin

Row 11

P21 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P22 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport

Row 12

P23 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P24 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM

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Notable:

• All four of the title contenders made the Firestone Fast Six, despite the fact that Simon Pagenaud went off course in the Q2 session twice, but luckily his middle lap in between had him in P6 and it held up.

• Pushing hard on his final lap to steal pole from Herta in Q3, Newgarden also went off course, but not as spectacularly as Pagenaud had. Newgy had to settle for P4.

• This is Colton’s 3rd pole in his rookie season.

• With this starting grid and these guys in it, we are in for a hell of a start and a hell of a race.

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC with pre-race starting at 2:30pm EASTERN time and 11:30am PACIFIC time.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Laguna Seca - The Indy Lights hold Race 1 of the weekend…

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…and the Champion for 2019 was crowned, as Rinus VeeKay WON the race going away for Juncos Racing, with Toby Sowery securing P2 for HMD Motorsports/ Team Pelfrey and Rob Megennis coming in P3 for Andretti Autosport. With his P4 finish, Oliver Askew for Andretti Autosport became the 2019 Champ.

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The race WINNER, Rinus VeeKay

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…and the 2019 Indy Lights Champion Oliver Askew

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Rinus took off from pole on the opening lap with Toby Sowery close behind while Rob Megennis got by Oliver Askew at Turn 1, to take P3 from him and the podium was already set. On lap 2 Dalton Kellett for Juncos fell to David Malukas for HMD Motorsports for P5 in Turn 4 and that was the last pass of the race.

By lap 3 VeeKay had a gap of more than 1.5 seconds back to Sowery and that made him safe from Toby’s Puss-to-Pass. For the next several laps Oliver made moves to get close enough tp Megennis to possibly go for the pass and burned up his P-to-P in the closing laps, but was still 0.86 seconds behind the young New Yorker at the line. P4 was enough, anyway, to end the title fight.

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Notable:

• With his Indy Lights championship, Oliver Askew is the first Road to Indy driver to go from karts to IndyCars in only 4 years. He did it by securing a Team USA Scholarship while karting. That led to a Mazda Road to Indy Shootout scholarship, followed by a USF2000 scholarship for taking that title. He then came in 3rd in Indy Pro 2000 last year and 1st in the Lights this year - remarkable.

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

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The Lights will hold the final race of their season on Sunday morning, with VeeKay again on the pole.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Laguna Seca - Indy Pro 2000 hold Race 1 of their weekend…

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…and taking yet another WIN on his remarkable season was points-leader Kyle Kirkwood for RP Motorsport USA, while P2 went to pole-sitter Sting Ray Robb for Juncos and P3 went to Rasmus Lindh, also for Juncos Racing.

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As the field, led by Sting Ray Robb, entered Turn 1 on lap 1 Jacob Abel for Abel Motorsports got caught out and dropped from P5 to P8 while Nikita Lastochkin for Exclusive Autosport went from P10 to P7 and teammate Danial Frost went from P8 to P6. Kyle Kirkwood slotted in behind Robb, while Rasmus Lindh fell in behind Kirkwood. Within a few laps the top three spread out a bit, each safe from the other.

As the race went on, Kirkwood widened the gap between himself and Lindh while slowly closing the gap to Robb in P1. By lap 22 Kirkwood was pressuring Robb for the lead and the pressure campaign worked, as Robb went momentarily off course and Kirkwood was by for the lead. Within a lap Robb was back turning the same lap times as Kirkwood but the damage was done and Kirkwood was able to WIN by 2 seconds.

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Notable:

• This is Kyle’s 9th WIN in 14 starts and the 7th in a row. With today’s WIN he only needs to finish tomorrow’s race to be crowned 2019 Champion of Indy Pro 2000, following his 2018 title in USF2000.

