IndyCars - The off-season: Series news and comment until the March 2014 kick-off

The Sports Roundtable and Bar
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The 2018 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout is this weekend…(part 2)…

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The SCCA National Run-Offs always produce a few entrants and this year is no exception. We have THREE drivers from the Run-Offs, First…

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Jason Reichert was the 2018 SCCA National Run-Offs Champion for Formula Continental

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19-year-old Jason from Las Vegas, Nevada, has spent the last two years battling in the Pacific F2000 series, with a Championship title in 2018, with 2 WINS and 6 podiums, but it was his Run-Offs victory in the same Van Diemen RF03 he drives in F2000 that got him his entry ticket to the Shootout.

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Jason in his Van Diemen for DFR

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Another Run-Offs Champion for 2018 with an entry ticket is Flinn Lazier, who took the 2018 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, Formula Enterprises 2 title. Flinn is the 19-year-old son of Indy 500 WINNER Buddy Lazier.
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Flinn Lazier (right) with papa Buddy Lazier

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Flinn has been driving various formula cars for years, as one might expect. He drove 2 races in USF2000 for Newmsan Wachs Racing in 2017 and has been a Vice Champion at the Run-Offs in the past.

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Flinn in his Formula Enterprise Van Diemen at Sonoma, taking his SCCA title

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The 3rd SCCA Run-Offs Champ is Bryce Cornet, the 2018 SCCA National RunOffs, Formula Mazda Champion.

Bryce Cornet

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The native of Norman Oklahoma just turned 25 years old and thus makes the age cut for this year. Prior to 2018 Bryce has been a karter, so his Formula Mazda title is outstanding.

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Bryce in his Elan 13B Formula Mazda at Sonoma

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There’s one more Team USA guy going to the Shootout…

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We’ve already featured Jake Craig and Colin Mullan - Team USA Scholarship WINNERS who are going to the Mazda Road to Indy Shootout - in posts # 287 and # 288, but there is a 3rd guy. Meet…

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Braden Eves - WINNER of the 2018 Team USA Scholarship.

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Eves, 19, from New Albany, Ohio, was outstanding in selected F1600 Championship Series races, F4 United States races and one USF2000 weekend before being awarded a Team USA Scholarship for 2018. He was unable to take his place in England while recovering from surgery and had to be replaced for the usual journey to England to drive at the Formula Ford Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy, and that’s why this year there are THREE Team USA guys, instead of just two. He gets to go to the Shootout for being selected as one of them.

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Braden in his Crawford F4-16 for Jay Howard Driver Development at Circuit of the Americas.

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Another Mazda Road to Indy Shootout entrant for 2018…

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…will be American Tyler O’Connor, from New Hartford, Connecticut. Tyler was the Vice-Champion of USAC’s F1600 Championship series, with 7 WINS, 13 podiums, 2 poles and 8 Fastest Laps, driving for K-Hill Racing.

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Tyler O’Connor

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The 21-year old is a Mazda-choice at large entrant, due to the fact that F1600 Championship series Champion Daniel Cangialosi is already in the Shootout, but like Cangialosi, O’Connor was one of the 6 Team USA Scholarship finalists for 2018 and Mazda figured he had thus earned a shot at the Shootout, as well.

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Tyler in his Mygale Honda for K-Hill Racing

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continued…

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Another Mazda Road to Indy Shootout entrant for 2018…(part 2)…

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…will be Courtney Crone, the 2018 Formula Car Challenge Formula Speed Champion, with a dominating 9 WINS and 14 podiums in 14 races. She also WON the Formula Speed Triple Crown National Championship with 3 WINS and 6 podiums in 6 races.

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Courtney Crone

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The 17-year-old from Corona, California is a racer’s racer, starting her career at the age of 4. She’s driven everything from dirt and pavement Midgets to dirt motorcyles to karts - anything with 2 or 4 wheels on it. She holds several different track records and in 2018 she was nominated as one of the 2018 Team USA Scholarship entrants - the only woman yet so honored. She is also the first woman to earn a Mazda Road to Indy Shootout entry ticket.

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Courtney in her FFC Gen 2 Formula Speed for World Speed Motorsports

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continued…

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Another Mazda Road to Indy Shootout entrant for 2018…(part 3)…

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…will be Ireland’s James Roe, the Vice-Champion of USAC’s F2000 series, with 3 WINS and 7 podiums.

