IndyCars - St.Petersburg: The season ends

[MarkyS]

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…just the way it was supposed to begin, last March, with the…

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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Just after the race weekend began last March, the series decided that it had to shut down the proceedings due to COVID-19, but the city and the series both wanted this race to go off as planned, so we are BACK in the Florida west coast town, this time to close the season.

And once again, the last race of the season is also going to determine the series Champion, as it has for the last 15 seasons in a row. This time it is down to just two drivers: Points-leader Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing, going for his 6th title and Josef Newgarden for Team Penske, going for his 3rd title. Newgarden will have to do everything right and also rely on some bad luck for Dixon in order to prevail, but stranger things have happened in this series.

The track remains the same and it’s one of the better temporary street courses on the schedule, relatively smooth and fast at 1.8-miles, the 14-turn (5 lefts, 9 rights) circuit incorporates streets of downtown St. Petersburg and a runway of the Albert Whitted Airport. That runway is the longest straight and very wide but it funnels down into a very sharp right-hander, followed by a quick left-hander that catch out a lot of drivers.

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The best news for the weekend is that fans will be in attendance! Those fans will get to see a lot of racing, too, with no less than 9 races offered up on Saturday and Sunday. They are:

• Mazda Global MX-5 - 2 races
• IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA - 2 races
• USF2000 - 2 races
• Indy Pro 2000 - 2 races

…and, of course, the IndyCars will hold their season finale on Sunday.

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Let’s look at that support racing -
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First off, Mazda Global MX-5 and IMSA Porsche Cup are both splendid production car-based racing series that regularly produce talents who end up in the highest echelons of SportsCar racing, but no IndyCar guys will be competing in them this weekend, so we will wish them safe and happy racing and concentrate on all the open-wheel stuff, where the IndyCar drivers are.

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continued…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Support racing…(part 2)…

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The Road to Indy ladder system builds talent for the IndyCar series by nurturing and training drivers through three increasingly difficult and capable series. They are USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights. Due to COVID-19 Indy Lights did not run this year but the other two have had a full season, which has two races each left to do. (The Lights will be back in 2021).
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USF2000 - This is the bottom rung of the ladder - the entry point to young drivers who typically come out of karting or out of F1600 wingless formula cars. The Tatuus USF-17 is a carbon-fiber chassis with the latest in safety and performance features. The cars have wings and slicks - sometimes the first cars as such for many drivers - and a good deal of downforce and grip. They are powered by a 180 hp Elite Engines MZR 4-cylinder. Gearboxes are 6-speed sequential, with paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. Brakes are ZR24 4-piston monobloc calipers at all four wheels, by Performance Friction Brakes.

The fields are often quite large and quite eclectic, with talent coming from all over the globe. The draw is the annual scholarship for WINNING the title. Recently, the Road to Indy nearly DOUBLED the prize for that scholarship, applied to the following year driving a season in the next step up, Indy Pro 2000.

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The title for 2020 has already been determined, when Denmark’s Christian Rasmussen driving for Jay Howard Driver Development took it in the final race of the recent triple-header weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Christian took the title with 9 WINS and 10 podiums, but he still has the chance to take two more WINS here at St. Pete. If he does, he will become the WINNINGEST USF2000 driver of all time, with 14 career WINS in the series. In addition, the Vice-Championship is still up for grabs, with 4 guys in the hunt.

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2020 series Champion Christian Rasmussen

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Indy Pro 2000 - The next step up the ladder is more than USF2000 …More of everything, including power and grip. The chassis is essentially the same as the Tatuus USF-17 but it has more wing, more tire and more brakes and it is pushed by more power. In this iteration it becomes the Tatuus PM-18. The engine is also an Elite Engines MZR 2.0 liter but it develops a snapping 275 hp and delightfully sounds a whole lot more powerful. The Sadev gearbox is a similar 6-speed sequential unit with paddle-shifters. The brakes are a similar PFB design 4-pot calipers but slightly bigger disks. The tires are substantially bigger, with the fronts of the PM-18 the same as the rears of the USF-17 and the rears of the PM-18 much bigger than that.

The fields in “IP2K” are typically smaller in size than USF2000 but the level of talent across the board is much higher. Most of the drivers in this series have already cut their teeth for years in other junior formula series and have great racecraft in their back pocket. The competition level is therefore higher. Almost anyone in this field is capable of podiums and most are capable of WINS. They too are battling for a huge scholarship prize applied to a following year of Indy Lights.

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Just like in USF2000, the series Champion for Indy Pro 2000 has also been determined, and also at the final race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, as veteran Sting Ray Robb, driving for Juncos Racing, took the title with 6 WINS and 10 podiums. He too has the chance to increase that WIN total by 2 more races this weekend. In addition, there are 6 guys still able to seek the Vice-Championship!

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2020 series Champion Sting Ray Robb

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The weekend begins in earnest on Friday with a practice and qualifying for Race 1 for both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000. FINALLY, we are UNDERWAY at St. Pete!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at St. Pete - USF2000 comes out for practice…

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This is going to be the one and only practice session for the series drivers before they qualify for Race 1 later this afternoon.