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

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Indy Pro 2000 will hold their final race of the season right after the IndyCar race, on Sunday.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Laguna Seca - USF2000 hold their first race of the weekend…

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…and taking the WIN was Denmark’s Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard Driver Development while P2 went to points-leader Hunter McElrea for Pabst Racing and P3 went to fellow Pabst “Speed Boy” Colin Kaminsky.

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Hunter’s championship rival Braden Eves for Cape Motorsports started on pole with Hunter next to him and Christian in P3. On lap 1 Christain blew by McElrea for P2 while Jak Crawford for Cape Motorsports took P5 from Eduardo Barrichello for DEForce Racing. Reece Gold for Cape Motorsports fell from his P7 start all the way to P12.

Christian was next able to get by Braden for the lead on lap 3 in Turn 2. Hunter then went after the Cape driver, trying to put him behind him. By the end of lap 4 he was aside Eves in Turn 11, on the outside. The two cars ran aside each other all the way up the front straight, into and past Turn 1 and into Turn 2, where the inside advantage finally went to McElrea, and he took it to take away the P2 spot. As McElrea slid past a closely-following Colin Kaminsky was able to follow through and take P3, relegating Eves to P4.

Hunter then put in a number of Fastest Laps, trying to catch Rasmussen, who had escaped while the McElrea/Eves battle was raging. He closed to within 3 seconds of the Dane, but then Rasmussen answered, and re-established his gap. He would go on to WIN by 4.45 seconds.

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Notable:

• This is Rasmussen’s 3rd WIN of the season. He is now battling Colin Kaminsky for 3rd in the points.

• The P2 helps McElrea gain a few more points on Eves, but in Sunday’s race McElrea will start dead last while Eves will start in P3. Hunter will need to cut through the crowded field and rely on pole-sitter and teammate Colin Kaminsky to hold Eves at bay. The title is very much up for grabs, still.

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Hunter McElrea in P2 on the left, Christian Rasmussen in P1 in the middle and Colin Kaminsky in P3 on the right:

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M

[MarkyS]

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IndyCar has released qualifying highlights…

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2019 IndyCar: Laguna Seca Qualifying Highlights

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M

[MarkyS]

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Spotter’s Guide - Changes in livery since Portland…

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It’s time for the final race of the season and with it, the final changes of livery for some of the cars in the race. We also have a driver change to announce.

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Marcus Ericsson was not at Portland, as he was called to duty at Spa Francorchamps for Alfa Formula One, for whom he is a reserve driver. He didn’t get to drive there, so his absence was unnecessary. He eagerly returns to duty in the Arrow Schmidt Peterson # 7, with no changes since Conor Daly drove the car at Portland:

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Conor Daly will be driving his own car at Laguna Seca, for Andretti Autosport and with sponsorship from the Air Force, with the same livery that it had at the Indy 500 - blue and grey with a shark’s mouth near the radiator inlet, as seen on Air Force A-10 Warthogs:

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Felix Rosenqvist was in the NTT Data car of two-tone blue at Portland, For Laguna the colors are the same but the sponsorship is worldwide NTT as a whole and not the “Data” division:

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Graham Rahal drove the blue and white One Cure car at Portland but will be in the blue and white United Rentals car for Monterey:

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Ryan Hunter-Reay is in his normal yellow DHL car, but wait! Half the car is different for Laguna, as the front half is now white and red - the original colors of DHL, which is celebrating 50 years in business:

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Simon Pagenaud drove for Menards in the screaming yellow car at Portland but will drive the much quieter DXC Technology car of black and white at Laguna Seca:

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Charlie Kimball was in the race at Portland in a blue and un-sponsored car for Carlin, but for Laguna Seca he returns to the familiar and beautiful green and black Tresiba car:

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Takuma Sato was at Portland in the blue and white Mi-Jack car but will drive a different shade blue and white car for ABeam Consulting at Monterey:

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Marco Andretti was driving the colorful Oberto car at Portland, with red, black, white and green on the car. For Laguna Seca he returns to his semi-regular sponsor this season, US Concrete, with colors of white and red:

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M

[MarkyS]

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Sunday morning at Laguna Seca - The Indy Lights close their 2019 season…

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…with Season Round 18, and the WINNER, sweeping the weekend perfectly, was Rinus VeeKay for Juncos Racing. P2 was your 2019 Champion Oliver Askew for Andretti Autosport and P3 was England’s Toby Sowery for HMD Motorsports / Team Pelfrey.

