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

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Josef Newgarden and Will Power do the Chevy Corvette Pace Car at IMS…

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Just before last weekend’s Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on the Road Course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power took a lap around the track in a Chevrolet Corvette C8 pace car.

Now, this was right after the Nashville race, where Will famously broke Team Penske Rule # 1 - Never take out your own teammate - by punting Scotty McLaughlin off the track. Will owned up to his mistake and has been taking ribbing about it ever since, and Josef gives him even more here:

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The look of terror on Newgy’s face is classic, but Will’s wish at the end of the vid is prophetic and was granted.

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Nice job, boys!

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Tonight at IMS the BC 39 begins…

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The little quarter-mile dirt track in the Turn 3 corner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will get its once-a-year workout tonight and tomorrow as they hold the third annual Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Championship race.

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This year’s entry list includes 72 drivers going after $15,000 and national bragging rights for WINNING Thursday night’s 39-lap feature race. There will be the very best from the USAC Midget ranks, including 8 national champions, but there will also be more than a few interlopers from other racing series, including NASCAR’s Chase Elliott, Ryan Newman, Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson, who is a great hand at this kind of racing and is coming off a WIN at the prestigious Knoxville Nationals last Saturday night. Also on hand will be IndyCar driver Conor Daly, who’s been here before.

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Conor Daly’s ride for the BC39
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Conor Daly
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Tonight will be the practice, heat races and the Stoops Pursuit feature race concluding the night’s action at 8:00pm. On Thursday night there will be more practice, followed by qualifying, and then the main feature events, starting with multiple 12-lap D-Mains, the 15-lap C-Main, the 20-lap semi-feature and finally the 39-lap main event, honoring the late USAC great Bryan Clauson, and increasing awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and the Driven2SaveLives campaign. Clauson was a life-saving organ doner himself.

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Bryan Clauson
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We’ll let you know how it all shakes out.

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Oval racing lovers!..Your IndyCar fix may be getting better in 2022!..

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It has yet to be confirmed, but it looks like Midwest supermarket chain Hy-Vee, which has of late immersed itself in IndyCar racing at the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team, will be sponsoring a 2022 return to the little bullring at Iowa Speedway.
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NO WORD YET on if we’re talking a day race…

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…or a night race…

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We’re hoping for a nice Summer night race instead of a day race, but, any kinda race at all on the 7/8-mile oval in the corn fields near Newton should be a welcome race for diehard IndyCar fans.

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If and when we get the word from Hy-Vee we will let you know. Cross your fingers!!

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BANG!!..Hy-Vee sponsors a multi-year deal for a double-header weekend at Iowa…

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The Des Moines, Iowa-based supermarket chain will be the primary sponsor for the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250, to take place Saturday, July 23, and the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300, taking place on Sunday, July 24, in 2022, with a deal to hold similar races in subsequent years.

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No word yet on if one or both of these races will take place at night, but Hy-Vee promises they will have support racing, making it a better show, especially for campers who will be at the track for the whole weekend.

That may or may not be Road to Indy support, but we would love to see it - especially given the small size of the track, which is less than a mile but more than little Lucas Oil Raceway, which hosts both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, right now. At 7/8ths of a mile, Iowa is perfect for the Road to Indy.
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Thanks, Hy-Vee. This was exactly what we needed.

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Hy-Vee

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Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights are testing at Gateway, right now…

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As part of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway, the two Road to Indy series will be racing, this weekend - two races for the Lights and one race for IP2K. In order for both series to put on the best show possible the Road to Indy is holding 2 series tests for each today, and we have the results of those, starting with the daytime T-1 session for Indy Pro 2000, taking place just after Noon:

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

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1 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports - time of 00:32.2118s for a speed of 139.700mph
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2 - Reece Gold [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 00:32.2940s for a speed of 139.345mph
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3 - Hunter McElrea, Pabst Racing - time of 00:32.3473s for a speed of 139.115mph
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4 - Nolan Siegel [R], DEForce Racing - time of 00:32.3805s for a speed of 138.973mph
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5 - James Roe [R], Turn 3 Motorsport - time of 00:32.4152s for a speed of 138.824mph
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6 - Braden Eves, Exclusive Autosport
7 - Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports
8 - Artem Petrov, Exclusive Autosport
9 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
10 - Manuel Sulaiman, Juncos Hollinger Racing

11 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
12 - Kyffin Simpson [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
13 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing

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Notable:

  • Reece Gold and Hunter McElrea in the TOP FIVE? Yeah, SURE, but Jack William Miller on top? This is new territory. This is the best performance by the ever-better JWM this season. At his oval racing debut in May at Lucas Oil Raceway James Roe had one of his best showings of the season, coming close to a top-three qualifying result and podium finish in the race, so he may have found his niche.