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Here was the order of speed for the USF2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Cameron Shields, DEForce Racing - time of 01:13.485s for a speed of 88.181mph

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2 - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:13.494s for a speed of 88.170mph

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3 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:13.538s for a speed of 88.117mph

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4 - Reece Gold, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:13.640s for a speed of 87.996mph

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5 - Kiko Porto [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:13.693s for a speed of 87.932mph

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6 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Cape Motorsports
7 - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development
8 - Josh Green [R], Cape Motorsports
9 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
10 - Josh Pierson [R], Exclusive Autosport

11 - Matthew Round-Garrido, Pabst Racing
12 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing
13 - Prescott Campbell [R], Exclusive Autosport
14 - Simon Sikes [R], Legacy Autosport
15 - Kyle Dupell, Cape Motorsports
16 - Christian Bogle, Jay Howard Driver Development
17 - Bijoy Garg [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
18 - Michael Myers [R], Legacy Autosport
19 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
20 - Gil Molina [R], DEForce Racing
21 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• The TOP FIVE are no surprise at all. All of them have been TOP performers all season, with Cam Shields and Christian Brooks both coming on strong towards the last third of the season. Eduardo already has 3 WINS, Reece has 2 WINS.

• Dudu Barrichello and Reece Gold are TIED for 2nd in the points at the moment, with 306 each. 4th in the points is Michael d’Orlando while 5th is Christian Brooks. All have a shot at the Vice-Championship.

• Champion Christian Rasmussen no longer has to push as hard in practice, but make no mistake, the Dane is a pure racer and will push in both qualifying and the racing.

• The TOP 14 runners are all within 1 second of each other.

• Kiko Porto has missed the last few race weekends due to coming down with COVID-19, but he’s recovered and ready to race, obviously.

• Gil Molina and Michael d’Orlando both made contact with walls during their practice.

• Nolan Siegel had a mechanical issue that kept him from making the speed he usually does.

Gil Molina (left), Michael d’Orlando and Nolan Siegel (right) - struggles
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Cameron Shields

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Next up, IP2K come out for practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 comes out for practice…

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This too is going to be the one and only practice session for the “IP2K” drivers before they qualify for Race 1 later this afternoon.

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Pro 2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing - time of 01:09.107s for a speed of 93.768mph

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2 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:09.269s for a speed of 93.549mph

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3 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsport - time of 01:09.622s for a speed of 93.074mph

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4 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:09.655s for a speed of 93.030mph

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5 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:09.709s for a speed of 92.958mph

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6 - Colin Kaminsky [R], Pabst Racing
7 - Moises de la Vara, DEForce Racing
8 - Artem Petrov [R], Juncos Racing
9 - Rasmus Lindh, Turn 3 Motorsport
10 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing

11 - Tristan Charpentier [R], Exclusive Autosport
12 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing
13 - Nate Aranda [R], Juncos Racing
14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• The TOP TIME shifted a few times between Parker and Sting Ray before the Canadian ace finally took it on his last lap. It’s no surprise that they were the two, as Thompson is the holder of the qualifying record and Sting Ray is the holder of the race record, though neither came near their records, here.

• The TOP FIVE contains the 2020 Champion, Robb, and 4 contenders for the Vice-Championship, still to be determined by this weekend. Manuel has 2 WINS and Danial has a WIN. Also in contention for the V-C are Artem Petrov with 2 WINS and Devlin DeFrancesco with 2 WINS.

• Rasmus Lindh and Kory Enders both tapped the wall in the session and will need repairs before qualifying. It’s understandable, as this is the first and only street course race for the season, due to COVID-19 and everyone is reacquainting themselves with racing at high speed next to concrete walls.

• Champion Sting Ray Robb also scraped a wall early in the session, but only flattened a tire and needed no repairs

Rasmus Lindh (left) and Kory Enders - wall-bangers

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Parker Thompson

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Next up will be qualifying for Race 1 for USF2000, this afternoon…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at St. Pete - USF2000 is qualified for Race 1 of the weekend…

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…and the fastest guy on track was also the fastest guy in practice, as Aussie sophomore Cameron Shields takes his first Road to Indy pole. It will be a DEForce Racing 1-2, with rookie Kiko Porto mounting a last minute effort to take pole with fresh tires, but falling short.

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Here is the way that USF2000 will grid for Season Round 16, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Cameron Shields, DEForce Racing - time of 01:12.632s for a speed of 89.217mph

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P2 - Kiko Porto [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:12.704s for a speed of 89.129mph

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Row 2

P3 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:12.731s for a speed of 89.095mph

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P4 - Reece Gold, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:12.837s for a speed of 88.966mph

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Row 3

P5 - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:12.964s for a speed of 88.811mph

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P6 - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:12.977s for a speed of 88.795mph

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Row 4

P7 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing
P8 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Josh Green [R], Cape Motorsports
P10 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 6

P11 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Cape Motorsports
P12 - Matthew Round-Garrido, Pabst Racing

Row 7

P13 - Kyle Dupell, Cape Motorsports
P14 - Michael Myers [R], Legacy Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Josh Pierson [R], Exclusive Autosport
P16 - Prescott Campbell [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 9

P17 - Simon Sikes [R], Legacy Autosport
P18 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 10

P19 - Christian Bogle, Jay Howard Driver Development
P20 - Bijoy Garg [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 11

P21 - Gil Molina [R], DEForce Racing

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Notable:

• Everyone in the TOP SIX held the pole at one time, with Reece Gold holding it longest and Kiko Porto the shortest, as a fraction of a second after getting it, Cameron took it away in the final seconds of qualifying.