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The race started with Rinus on pole (his 2nd pole of the weekend) and Oliver right beside him. The title was already decided so this was all bragging rights and impressing IndyCar owners. On lap 1 Oliver tried to get by VeeKay in the first few corners but the Nederlander held him off, with P3 starter Toby Sowery there to take advantage of any mistakes. Ryan Norman for Andretti was able to get by teammate Rob Megennis to take over P4.

Oliver stayed close to Rinus and burned a few Push-to-Pass to hound him, but VeeKay did not succumb to the pressure. Meanwhile Rob Megennis was all over Ryan Norman, trying to regain P4. On lap 5 Rob and Ryan were side-by-side and banging wheels through Turns 1 through 4 but Ryan held on. On lap 7 Rob again was beside Ryan, though this time on the other side of him and again, it took a few turns aside each other and trading some paint to do it, but Rob regained P4 by the time they were past Turn 3. This was the last pass of the contest.

Rinus used the same lap to get some distance on Oliver and put in Fastest Lap in lap 7, easing away enough of a gap to be safe from Askew’s Push-to-Pass. In the same vein, Askew was well clear of Toby Sowery’s P-to-P for the rest of the race. VeeKay would eventually cross the line over 5 seconds in front.

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Notable:

• VeeKay did everything right this weekend - 2 poles, two WINS, led every lap and put in Fastest Lap in both races - a perfect weekend - but Askew simply had too many points coming to Laguna Seca to be denied the title. Two incredible talents, they will likely both be in IndyCars in some capacity next season.

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

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Congrats to Rinus VeeKay on the tremendous weekend sweep and to 2019 Champion Oliver Askew on a tremendous season! Thanks for the great show all season long, and see you both (hopefully) in IndyCars in 2020.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Sunday morning at Laguna Seca - USF 2000 closes out and crowns a Champion…

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In what was one of the most hotly-contested races of the year, the race WINNER was also crowned USF2000 Champion, as Braden Eves gives Cape Motorsports yet another driver’s title in the series. P2 was Christian Rasmussen in another great drive for Jay Howard Driver Development while P3 went to Colin Kaminsky for Pabst Racing. Coming in P7 in a superb drive from the back of the big pack was Hunter McElrea for Pabst, just a few points shy of taking the title.

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Hunter McElrea came to Laguna ahead in the points chase and beat Eves yesterday to pad his lead over him, but an engine failure during qualifying had him starting last today, while Eves qualified P3. Both drivers had to do their best today to secure the title.

As the race started Baden made the smart move around the outside in Turn 1 and emerged from Turn 3 in the lead of the race, passing pole-sitter Colin Kaminsky and P2 Eduardo Barrichello for DEForce Racing. That was the pivotal moment of the race. On the same lap Jak Crawford for Cape Motorsports spun in Turn 3 and brought out a yellow. Before the flag waved Hunter was already by 5 cars to go from P18 to P13.

On the lap 3 restart Hunter grabbed three more spots to end up P10 while Braden put in Fastest Lap to escape Eduardo. Manuel Sulaiman for DEForce spun out of P4 but rejoined while Christian put in his own Fastest Lap on a continuing march up from his P10 start. By lap 4 he was into P4. On lap 6 Hunter was into P9 past Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatieri. Lap 8 saw Colin go past Eduardo to take over P2 in Turns 1 and 2. Very quickly, Christian was also by Eduardo and into P3.