  • We are used to seeing outstanding performance from 16-year-old Nolan Siegel, but in USF2000. This is Nolan’s debut in Indy Pro 2000 and he is already fast.

  • If the oval race at LOR in May was any indicator, we should see Braden Eves and Christian Rasmussen improve this evening in the T-2 session.

  • Kory Enders put in no time in the session but is expected to test this evening. This is Kory’s first race of 2021, after a full season with DEForce in 2020.

Kory Enders
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Jack William Miller
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(continued…)

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Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights are testing at Gateway, right now…(part 2)…

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Right after the IP2K gang was done with their T-1 session the Indy Lights came out for their own first test of the day.

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Lights T-1 test session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 00:28.2895s for a speed of 159.070mph
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2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 00:28.2993s for a speed of 159.015mph
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3 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 00:28.3325s for a speed of 158.828mph
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4 - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports - time of 00:28.3490s for a speed of 158.736mph
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5 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 00:28.4064s for a speed of 158.415mph
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6 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport
7 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport
8 - Toby Sowery, Juncos Hollinger Racing
9 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
10 - Alex Peroni [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development
11 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development
12 - Antonio Serravalle [R], Pserra Racing

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Notable:

  • The last time the Indy Lights raced on an oval was at WWTR in 2019 and David Malukas, Rob Megennis and Toby Sowery were in that race, which was WON by Oliver Askew on his way to his championship.

  • Today, Devlin DeFrancesco gave credit to Oliver Askew’s advice for getting him where he was in the T-1 session.

  • It is rare to see Benjamin Pedersen outshine his teammate Linus Lundqvist, but maybe he has found his best discipline on ovals.

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Devlin DeFrancesco
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Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights will both hold an evening test today and we will bring you those results, later.

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Thursday evening at Gateway - Indy Pro 2000 holds an evening test session…

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After their successful daytime test, the IP2K gang came out in the early evening for a second test session at World Wide Technology Raceway - the scene of their support race for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, this weekend. We have the results.

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

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1 - Hunter McElrea, Pabst Racing - time of 00:32.1070s for a speed of 140.156mph
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2 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports - time of 00:32.1411s for a speed of 140.008mph
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3 - Braden Eves, Exclusive Autosport - time of 00:32.2839s for a speed of 139.388mph
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4 - Reece Gold [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 00:32.3392s for a speed of 139.150mph
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5 - Nolan Siegel [R], DEForce Racing - time of 00:32.3595s for a speed of 139.063mph
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6 - Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports
7 - Artem Petrov, Exclusive Autosport
8 - Manuel Sulaiman, Juncos Hollinger Racing
9 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
10 - James Roe [R], Turn 3 Motorsport

11 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing
12 - Kyffin Simpson [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
13 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

  • Jack William Miller, who TOPPED the T-1 session was on top of this session too, until literally the last minute, when Kiwi Hunter McElrea jumped to the top of the charts for the Speed Boys at Pabst Racing. We will love to see these guys battle.

  • Braden Eves made the expected leap into the TOP FIVE but fellow title contender Christian Rasmussen still hasn’t gotten the mojo.

  • James Roe was faster in the T-1 session, so he is likely set up for the heat of the day a little better. That may pay dividends at race time, which is scheduled for Saturday in the afternoon.

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Hunter McElrea
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The Indy Pro 2000 gang will be on track tomorrow for the start of the Bommarito Automotive Group weekend event.

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Thursday evening at Gateway - The Indy Lights hold their 2nd test of the day…

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The Lights followed up their daytime test at World Wide Technology Raceway with another test in the evening - still in daylight, but a little cooler on track. We have those results here.

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

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1 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 00:28.1581s for a speed of 159.812mph
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2 - Linus Lundqvist [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 00:28.2713s for a speed of 159.172mph
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3 - Robert Megennis, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:28.2812s for a speed of 159.116mph
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4 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], GRG w/HMD Motorsports - time of 00:28.2845s for a speed of 159.098mph
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5 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner Racing - time of 00:28.3390s for a speed of 158.792mph
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6 - Danial Frost [R], Andretti Autosport
7 - David Malukas, HMD Motorsports
8 - Toby Sowery, Juncos Hollinger Racing
9 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
10 - Alex Peroni [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development
11 - Antonio Serravalle [R], Pserra Racing
12 - Christian Bogle [R], Carlin / Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

  • The two top guys are also two of the three points leaders. The missing points contender from the TOP FIVE is David Malukas, who came in P3 in the 2019 race here - the last Indy Lights oval race before this weekend. We expect David to improve by racedays Friday and Saturday.