• It is unusual for Road to Indy cars to take on fresh tires in a qualifying, but it worked well for Porto to do so. Don’t be surprised if others try it, this weekend.

• Rookie Simon Sikes found a wall late in the session and will need extensive repairs to race on Saturday.

• Rookie Gil Molina in the 3rd DEForce Racing Tatuus USF-17 was unable to join, as apparently his practice shunt did more damage than originally thought.

Simon Sikes - wall-banger

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On the pole - Cameron Shields

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Race 1 is schedule for late Saturday afternoon, well after USF2000 qualifies for Race 2. Next, Indy Pro 2000 qualify for Race 1…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 is qualified for Race 1 of the weekend…

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…and the series 2020 Champion puts an exclamation point on his season with his 3rd pole. Sting Ray Robb went out early and set a time that held until late, when Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsport eclipsed it. But the Juncos Racing Champion took it back a minute later and held it to the end of the session.

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Here is the way that 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 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:08.172s for a speed of 95.054mph

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P2 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsport - time of 01:08.427s for a speed of 94.699mph

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Row 2

P3 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing - time of 01:08.448s for a speed of 94.670mph

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P4 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:08.525s for a speed of 94.564mph

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Row 3

P5 - Artem Petrov [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:08.541s for a speed of 94.542mph

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P6 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:08.730s for a speed of 94.281mph

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Row 4

P7 - Colin Kaminsky [R], Pabst Racing
P8 - Rasmus Lindh, Turn 3 Motorsport

Row 5

P9 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing
P10 - Moises de la Vara, DEForce Racing

Row 6

P11 - Tristan Charpentier [R], Exclusive Autosport
P12 - Nate Aranda [R], Juncos Racing

Row 7

P13 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!
P14 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing

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Notable:

• After seeing how well Kiko Porto did on fresh tires in the USF2000 session, more than half the Indy Pro 2000 guys came in for fresh tires to attempt to get pole, including Sting Ray Robb. But Robb sat in the pits, waiting to see if he would need to use his. When Danial Frost eclipsed his time, Robb came out for only one lap to retake, but it was a Duesy. He was the only guy to get into the .08.1s on time and 95 miles per hour on speed, while everyone else was in the 08.4s or longer.

• There have been 7 different drivers collecting WINS so far this season. Look for both Hunter McElrea and Parker Thompson to try to make it 8 or even 9. They are both very hungry and very capable.

• Kory Enders put in no time as apparently he did more damage in his practice shunt than was thought.

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On the pole with authority, 2020 Champ Sting Ray Robb

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Race 1 will be the last action on track on Saturday, though the series will qualify for Race 2 earlier in the day. The IndyCars will also be out for the first time on Saturday. That’s it for Friday action.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at St. Pete - USF2000 qualify for Race 2 of the weekend…

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In the Road to Indy on a double-header weekend each race gets its own qualifying session, so that teams can adjust their cars to changing conditions for each different attempt. This morning, the first order of business for USF2000 was to qualify for their 2nd race of the weekend, even before they have run their first race. And when the dust settled, we have a new track record, as Christian Brooks SMASHED the old one.

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Here is the way that USF2000 will grid for Season Round 17, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Christian Brooks [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:11.996s for a speed of 90.042mph

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P2 - Kiko Porto [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:12.110s for a speed of 89.863mph

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Row 2

P3 - Cameron Shields, DEForce Racing - time of 01:12.328s for a speed of 89.592mph

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P4 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:12.378s for a speed of 89.531mph

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Row 3

P5 - Reece Gold, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:12.399s for a speed of 89.504mph

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P6 - Christian Rasmussen, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:12.469s for a speed of 89.418mph

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Row 4

P7 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing
P8 - Matthew Round-Garrido, Pabst Racing

Row 5

P9 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Cape Motorsports
P10 - Josh Green [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 6

P11 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P12 - Prescott Campbell [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P14 - Josh Pierson [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Simon Sikes [R], Legacy Autosport
P16 - Kyle Dupell, Cape Motorsports

Row 9

P17 - Gil Molina [R], DEForce Racing
P18 - Nolan Siegel, Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 10

P19 - Michael Myers [R], Legacy Autosport
P20 - Christian Bogle, Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 11

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

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Notable:

• Christian’s time was posted on new tires, added to the car late in the session. There is an upside to this: You get a great shot at pole and a good starting position. But, there is a downside, as well: You will start and run the race on used tires. It will be interesting to see if all the guys using new tires to end their qually sessions are going to see it pay off in the race.

• Christian beat Alexandre Baron’s 2018 track record by a very healthy 0.291 seconds. This is Brooks’ first Road to Indy pole.

• Kiko Porto and Cameron Shields also put on new tires late in the session, but no one was going to whip Brooks today.

• Everyone was able to repair whatever damage they incurred yesterday and all posted times in this session.