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James Roe

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Born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, the 20-year-old started racing rather late, at the age of 16, driving in Ginetta Junior, WINNING the prestigious Allied Irish Finance trophy at the Leinster Trophy in that 2014 rookie season. He took the Vice Championship in 2015, while simultaneously competing in rallycross and WINNING there, too.

IN 2017 James had multiple WINS in Formula Fords in both the Irish and the British Championships. He is the holder of several track records both in Great Britain and the USA. In 2018, in addition to his USAC racing he competed in 2 USF2000 races for Swan / RJB Motorsports at Road America and earned a TOP FIVE in his series debut.

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James in his Elan for ArmsUp Motorsports at Summit Point

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continued…

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Another Mazda Road to Indy Shootout entrant for 2018…(part 4)…

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…Is Stuart White, the 2018 Champion of the Investchem South African Formula 1600 Championship, with 7 WINS in 14 outings, driving for Fantastic Racing.

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Stuart White

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16-year-old Stuart from Bloemfontein, South Africa, has only been racing in formula cars for 2 years. making his title all the more impressive. In 2018 he became the youngest-ever winner of an endurance race in South Africa when he drove the Fantastic Racing Maui Formula Renault he shared with Craig Jarvis and Stephen Young to victory in the Mopar African Endurance Phakisa Six Hour race in Welkom.
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Stuart White in his Mygale F1600 for Fantastic Racing at Zwartkops

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continued…

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Another Mazda Road to Indy Shootout entrant for 2018…(part 5)…

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Every year in the United States there are several regional and national karting champions in various classes and sections of the nation - far too many to select one person as the national champion. Mazda thus decided to let the guys at EKarting News - THE authority in karting in America - select an at-large candidate to the Shootout to represent American karting at its best, based not only on 2018 performances but also on one’s karting career, as a whole.

This year, the EKarting News selection went to reigning Superkarts! USA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg, the website’s current #1 ranked driver in the TaG category.
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Ryan Norberg (center) with EKarting News’ Rob Howden and David Cole.

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The 20-year-old from Orlando, Florida, won his unprecedented third straight SKUSA Pro Tour championship this season, putting him at a level no other driver has been able to reach in the last decade.

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Ryan Norberg at work

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continued…

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Another Mazda Road to Indy Shootout entrant for 2018…(part 6)…

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The title for the 2018 Australian Formula Ford Championship went down to the last race of the last weekend of racing and WINNING the title - and with it a coveted entry ticket to the Shootout - was American-born but NewZealand-raised Hunter McElrea, with 13 WINS, 16 podiums, 3 poles and 7 Fastest Laps in the 21-race season.

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Hunter McElrea

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The 18-year-old, now living at the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, started in karts at the age of 9 but transitioned to formula cars by the time he was 15. He’s been WINNING races ever since. He recently tested a Tatuus USF-17 for Pabst Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway against good competition (post # 304) and in 5 sessions posted two P1s, a P2, a P3 and a P4 - fast, indeed.

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Hunter in his Mygale SJ10A for Sonic Motor Racing Services

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The last entrant we want to introduce for the 2018 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout is…

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…Michael Eastwell, the 2018 Champion of the Formula Ford Super Series Shootout, in Great Britain. There are so many Formula Ford championship in the British Isles that every year a Shootout is held at Silverstone for worthy competitors from all over the Isles. It is a combination of physical tests and simulation work in front of a panel of judges.

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Michael Eastwell, (left) with James Beckett, organizer of the Champion of Brands

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To be considered, Michael was not only the Vice-Champion of BRSCC Formula Ford in 2018 but he was also a four-time 2018 Champion of Brands WINNER - unprecedented. The 21-year-old from Southampton, England, started a bit late, at the age of 12, in karts, but transitioned to formula cars at the age of 15 and has been advancing ever since, as his 10 WINS in this one year attest.

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Michael Eastwell after his 4th Champion of Brands WIN

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That’s it! We have now introduced all 20 of the 2018 Road to Indy Shootout entry ticket holders. The competition starts on Saturday, at the Bondurant Racing School in Chandler, Arizona. STAY TUNED!

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The 2018 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout is underway!

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Today and Sunday, Mazda will host their final Road to Indy Shootout - the opportunity for one young talent to WIN a $200,000 scholarship to be applied to a full season of racing in 2019 in the first rung of the Road to Indy ladder system, USF2000. This is the most sought-after prize in junior formula racing in the world and the 20 participants are the best of the best - the Champions or Vice-Champions from several official feeder series of the Road to Indy from around the globe.