  • Asserting himself in this session was Rob Megennis who came home P5 in that same 2019 Gateway race. Rob has always been strong on Road to Indy ovals, like Iowa Speedway and Lucas Oil Raceway.

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Kyle Kirkwood
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Look for both series to continue their adventures at Gateway this weekend in the St. Louis IndyCar race thread.

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Thursday night at Indianapolis - Kyle Larson SWEEPS the BC39 weekend…

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The NASCAR / USAC phenom WON Wednesday night’s IMS preliminary race, known as the Stoops Pursuit, and then followed that up on Thursday by WINNING the third Driven2SaveLives BC39 USAC Midget National Championship race, held on the dirt 1/4-mile oval on the inside of Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Larson battled with Thomas Meseraull, Justin Grant and Brady Bacon near the end of the 39-lap event. Larson earned $15,000 for the victory - a great follow-up to his WINNING the Midget Chili Bowl Nationals at the start of the year and the Knoxville Nationals Sprint Car race, last weekend.

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Kyle Larson - king of the dirt at IMS
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IndyCar driver Conor Daly was eliminated in the second D-Main after finishing seventh, as only the top three drivers advanced to the C-Main:

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Congrats, Kyle!

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A BIG congrats to IndyCar driver Mike Conway…

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…as this weekend, the former English IndyCar race WINNER drove to the WIN of the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans, with co-drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez in the # 7 GR010 Hybrid for Toyotas Gazoo Racing, taking the Hypercar class and the overall. They beat out teammates Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima in the # 8 GR010, while coming in 3rd were Matthieu Vaxiviere, Nicolas Lapierre and Indy Pro 2000 alum Andre Negrao in the # 36 Alpine A480 Gibson for Alpine Elf Matmut.

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Left to right, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez
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…and Andre Negrao
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Mike’s been knocking on this door for a long time. It’s great to see him finally break through. Proud of you and Andre!

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IndyCar driver Romain Grosjean comments on his first oval race…

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Following his oval racing debut at St. Louis last weekend, reporter Christopher DeHarde got a chance to ask the very accessable French rookie a few questions:

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Closer and closer to that decision, mon frere.

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Robin Miller 1949 - 2021

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Robin Miller

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You will be missed. You will be remembered.

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She’s IN!..Pippa Mann invited to drive in the Indy 8 Hour for 2021…

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British IndyCar driver Pippa Mann has gotten a good reputation for her SportsCar chops lately, with many Lamborghini Super Trofeo podiums and GT car WINS in the World Racing League. She topped off her GT career in June with the WIN of the ADAC Total 24 hours of Nürburgring, driving on the all-female four-driver squad in the WS Racing Audi R8 LMS.

Following Nürburgring, the second 2021 Intercontinental GT Challenge event now calls to her, as the seven-time Indianapolis 500 starter will take part in October’s Indianapolis 8 Hour as part of OGH Motorsports with Nolasport’s squad in the GT4 class. Mann will join the team’s Pirelli GT4 America drivers Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen in their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

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Said Pippa, “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join Sean and Sam in their car for this event and to be returning to action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“While traveling the opposite direction down the front straight may take a little getting used to, I’m stoked to be back on track for another major sports car event this season, this time in my adopted home town.”

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Pippa Mann
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We will follow the ramp-up to the event when it gets closer. Go Pippa!

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Friday at New Jersey Motorsports Park - The Road to Indy goes testing…

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On this Saturday and Sunday New Jersey Motorsports Park will host USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 for Season Rounds 14, 15 and 16 of each series.

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Today, both series rented the Thunderbolt track at NJMP to do 2 series tests apiece, in order to be truly proficient for the race weekend. We have the results of this testing here. We have COMBINED the two tests for each series, starting with the kids from USF2000:

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

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1 - Josh Green, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:18.5101s for a speed of 98.128mph (2)
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2 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Pabst Racing - time of 01:18.7722s for a speed of 97.801mph (1)
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3 - Spike Kohlbecker [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports - time of 01:18.8408s for a speed of 97.716mph (2)
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4 - Kiko Porto, DEForce Racing - time of 01:18.8868s for a speed of 97.659mph (2)
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5 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:18.9013s for a speed of 97.641mph (2)
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6 - Nolan Siegel, DEForce Racing (2)
7 - Prescott Campbell, DEForce Racing (2)
8 - Christian Brooks, Exclusive Autosport (1)
9 - Dylan Christie [R], Turn 3 Motorsports (2)
10 - Jace Denmark [R], Pabst Racing (1)