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Christian Brooks - On the pole with a new track record

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Next, Indy Pro 2000 qualifies for Race 2…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 qualify for Race 2 of the weekend…

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Just like the kids from USF2000, the IP2K gang came out to qualify for Race 2 of the weekend, even before running Race 1, and the series 2020 Champion not only collected his 2nd pole of the event but also completely SHATTERED the old track record in the process.

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Here is the way that Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 17, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 01:07.602s for a speed of 95.856mph

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P2 - Colin Kaminsky [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:07.929s for a speed of 95.394mph

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Row 2

P3 - Danial Frost, Turn 3 Motorsport - time of 01:07.989s for a speed of 95.309mph

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P4 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:08.026s for a speed of 95.258mph

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Row 3

P5 - Rasmus Lindh, Turn 3 Motorsport - time of 01:08.031s for a speed of 95.251mph

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P6 - Artem Petrov [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:08.139s for a speed of 95.100mph

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Row 4

P7 - Parker Thompson, DEForce Racing
P8 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing

Row 5

P9 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing
P10 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing

Row 6

P11 - Tristan Charpentier [R], Exclusive Autosport
P12 - Moises de la Vara, DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Nate Aranda [R], Juncos Racing
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• Colin Kaminsky held pole for most of the session and was tantalizingly close to busting Parker Thompson’s 2019 track record himself, by a few thousandths of a second. Sting Ray then went out late and clobbered it by 0.3233 seconds, as if to say, “Thousandths? No, when you break a record you do it by tenths, boys.” Robb now owns both the race record from 2018 and this new qually record. At the moment he is Mr. St. Petersburg.

• Kaminsky took a pole at New Jersey Motorsports Park and a P2 start at Mid-Ohio so this is his 3rd front row start of the season.

• Rasmus Lindh is finally shaking off the rust from being out of an open wheel car for most of the year.

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Mr. St. Petersburg, Sting Ray Robb

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Next up, the IndyCars hold their practice session…

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M

[MarkyS]

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The big cars finally get their shot at the circuit, as the IndyCars hold practice…

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The IndyCars have this one practice session before qualifying later this afternoon for the Firestone Grand Prix. For everyone it was important, as this is their first street course race of the year, due to COVID-19, and everyone needs to get reacclimated to high speeds with walls inches away.

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This 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 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner - time of 01:01.1306s for a speed of 106.003mph

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2 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:01.2279s for a speed of 105.834mph

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3 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh - time of 01:01.4319s for a speed of 105.483mph

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4 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:01.4824s for a speed of 105.396mph

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5 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises - time of 01:01.5153s for a speed of 105.340mph

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6 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
7 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
8 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
9 - Will Power, Team Penske
10 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske

11 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
12 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
13 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP
14 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
15 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing
16 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
17 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
18 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
19 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
20 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta

21 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises
22 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing
23 - Max Chilton, Carlin
24 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

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Notable:

• Andretti Autosport has three cars in the TOP SIX and Honda has the first four cars. The count is 5 and 5 Honda / Chevrolet for the TOP TEN.

• Best Chevrolet was Sebastien Bourdais in a great start of the weekend for AJ Foyt Enterprises. The St. Petersburg resident has two previous WINS here and loves the circuit.

• Other previous WINNERS in the race are Josef Newgarden, Will Power (twice), James Hinchcliffe and Graham Rahal.

• Team Penske put three cars in the TOP TEN, including rookie Scott McLaughlin, but at the back end of the TOP TEN. Still, Newgarden’s P8 is a lot better than points-rival Scott Dixon’s P16. Dixon actually broke a rear toe-link with a slap of the wall, at one point.

• Scott McLaughlin was excellent on the primary black tires, posting the fastest time on them at one point, but once on the red alternates, he seemed to over-drive them and went off course twice.

• Alex Palou was the fastest rookie on track but rookie Rinus VeeKay acquired enough points to be named the series Rookie of the Year by just starting the race on Sunday. He was P7.

• Rookie Oliver Askew, sidelined for a few races due to concussion protocols, is cleared to drive his last race for Arrow McLaren SP and he put in good times right away. On his final lap he overdrove the car and went into the weeds at the last corner, quickly followed there by Scott McLaughlin doing the same thing. Both cars were undamaged.

• All but the last two cars drove within 1 second of each other. This is a TIGHT series with no hamburger. The slightest error can send you from P1 to P24 on any given day.

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Colton Herta - Fastest in practice

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The next thing up will be the IndyCar qualifying session, at 3:00pm EASTERN time.

NOTE:

This IndyCar qualifying session will air tape-delayed on NBC-SN at 8:00pm EASTERN time, so do not proceed unless you want to know the outcome ahead of time.

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M

[MarkyS]

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The IndyCars are qualified!

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It was a little tough to get it done, as there was a level of controversy over a few calls by Race Control over alleged penalties that eventually turned out NOT to be penalties. This was also the first attempt to do the complicated Firestone Fast Six type of qualifying since the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis near the start of the season.

But they finally managed to sort it all out and get it in, and Will Power for Team Penske picked up yet another pole in his IndyCar career.