On lap 9 Hunter took Reece Gold for Cape Motorsports, securing P8, while Christian attacked Colin. By lap 10 he was by him and into P2, and going after Braden Eves. One lap later Hunter passed teammate Yuven Sundaramoorthy to take over P7, behind Darren Keane for Cape Motorsports in P6. Keane, Braden Eves’ teammate, was going to work hard to keep McElrea behind him for the rest of the race. Lap 14 saw Colon retake P2 from Christian, but two laps later the Dane reclaimed the spot with the last Fastest Lap of the race.

For the last laps Christian was glued to Braden’s gearbox, trying to find a way past, while Hunter was pushing hard to catch and pass Darren. All four cars were matched on times as were all four drivers on ability and Braden held off Christian while Darren held off Hunter and the race and title were thus made. Braden would WIN the race and the title by 0.8 seconds.

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Notable:

• Both McElrea and Eves can be proud of their seasons, with 6 WINS for Eves and 4 for McElrea. Without his very bad luck in qualifying it is just as likely that McElrea would be champion, but then Eves going from P3 to P1 on the opening lap was stellar, championship form, as well. It was all great to watch play out.

• While Braden secured the title as driver, Hunter McElrea and his other teammates Colin Kaminsky, Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Bruna Tomaselli had already secured another team title for Pabst Racing, known as the “Speed Boys”, at Portland.

Hunter McElrea

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Christian Rasmussen in P2 on the left, Champion Braden Eves in P1 in the middle and Colin Kaminsky in P3 on the right:

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A BIG congrats to Champion Braden Evs and Vice-Champion Hunter McElrea. You gave us a thrilling season, taking the fight all the way to the last few laps of the last race. It doesn’t get any better than that!

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M

[MarkyS]

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The IndyCar race!..

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The return of IndyCars to Laguna Seca was a perfect race for the young WINNER Colton Herta for Harding Steinbrenner, and an emotional day for Josef Newgarden, whose P8 finish delivered to him the 2019 series Championship. Coming in P2 and a car length off the rear of Herta for several laps was Will Power for Team Penske, while Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi was P2 most of the day and P3 at the end. Coming in P5 from his P14 start was Felix Rosenqvist for Chip Ganassi, giving him the Rookie of the Year honors.

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Champion for 2019 Josef Newgarden

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Herta played the tire game perfectly this race, as opposed to Portland, where he burned up his tires while leading. Today, he was in the lead anytime he wasn’t in the pits, but it was very close at times, as both Power and Dixon tried to lay claim to the lead a number of times.

The really exciting guy to watch was Simon Pagenaud for Team Penske who made several passes and attempted passed in his quest to get to the front. He would end the day in P4 and 2nd in the points. Alexander Rossi for Andretti Autosport, another title contender, seemed to struggle to simply stay in his place on the track all day and ended the day in P6, 3rd in the points, while Dixon claimed 4th in the points.

The race was very fast with only 1 caution when Andretti teammates Conor Daly and Marco Andretti touched in Turn 1, with Conor spinning in Turn 2 and high-siding on the curbing. On the restart, Santino Ferrucci for Dale Coyne braked too late and struck Takuma Sato for RLL in the rear, breaking his own front suspension, but the young rookie was able to drive the car off course far enough to keep the track green. Also caught up in that was Ed Jones for Ed Carpenter. He would later retire to the pits with damage incurred.

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Notable:

• The pressure on Newgarden must have been immense, because he was highly emotional after the race in Parc Ferme. For Roger Penske it was a perfect season with Pagenaud taking the Indy 500 and Newgarden taking his 2nd title.

• This is Team Penske’s 35th championship in motor racing.

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Newgarden in Parc Ferme

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Rookie of the Year Felix Rosenqvist

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A huge CONGRATS to Herta on a magnificent race in a wonderful rookie season, to Felix Rosenqvist for his Rookie of the Year title and especially to 2019 series Champion Josef Newgarden. Now, let the Silly Season begin in full force!..It’s the Off Season, again.

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