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The venue is the Bob Bondurant Racing School at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona - Just South of Phoenix. The 20 entrants will be given three on-track outings on Saturday and a final session on Sunday morning in identically-prepared Bondurant School cars - Formula Mazda cars equipped with Cooper racing tires:

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The 20 entrants will be given three on-track outings on Saturday and a final session on Sunday morning, all under the watchful eye and coaching of 4 esteemed judges, after which the field will be narrowed to 5, 6 or so drivers and those finalists will compete in two qualifying rounds followed by a mock race. The winner will then be announced at approximately 6 pm ET Sunday.

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The judging panel - Mazda IMSA drivers and representatives Andrew Carbonell and Tom Long, Indy Lights race winner and 2017 Pro Mazda champion Victor Franzoni, and inaugural shootout winner and 2017 USF2000 champion Oliver Askew. All know what these kids will be going through and what they hope to achieve. They are there to HELP them all succeed, but also to judge what they show - both in racing talent and also in deportment, as the WINNER will represent Mazda in 2019.

The judges - left to right, Andrew Carbonell and Tom Long…

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…and Victor Franzoni and Oliver Askew.

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The 2018 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout is underway!..(part 2)…

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The event actually started on Friday night, as all 20 participants went to dinner with the judging panel, and yes the judges WERE paying attention to the kids, scoping out their speaking abilities and their ease in a crowd, as they will need to be able to carry themselves well, as the Scholarship winner.

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The dinner - the drivers, their families and their judges

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Judge Oliver Askew listens to three young talents at the dinner

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On Saturday morning, 18 of the 20 young talents took the Class of 2018 picture:

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…and the in-car sessions began.

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Saturday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park…

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The Shootout began in earnest this morning as the 20 participants all got their first look at their cars and then got their first runs on track…

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The drivers meet their cars…

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Race Director Scott Elkins gives everyone the last word, before they drive…

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Finally, they head out!

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Saturday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park…(part 2)…

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Following each session, the drivers get a debrief with one of their judges. At this time each will receive comments, criticisms and advice on what they showed and how to improve their runs.

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Ross Martin debriefs with Judge Victor Franzoni. (left) Martin was also at the 2017 Shootout.

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Courtney Crone debriefs with Victor Franzoni. Courtney is the first woman to make the Shootout.

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Jake Craig debriefs with judge Oliver Askew. (left) This is Jake’s 2nd Shootout, following 2017, where he was a finalist.

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All of the judges are respected by the kids, but Oliver Askew has the added benefit of being the embodiment of their dream. He was the very first Shootout WINNER, and with his scholarship, went on to be the 2017 Champion of USF2000.

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Saturday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park…(part 3)…

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More sessions, followed by more debriefs throughout the day…

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Super-karter Ryan Norberg gets advice from Mazda’s talented SportsCar driver and judge Tom Long

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Oliver Askew debriefs Brit Michael Eastwell following his 2nd run in the School car…

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…as the other drivers wait their turn for their own debrief, and get to know one another.

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Click on this vid to hear from a few of the participants, thanks to Road to Indy TV:

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More to come on Sunday…STAY TUNED!

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Sunday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park - Day 2 of the Shootout…

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The weather was beautiful in Chandler this morning, as the 20 aspirants to the $200,000 scholarship up for grabs went out for their final on-track session before the finalists were chosen by the judging panel.
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Waiting for their session, (left to right) Jake Craig, Colin Mullan, Braden Eves and Ryan Norberg.

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The British Isles contingent hang out - (left to right) England’s Michael Eastwell, Ireland’s James Roe, England’s Matt Round-Garrido and Scotland’s Ross Martin:

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Judge Victor Franzoni inspects a school car before the final session for all drivers

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Road to Indy TV speaks to several drivers about what they represent:

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Sunday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park - Day 2 of the Shootout…(part 2)…

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After the final full-field session the judges huddled to decide who the finalists will be in 2018…

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The judges and Race Director Scott Elkins making their decision about the finalists

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Finally, the word came down and we had our finalists - 6 this year. They were England’s Michael Eastwell, Scotland’s Ross Martin, New Zealand’s Hunter McElrea, and Americans Flinn Lazier, Braden Eves and Jake Craig. Of the 6, Martin and Craig were also in the Shootout in 2017 and Craig was one of the 5 finalists that year, too.