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Here is the grid for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:01.0369s for a speed of 106.165mph

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P2 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:01.1730s for a speed of 105.929mph

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Row 2

P3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner - time of 01:01.1815s for a speed of 105.914mph

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P4 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:01.3626s for a speed of 105.602mph

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Row 3

P5 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 01:01.3675s for a speed of 105.593mph

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P6 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP - time of 01:01.7725s for a speed of 104.901mph

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Row 4

P7 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises
P8 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Row 5

P9 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
P10 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP

Row 6

P11 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
P12 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske

Row 7

P13 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P14 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 8

P15 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
P16 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh

Row 9

P17 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P18 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan

Row 10

P19 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
P20 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 11

P21 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske
P22 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 12

P23 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
P24 - Max Chilton, Carlin

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Notable:

• This is Will Power’s 5th pole of the season and 62nd pole in his IndyCar career. He is only 5 poles off of Mario Andretti’s all-time series record.

• Andretti has 3 cars in the TOP SIX - 4, if you count Jack Harvey, who has a technical partnership with Andretti Autosport. For a team that struggled early in the season, they have turned it on well here at the end.

• Sebastien Bourdais just missed the Firestone Fast Six but he still gave AJ Foyt a great start for the race from P7.

• Both series Championship aspirants failed to make the Fast Six, with Josef Newgarden starting P8 and Scott Dixon starting P11. The danger here is getting through Turn 1 on the opening lap in the middle of a pack. Either or both could easily be taken out early.

• Felix Rosenqvist was bounced out of getting to the Top 12 for impeding the lap of Alex Palou, which he disputed unsuccessfully.

• Both Rinus VeeKay and Oliver Askew were initially penalized for speeding past a local yellow but both were able to prove they had not, and were reinstated into the Fast 12 after a 30-minute delay to figure it all out.

• Scott McLaughlin, who practiced very well, struggled on the reds and couldn’t make it out of the 1st session.

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Pole man extraordinaire Will Power

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Next up, USF2000 hold their first race of the weekend. The grid for this is in post # 5.

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Saturday afternoon at St. Pete - A rookie takes his first WIN in USF2000…

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…as Brazilian Francisco “Kiko” Porto inherits the lead and the WIN for DEForce Racing in today’s penultimate race of the season. Coming in P2 was Kiko’s good friend and fellow Brazilian Eduardo Barrichello for Pabst Racing while P3 went to Reece Gold for Cape Motorsports.

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Kiko for the WIN

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The race started badly with a big shunt on the front straight. As pole-sitter Cameron Shields for DEForce led the field to Turn 1 Yuven Sundaramoorthy for Pabst Racing braked too late from P7 and ran up the back of Christian Brooks, starting in P5 for Exclusive Autosport. Yuven shot airborne and came down on Brooks as the both of them slid into 2020 Champion Christian Rasmussen, starting from P6 for Jay Howard Driver Development. All three cars were immediately out, though no one was hurt. When the race restarted on lap 4 the TOP 4 were unaffected and were still Shields, Porto, Barrichello and Gold - as they had been at the start.

Cameron motored away quickly, setting Fastest Lap on lap 5 and gapping his competitors, but it was all for naught, as on lap 10 his engine stalled on the front straight, obviously wounded. He was able to nurse the car to the pits. Kiko took over the lead and held it through several attempts to usurp him.

First, Eduardo put in Fastest Lap on lap 11 and then Reece took the ultimate Fastest Lap on lap 14, but at the end Porto was able to WIN by a fraction of a second as all three cars crossed the finish line within less than a second, nose to tail in a thriller finish.

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Notable:

• The points battle for Vice-Champion between Barrichello and Gold goes on, as following this race they are still TIED, but now with 317 points apiece.

• Porto, the 2019 F4 United States Vice-Champion, now has 3 podiums, including this WIN, and 2 poles in his rookie season.

• This was also the first WIN for the DEForce USF2000 squad in this season.

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Your happy podium - That’s Dudu Barrichello in P2 on the left, Kiko Porto in P1 in the middle and Reece Gold in P3 on the right:

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Kiko Porto

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Next up, Indy Pro 2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend. The grid for this is in post # 6…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Saturday afternoon at St. Pete - The series Champion looks like a Champion…

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At the end of the event’s first Indy Pro 2000 race 2020 Champion Sting Ray Robb for Juncos Racing looked and was perfect - Pole, followed by most laps led, (all of them), followed by the race Fastest Lap, followed by the WIN - maximum points to add to his series total. Coming in P2 was Singapore’s Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsport while P3 went to Russian Artem Petrov for Juncos.

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The race started with Sting Ray on pole, followed by Danial in P2 followed by Parker Thompson for DEForce Racing in P3, but very quickly Thompson was by Frost in Turn 2 to take over P2, while Artem Petrov overtook Hunter McElrea for Pabst Racing to take the P4 spot from him. Moises de la Vara for DEForce made the biggest move in Turn 1, eclipsing Colin Kaminsky for Pabst, Rasmus Lindh for Turn 3 and Devlin DeFrancesco for Andretti Steinbrenner, and ending up in P7, but on lap 3 all of it was lost to Moi, as first Rasmus, then Colin and finally Devlin passed him back when the Mexican stumbled in Turn 4. In the mean time leader Robb is checking out, and easily.