11 - Elysiah Navarro [R], DEForce Racing (2)
12 - Thomas Nepveu [R], Cape Motorsports (2)
13 - Myles Rowe [R], Force Indy (2)
14 - Christian Weir [R], Turn 3 Motorsports (2)
15 - Josh Pierson, Pabst Racing (2)
16 - Billy Frazer [R], Exclusive Autosport (2)
17 - Evan Stamer [R], Ignite Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports (2)
18 - Bijoy Garg, Jay Howard Driver Development (2)
19 - Peter Vodanovich [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (2)
20 - Michael Myers, Michael Myers Racing (2)

21 - Trey Burke [R], Joe Dooling Autosports (1)
22 - Kent Vaccaro [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (2)
23 - Nathan Byrd [R], Legacy Autosport (2)

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Notable:

  • The fast guys here were also the fast guys at the triple header at Mid-Ohio - the last series races. Kiko Porto, Michael d’Orlando and Yuven Sundaramoorthy are 1,2 3 in the points, while Josh Green already has 6 TOP FIVES on the season and Spike Kohlbecker shows better with every race weekend.

  • Notably absent, however, is Simon Sikes. The TEAM USA Scholarship alum was on all three podiums at Mid-Ohio, but Legacy Autosport is only fielding Nathan Byrd this weekend.

  • We are surprised at the rather lackluster showing of Josh Pierson. The 15-year-old is much quicker than this.

  • Most of the drivers were faster in the afternoon session.

Simon Sikes - AWOL
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Josh Pierson - out to lunch
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Josh Green - another Team USA Scholarship alum
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(continued…)

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Friday at New Jersey Motorsports Park - The Road to Indy goes testing…(part 2)…

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The Indy Pro 2000 field also had two test on the Thunderbolt track and we have those results here.

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

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1 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:14.9158s for a speed of 102.835mph (2)
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2 - Artem Petrov, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:14.9314s for a speed of 102.814mph (2)
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3 - Reece Gold [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 01:15.2495s for a speed of 102.379mph (2)
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4 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports - time of 01:15.2499s for a speed of 102.379mph (2)
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5 - Wyatt Brichacek [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:15.3296s for a speed of 102.271mph (2)
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6 - Hunter McElrea, Pabst Racing (1)
7 - James Roe [R], Turn 3 Motorsport (2)
8 - Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports (2)
9 - Braden Eves, Exclusive Autosport (2)
10 - Kyffin Simpson [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing (2)

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Notable:

  • Points leader Christian Rasmussen was excellent at NJMP in USF2000 last season, with two WINS and a P2. There is little reason to think he won’t be just as excellent this year in the PM-18 car.

  • Artem Petrov is the only guy in the TOP FIVE who was driving a PM-18 last year too, and he was also fast last year at New Jersey.

  • Reece Gold was not this fast last year in USF2000, so he is the guy stepping it up a notch, as are Jack William Miller and Wyatt Brichacek.

  • 2nd in points Braden Eves was out of the running at this time last year with a broken vertebra in his neck, so he is learning NJMP this weekend.

Braden Eves - track rookie
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Christian Rasmussen - quite comfortable up front
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The practice and qualifying for the weekend begins on Saturday morning for both series.

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Jimmie Johnson gets on the big oval at Texas Motor Speedway…

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On Monday morning, before the Sun was up, 7-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson finally took the # 48 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing onto an oval - the super speedway oval in Fort Worth. Before driving the car, Jimmie got a ride around the oval in a rental car with his coach, former IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti, who pointed out the pitfalls of the high-banked oval for an IndyCar. (Johnson WELL knows the track, but as it pertains to NASCAR Cup cars). Also in the car with them was teammate Tony Kanaan.

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While Johnson, Franchitti and Kanaan had coffee later, teammate Scott Dixon checked out the # 48 to make sure it was in fine shape for Jimmie’s run. Jimmie then took to the track in the dark, as that was most like the nighttime racing that often takes place at TMS. He then stayed in the car for much of the day, as the track warmed and it became increasingly slippery. It didn’t phase Johnson, who was delighted with the car and the way it tracked.

Said Jimmie, “The overall experience has been awesome today. We learned a lot, I was able to get up to speed – put down some really fast lap times. And being at a track I’ve raced at in the past, I think, was helpful. And the laps I ran today helped me piece together the similarities that exist between IndyCar and NASCAR, and there certainly are some differences that I was able to grasp today as well.”