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And here they are! Left to right, Michael Eastwell, Hunter McElrea, Jake Craig, Braden Eves, Flinn Lazier and Ross Martin

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Next, 3 drivers would qualify for the mock race, followed by the other three. Following that, all 6 were given a final run-through for the mock race on the Bob Bondurant School track at Wild Horse Pass. The mock race WINNER is NOT the automatic winner of the scholarship. That is determined by several factors taken into account all weekend long, and the mock race is just to show the judges how well each driver handles traffic - not whether they win or lose it.

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The final run-through is given by Race Director Scott Elkins as the finalists listen intently

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Following the mock race, the judges huddled for one more time. Finally a decision was made and they announced the 2018 WINNER of the Mazda Road to Indy Scholarship…

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Sunday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park - Day 2 of the Shootout…(part 3)…

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The WINNER of the 2018 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout Scholarship is …

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New Zealander Hunter McElrea!

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McElrea, the moment he hears his name called out

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Hunter with the men who have forever changed his life - his judges, left to right, Victor Franzoni, Oliver Askew, Andrew Carbonell and Tom Long.

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Said judge Tom Long of the decision, “Today was an incredible day. There was so much talent here for the Shootout. Hunter McElrea just rose to the top when it was time to shine, but our decision was very, very difficult. In the end, given all of the circumstances, we were able to make a pretty good decision and we are really, really proud of not only Hunter but our whole team here with Mazda to be able to grant this $200K scholarship for his opportunity in USF2000 next year.”

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And from our WINNER, “I can’t believe it. This is definitely the most exciting opportunity that I have had in my racing career. I cannot thank Mazda and everyone enough for making this possible for me. The fact that I am going to be on the grid next year thanks to them is a dream come true. They have given me the opportunity to prove myself in such a high level that I never even thought I would be able to reach. I have to thank Andersen Promotions, Cooper Tires, all of the judges, everyone from Mazda, the Bondurant Racing School and the other competitors, who literally pushed me to the limit. I am just so happy. It is still sinking in but I just can’t wait to get next year started, and I’ll be representing Mazda in that nice Soul Red USF2000 car.”
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That’s it - The final Mazda-sponsored Shootout with a fitting Champion. Next year, the Shootout is promised to continue with new sponsorship. Congrats to Hunter and a BIG thanks to Mazda for all three of the Shootouts they held.

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While we were watching the Road to Indy all last week, Will Power had a great moment…

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…as the driver for Team Penske and the 2018 WINNER of the Indy 500 got to be present when his likeness was revealed on the Borg-Warner Trophy at a ceremony at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Will Power shows off his likeness on the Borg-Warner

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As has been the case for the last 29 years now, the sculptor foe the likeness was Will Behrends, who always does a full-size bust first, in order to get a better sense of the details that make a particular driver unique. With Power, it was the piercing eyes, more than anything else.

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Here is a close-up of “Willy P’s” visage on the trophy

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Will’s face is on the Trophy’s base, right next to 2017 Indy 500 WINNER Takuma Sato and Power was very pleased with the result: “That’s incredible when you think about some of the legendary names that are on there. Thank you, Will. It’s an amazing image. It looks like me, so that’s good."

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It happens every year at this time…

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…as Ed Carpenter of Ed Carpenter Racing drives Santa Clause to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in an IndyCar two-seater for “Jolly Days”.

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Click on this to see the arrival:

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And here, Channel 13 acknowledges the great moment:

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He’s in it! IndyCar driver Conor Daly will be in the 2019 Chili Bowl…

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Conor has been looking for an IndyCar ride of one kind or another and is STILL looking, but he’s not letting the grass grow in the mean time. Announced earlier this week, Daly will drive a midget in the prestigious annual midget race in Tulsa, to be held January 14-19, 2019, with sponsorship from David Byrd.

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Conor Daly

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As a tune-up for the Chili Bowl, Daly will also run the dirt indoors at DuQuoin, Illinois, this weekend for Byrd. It will NOT be Conor’s first foray into the powerful and nasty open-wheelers, as Conor was at the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Midget event held at the temporary 1/4-mile dirt track built in the Turn 3 infield at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, last September.

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Conor at the DrivenToSavesLives BC39 in September

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Said Daly, “I got a taste last September at IMS, and the Chili Bowl is such a cool event and I want to try it. I don’t have any great expectations, but I liked trying the dirt and I’ll get some laps at DuQuoin before the Chili Bowl, so that will help."

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Daly drove at the 2018 Indy 500 for Dale Coyne and then helped Harding Racing late in the season with 3 runs for them. "I’m working on various partners and sponsors for 2019 and this is a big week, so hopefully I’ll have something good to talk about soon,” said the 27-year-old Indianan.
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