On lap 5 Kory Enders for DEForce spun in Turn 1, but rejoined, only to head to the pits with an obvious mechanical failure. On lap 11 it was more bad news for DEForce, as Parker slowed from P2 with his own mechanical failure, putting him out of the race and elevating Frost and Petrov to P2 and P3 respectively, and the podium was set. One lap later Manuel Sulaiman redeemed DEForce a bit by taking Fastest Lap of the race. But on lap 13 Danial Frost took Fastest Lap himself, attempting to chase down Sting Ray. Frost now owned the track race record.

On lap 22 Robb, decided that Danial Frost was getting too close and retook Fastest Lap and with it a gap sufficient to give himself comfort. He would WIN the race by about 2 seconds over Frost, who was 6 seconds ahead of Artem.

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Notable:

• When the race started Robb was in possession of both the qualifying lap record and the race record. With his final Fastest Lap he reacquired the race record and still holds both, tonight.

• This was his 7th WIN of the season. He can still add one more and will start Sunday’s season finale from pole yet again.

• If Parker Thompson gets any kind of luck it is bad luck. He was leading the race at Mid-Ohio Race 1 when he lost his engine. Now this second lost engine in one season, and again from a podium position.

• With these results Devlin DeFrancesco still leads in the quest for Vice-Champion, but now Artem Petrov is only 12 points in arrears and Danial Frost is still in contention, 19 points behind Devlin.

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Your happy podium - That’s Danial Frost in P2 on the left, Sting Ray Robb in P1 in the middle and Artem Petrov in P3 on the right:

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That’s it for on-track activity this day. Sunday starts bright and early with the final USF2000 race of the season, with the grid for it in post # 7…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Sunday morning at St. Pete - USF2000 closes out the season with a new WINNER…

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…as Christian Brooks for Exclusive Autosport was perfect, with a full run from pole to checkers and putting in Fastest Lap, but hounded to the finish by Race 1 WINNER Kiko Porto for DEForce Racing. Coming just as fast in P3 was Eduardo Barrichello for Pabst Racing.

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Lap 1 had the most movement in the field as Christian brought the field down the front straight and around Turn 1. Making a huge lunge was Michael d’Orlando for Cape Motorsports who went from P9 to P5 in the corner. Going the wrong way were Cameron Shields for DEForce, going from P3 to P6, and Reece Gold for Cape Motorsports, going from P5 to P7. Getting the worst of it were P7 starter Yuven Sundaramoorthy for Pabst and P13 starter Josh Pierson for Exclusive, as both ended up out of the race for reasons unknown. On lap 2 d’Orlando improved to P4, passing Champion Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard Driver Development. On the same lap Brooks put in Fastest Lap of the race, trying to escape from P2 starter Kiko Porto.

On lap 6 Gil Molina for DEForce spun out in Turn 1. He was able to rejoin. On lap 10 Cameron Shields stopped on course between Turns 9 and 10, bringing out a Full-Course Caution. This was the 2nd mechanical of the weekend for the Aussie. On the lap 14 restart Reece Gold was passed by Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatieri. Taking advantage were Matt Round-Garrido for Pabst and Prescott Campbell for Exclusive, also getting by Gold and leaving him in P9. The racing up front was still as tight as ever, with the TOP THREE covered by less than a second.

Despite all efforts to find a way past each other, the leaders held station to the end and crossed the line nose to tail.

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Notable:

• Rookie Christian Brooks has been excellent all year, with 9 TOP FIVES and 2 podiums prior to today.

• This race saw the 2nd mechanical in a row for Cameron Shields and it is likely an intermittent electronics glitch that has taken him out of two good performances in a row.

• This gives rookie Kiko Porto 4 podiums on the season, despite running only 12 of 17 races, due to a bout with COVID-19.

• Eduardo Barrichello finishes the season with 11 podiums, including 3 WINS. Today’s P3 also gives the sophomore points sufficient to be named 2020 Vice-Champion.

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2020 Vice-Champion Eduardo Barrichello…

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Your happy podium - That’s Kiko Porto in P2 on the left, Christian Brooks in P1 in the middle and Dudu Barrichello in P3 on the right:

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WINNER Christian Brooks

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That’s it for the 2020 season of USF2000! Next up, the IndyCars hold morning warm-up for the Firestone Grand Prix…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Sunday morning at St. Pete - The IndyCars do the Race Morning Warm-Up…

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It’s always difficult to know what Morning Warm-Up tells you, as some teams are still searching for maximum speed while others are trying to see what their race set-up is doing. Still, it’s both fun and interesting to see who is the fastest at the moment.

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Here was the order of speed for Race Morning Warm-Up: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner

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2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

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3 - Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing

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4 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

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5 - Sebastien Bourdais, AJ Foyt Enterprises

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6 - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport
7 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
8 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
9 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
10 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing

11 - Alex Palou [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh
12 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing
13 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
14 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
15 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske
16 - Will Power, Team Penske
17 - Max Chilton, Carlin
18 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
19 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
20 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

21 - Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
22 - Oliver Askew [R], Arrow McLaren SP
23 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
24 - Charlie Kimball, AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• The TOP TEN drivers here were all on primary blacks for this order of speed and that usually means the teams are trying to see what the car will do in a race set-up and possibly a fuel saving set-up.