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left to right, Franchitti, Johnson, Dixon and Kanaan
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“Today is my first step toward racing in an Indy 500 or potentially on ovals. More test sessions on track are needed before I can make a decision, certainly more conversations with my family, with Chip, with our sponsors. There are a lot of moving pieces to this, but I’m just very thankful to the team for identifying dates and saying, ‘Hey, let’s go get you laps, see what you think,’ and then we’ll know from here once I’ve had a day or two to digest it, what that next step might be and do we go to another oval and try to get more experience working toward a race someday down the road.”

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We suspect he will be out on another oval, soon.

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Romain Grosjean goes to Andretti Autosport in 2022…

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A big piece of the Silly Season pie was baked today as Racer magazine concluded that the exciting rookie from Formula One will make the move in 2022 from Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing to the Andretti stable, replacing Ryan Hunter-Reay in the # 28 Honda.

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Grosjean has had an incredible year, starting with his frightening accident at Bahrain in late 2020, while driving Formula One for Haas F1. Romain emerged from the fiery crash with burned hands that still bear the scars of his near-death experience.

After the crash Grosjean decided to break from Formula One and try IndyCar, getting the ride from Dale Coyne before the start of the 2021 season. He has been great fun to watch and was productive right away, showing the speed and aggression that he used to dominate GP2 before he went to Formula One, many years ago.

His best race early on was at Indianapolis, for the GMR Grand Prix on the Road Course, where he took pole and then came home P2. He repeated the P2 at Indianapolis later this season for the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix, again on the Road Course.

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Grosjean has quickly become one of the most popular drivers in the series, due to his full embrace of IndyCar and the IndyCar culture, with a much closer fan base, a much friendlier paddock and the real chance to WIN races again, with his obvious talent - something lacking in the Formula One world for him on one of the lesser teams.

His one deficit as a series driver has been a reluctance to drive on ovals, but he finally drove on the oval at Gateway, last month, and found them completely do-able, after all, starting 14th and ending 14th, with a lot of movement in between to the front and then to the rear, with an ill-timed yellow for him. Most importantly, he now seems open to doing the Indy 500 in 2022, though he hasn’t yet confirmed that. Now, as an Andretti driver, it is highly likely.

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We wait for the official announcement.

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IndyCar driver Graham Rahal steps it up, bigtime, today…

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Graham is also the owner of Ducati Indianapolis, the only Ducati motorcycle dealership in Indiana. Today Graham sent out this tweet:

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Simply outstanding, Graham! Anyone who has been contemplating purchasing one of these great Italian monsters should be there and WE THANK YOU and Graham.

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Graham Rahal
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Oliver will get his shot in the # 45 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan…

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Announced today, 2019 Indy Lights Champion Oliver Askew will drive the RLL Hy-Vee Honda for the last three races of the 2021 season - Portland, Laguna Seca and Long Beach.

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Askew is the 3rd driver that RLL will evaluate in the car with an eye towards putting someone in it full time in 2022. Santino Ferrucci has had 5 outings in the car in 2021, earning four TOP TENS along the way, including a terrific P6 at Indianapolis - the best for the team. Two weeks ago, Christian Lundgaard had a shot in the car at Indianapolis on the Road Course and ran as high as P4, but ended the day P12 in his IndyCar debut.

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Said Oliver, “It’s fantastic opportunity to run the final three races of the season with such a capable team in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. We had a very productive test together a few weeks ago at Barber and I’m excited to drive the team’s car again, this time in Hy-Vee colors in one of the most competitive racing environments the world has ever seen. I believe we can put together a great string of results and I’m excited to get to work.”

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We will be excited to see him work. Good luck, Oliver!

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Juncos Hollinger Racing finds a driver for their 2021 debut at Portland…

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When Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger created Juncos Hollinger Racing last month, their first announcement was that they would field a Chevrolet-powered IndyCar for the last three races of 2021, to set up a full season of racing in 2022.

Today, they named Formula 2 2020 Vice-Champion Callum Ilott as the pilot of the # 77 Chevy at the next race at Portland.

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Ricardo Juncos (left) and Callum Illott
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After his 2020 season of Formula 2, with with five poles, three WINS, and six podiums, Callum became an Alfa Romeo Formula 1 reserve driver and Scuderia Ferrari F1 test driver. He just competed in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans and took a P3 with the Iron Lynx team, in a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.

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Said Callum, “I am pleased and excited to be announcing I will be racing with Juncos Hollinger Racing at Portland. This will be my first time in the NTT IndyCar Series and running in the United States, which will be a bit of a change from running on the European side.

“I am looking forward to working with the team during this first phase of their development. I would like to thank the Ferrari Driver Academy for allowing me to take this opportunity and for Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger for bringing me on board the team.”

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So far, this is a one-and-done deal for Callum, but who knows where it might lead?
Good luck, and have FUN!

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