• Herta claimed the speediest lap on the final lap of the session. Up to then Scott Dixon was fastest for most of the session - something that has to be very discomforting to points-rival Josef Newgarden, still good but unspectacular in his own car.

• Although still unofficial, this is very likely the last race for Chip Ganassi for Felix Rosenqvist. Despite his speed here, he will be starting near the tail of the field, due to his penalty for blocking Alex Palou in qualifying.

• Sebastien Bourdais is giving AJ Foyt the best weekend of the season, so far. A podium and even a WIN is not out of the question for the St.Petersburg resident.

• Rinus VeeKay is very fast this weekend, so his showing here is indication the team wasn’t seeking outright speed in this session. Fans need not worry.

• This is the most speed that Ryan Hunter-Reay has shown for most of the weekend. Did the Floridian find something overnight?

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Warm-Up king Colton Herta

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The IndyCar Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is scheduled for broadcast today on NBC, starting at 2:30pm EASTERN time. The grid for the IndyCar race is in post # 10.

Next up, Indy Pro 2000 closes out their season. The grid for this race is in post # 8…

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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Sunday Morning at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 has a new WINNER for the season finale…

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In a pre-race interview Kiwi Hunter McElrea said he was going to go all out to take a WIN for Pabst Racing in his rookie season in Indy Pro 2000 and he did just that, with effort sufficient to WIN the season finale. Coming in P2 was his best friend and teammate Colin Kaminsky while P3 went to Danial Frost for Turn 3 Motorsport.

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An emotional Hunter McElrea takes a WIN

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The race started with 2020 Champ Sting Ray Robb on the pole for Juncos Racing and it didn’t start well, as when all the cars funneled into Turn 1 the field checked up and P13 starter Nate Aranda for Juncos punted P12 Moises de la Vara for DEForce in the rear, sending Moi into teammate Parker Thompson. also collected in the schlemozzle was Tristan Charpentier for Exclusive Autosport. Thompson, de la Vara and Charpentier were out, and a Full-Course Caution came out. Aranda, however, survived and carried on in P8.

On the Lap 5 restart Robb went wide in Turn 1 and both P2 Colin Kaminsky and P3 Hunter McElrea took advantage to pass him. The two Pabst drivers then battled back and fourth to Turn 4 where McElrea finally took the lead. Artem Petrov for Juncos also got by Rasmus Lindh for Turn 3 Motorsports to take over P5, but very quickly Manuel Sulaiman for DEForce went straight off in Turn 4, taking himself out and bringing out the yellow flags again.

On the lap 8 restart Hunter got away well but Robb stumbled again and Danial Frost sneaked by for P3, with Artem Petrov following as Sting Ray fell to P5. On lap 9 Rasmus also got by Robb to take over P5. By lap 11 whatever had been bothering Robb was overcome, as he put in a Fastest Lap. Meanwhile the battle for the P2 spot was covered by 1 second between Colin, Danial and Artem. Within a lap the battle became one for P4 between Artem, Rasmus and Sting Ray. On lap 14 Artem messed up Turn 1 and Rasmus and Sting Ray were by him as Petrov fell to P6.

Lap 16 saw Robb set another Fastest Lap. On lap 17 he did it again. On lap 18 Devlin DeFrancesco for Andretti Steinbrenner was awarded the P6 spot as Artem was called for blocking. The leaders at this time were running nose to tail for several laps. On lap 20 Artem made contact on course somewhere and had to pit - out. Lap 21 saw Sting Ray make Fastest Lap yet again, but all for naught, as he was unable to pass Lindh for the P4 spot.

At the end of the 25-lap race Hunter was able to WIN by 0.6 seconds and Colin beat Danial to the line by a similar time.

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Notable:

• McElrea is used to WINNING. He was the 2018 Australian Formula Ford Champion with 13 WINS in 16 podiums, the 2018 Road to Indy Shootout WINNER and the 2019 USF2000 Vice-Champion, with 4 WINS in 11 Podiums, but he has been winless in IP2K, with 5 podiums on the season, up to now.

• Hunter and Colin Kaminskty have been fast friends ever since their season together at Pabst Racing in USF2000, calling themselves, “Peanut Butter and Jelly”. They were picked to be the two “Speed Boys” to do Pabst Racing’s debut season of Indy Pro 2000, and it has now finally paid off with the team’s first WIN.

• Make no mistake about it, Kaminsky would love to have been the guy to get that WIN. He now has 3 podiums on the season.

• Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco came home in P6 today, and that was more than enough to give him the series Vice-Championship for 2020. It’s not official yet, but he is slated to drive for Andretti in Indy Lights in 2021.

• Along with Champion Sting Ray Robb, both Rasmus Lindh and Danial Frost are also expected to be in Indy Lights in 2021 - Danial for Andretti and Rasmus for Belardi Auto Racing. Tristan Charpentier may also be in the Lights for a few races, as he was supposed to do for Andretti in 2020.

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2020 Vice Champion Devlin DeFrancesco - Lights bound for 2021, and…

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…Left to right, Danial Frost, Rasmus Lindh and Tristan Charpentier - Lights probables for 2021

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Your happy podium - That’s Colin Kaminsky in P2 on the left, Hunter McElrea in P1 in the middle and Danial Frost in P3 on the right:

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Hunter McElrea - back to winning form

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That’s it for Indy Pro 2000 for 2020! It was a great season, despite all the trials of racing under COVID-19 restrictions.

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Next up, the IndyCars race for the final time in 2020. Broadcast is scheduled for 2:30pm EASTERN time on NBC.

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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O…M…G!..The IndyCars hold a crazy one to end the season…

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This one was predicted to be a stale, fuel-saving race by some drivers but it was anything but. Almost everything that might happen did happen, including a rain shower that no one saw coming. In the end Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden did what he had to do to have a shot at the title - WINNING the race from his P8 start. But Scott Dixon also did what he had to do - Survive the race at better than P10. Dixon came home P3 for Chip Ganassi Racing, clinging to Pato O’Ward in P2 for Arrow McLaren SP.

And that makes Scott Dixon the 2020 IndyCar Champion - His SIXTH such title in a brilliant career that shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

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Scott Dixon kisses his 6th Astor Cup

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The race was led by pole-sitter Will Power for Team Penske for 5 laps until a missed shift slowed him enough to allow Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta and James Hinchcliffe - all for Andretti Autosport - to pass him. Power soon after became the race’s first casualty when he hit a wall after a slide on tire marbles. He would cause the first of the race’s 6 cautions, creating all sorts of opportunities for dramatic changes in order and havoc on restarts, and we sure got them.

Rossi, Herta and Hinchcliffe all led at one point or another, with Rossi in P1 for 61 of the 100 laps, but all would shoot themselves in the foot in one way or another. Rossi slid in the marbles and destroyed the front of his car on a restart. Hinchcliffe actually spun during a caution and came back on track just in time to hit Jack Harvey for Meyer Shank Racing, taking them both out of the race.

Newgarden took over the lead with a masterful pass on a lap-83 restart, passing both P2 Alex Palou for Dale Coyne and leader Herta to slot into P1. Another restart was later required by another caution and on it Pato O’Ward vaulted past Dixon and Herta to shoot into P2 in the Arrow McLaren SP Chevy. Soon after, Herta slid into the runoff at Turn 4 and fell all the way back to P13.

The final caution was the result of a push of Oliver Askew for Arrow into the Turn 10 corner by Takuma Sato for Rahal Letterman Lanigan. It gave Pato one last chance to pass for the lead but Newgarden was not to be denied the WIN and he eventually pulled away from the Mexican standout who found himself instead defending against Dixon.

In the end Newgarden won the battle by 4 seconds over O’Ward, who was 2 seconds ahead of Dixon.This one is deserving of a half-hour highlight reel!

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Notable:

• Dixon and Newgarden ended the 14-race season with 4 WINS a piece but Dixon had 7 podiums to Newgarden’s 6 podiums and that made the 16-point difference at the end of the day to give Dixon the title.

• Colton Herta recovered enough to come in P11 and that was enough for him to take 3rd in the Championship, a mere 5 points over Pato O’Ward, who collected his 4th podium on the year.

• Sebastien Bourdais was able to bring it home P4 for AJ Foyt Enterprises - their best finish of the year - but Charlie Kimball was also great for the squad with a run from P20 to P8 at the end. More importantly for 2021, Bourdais elevated the # 14 car to the last recipient of the series’ Leader’s Circle cash for 2021, worth about a million dollars to the team.

• Ryan Hunter-Reay ended up being the best Andretti driver of the day - or the luckiest, as the case may be - with his P5 finish.

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Your happy final race podium - That’s Pato O’Ward in P2 on the left, Josef Newgarden in P1 in the middle and Scott Dixon in P3 on the right:

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left to right, Josef, Pato and Scott

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Well, that’s it for the 2020 season. It was shorter than originally scheduled and we missed a few of our favorite venues, due to COVID-19, but we HAD A SEASON, thanks primarily to new IndyCar owner Roger Penske who invested a lot of his own money to make it all happen. In a country that lost out on a lot, motorsports fans were blessed to follow a sport that didn’t require much human contact. NASCAR, SportsCars, Formula One, IndyCar and most of the support series for all of them were there for us when we needed a lift.

THANK YOU ALL, and see you in the Spring!!

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…and look for the race highlights here, when they are released. You won’t believe them.

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M

[MarkyS]

+++

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NBC has released extended race highlights from St. Petersburg…

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IndyCar: Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | 10/25/20 | Motorsports on NBC

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Even extended highlights couldn’t capture all the drama this one had to offer. If you missed the live broadcast, this is one worth finding a rebroadcast. Great racing and human emotions on display throughout.

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M

[GrandWazoo]

Sort of nice having a season where the champ didn’t drive for Penske.
IndyCar pulled it off. And I hope that next year we will be back on the regular schedule.
At least they were able to pull off the 500. I feel sorry for Roger not being able to make the big bucks.
But I saw a video where he went to the entrance gate to personally welcome the few fans who were allowed to see the race. That man is really a class act.
And kudos to Tim Cindric’s son Austin becoming the Xfinity champ. Roger took a chance giving the kid a ride and it really paid off.