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

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Road to Indy news catch-up…(part 3)…

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Billy Frazer will not be the only Kiwi on the Exclusive Autosport USF2000 squad for 2022, as they have announced that 16-year-old Jacob Douglas will drive the team’s # 90 JDM Properties Tatuus USF-22.

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Jacob Douglas

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Jacob started in karts at the age of 8. By the age of 15, Douglas was a four-time New Zealand karting champion and was the first-ever NZ karting driver to be selected by the FIA CIK Karting World Academy Championship. In 2021, Jacob moved to formula cars in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship where he finished sixth in the championship and received the South Island Rookie of the Year.

Said Douglas, “I feel really pleased about joining Exclusive Autosport in 2022. Throughout all of our testing so far, the team has been very welcoming and very professional. I look forward to the upcoming season with them and strongly hope to continue with them in years to come. I appreciate that in 2022 I have a steep learning curve to adapt to racing the USF2000 cars and the Road to Indy program, but I am excited to get going. It has been a big journey already just to get on the grid so I would like to thank all of my partners back in New Zealand that made this happen and I hope to see some of them over at my races this year.”

Douglas joins Billy Frazer on the USF2000 squad while the team’s Indy Pro 2000 squad has exciting rookie Louis Foster and talented sophomore Christian Brooks. Both classes should do well - likely very well.

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Joe Dooling Racing has announced that Trey Burke will stay with the small team for his sophomore season in USF2000. The 18-year-old was the 2021 USF2000 Hard Charger Award winner.

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Trey Burke

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Said Joe Dooling, “Trey is one of those drivers that has a good head on his shoulders and is a fierce competitor. A second year in our USF program will do wonders for his confidence and his results. We have surrounded him with all the right people to continue his upward progression and look forward to watching him grow both on and off the racetrack.”

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About those people helping him, Trey said, “Around the midpoint of last season, Jeff Sinden began putting together a very competitive team starting with driver coach Sage Karam, engineer Matt Curry, who highly recommended the very experienced Joey Vallone. One of our most exciting and most recent addition is crew chief Bryce Cummings. Surrounded with this very competitive team, I can’t wait to get started in St. Pete.”

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Indeed, with Sage Karam coaching him and Bryce Cummings and Matt Curry on the wall, Burke has a great team. It will be fun to see the results.

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Jay Howard Driver Development’s USF2000 squad is the spot for VERY young talent, this season. They already have signed Evagoras Papasavvas, who is not quite 14 years old, and now have signed National Level Karter Danny Dyszelski, who is also not yet 14. Both drivers will NOT be able to start their seasons until they turn 14. For Dyszelski that will be in April for Rounds 3 and 4.

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Danny Dyszelski

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2021 saw Dyszelski secure the KA Juniors class championship in the Stars Championship Series in addition to grabbing a K100 Junior class win against a strong field at the Carolina Grand Prix in October. While new to the USF2000 team, Dyszelski is no stranger to team owner Jay Howard, who began working with the driver in his early karting days.

Said Jay, I am super excited to have Danny join the team. I started with Danny back in cadet kart racing, and now to help him transition to cars and have him on our development team is amazing. He’s shown great pace in preseason testing so far.”

“He’s young and like a sponge right now, so this year will be all about learning the tracks, understanding how car racing works at this high level, and preparing with 2023 in the back of our minds. The mission will be to complete as many laps as possible.”

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Danny’s new teammate Evagoras Papasavvas, was also scheduled to start in April but a recent karting injury has set him back, even further. He will need a surgery that will keep him out of the racing until May, when the series goes to Lucas Oil Raceway.

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Jay Howard (left) and Evagoras Papasavvas

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Breaking late!..Mac Clark to drive for DEForce Racing in USF Juniors for 2022…

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Just announced a few hours ago, The young Canadian who drove splendidly for DEForce at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in October will become the 3rd driver on the new USF Juniors squad, alongside already announced Maxwell Jamieson and Jake Bonilla.

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Mac Clark

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Clark was one of the stars of the Chris Griffis, driving in the USF2000 class. He took 2 P5s, 2 P3s, a P2 and a P1 in the 1st practice - the rain practice. Nothing outside of the TOP FIVE is simply outstanding.

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Said Mac, “I’m super excited to be joining DEForce Racing. Beinga championship team, they have the tools for me to make strides, both io and off the race track. We are 100% focused on taking home the USF Juniors Championship.”

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With talent of this caliber, they have a great shot at taking the inaugural title trophy.

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It’s about damn time!..Linus Lundqvist is CONFIRMED for Indy Lights in 2022…

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…but instead of taking his sophomore swing from Global Racing Group, Linus will be driving for the HMD Motorsports squad, beside Danial Frost and Christian Bogle.

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Linus Lundqvist

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Linus battled hard as a rookie in 2021, coming off a Championship in Formula Regional Americas in 2020, driving for Global in that series. In 2021 he was up against two great stars in eventual Champion Kyle Kirkwood and Vice-Champion David Malukas, but was clearly the “best of the rest”, as they say, with 3 WINS and 11 podiums in his rookie run.

Now, he would usually be considered the shoo-in title contender for 2022, but his now semi-teammate at GRG w/ HMD Motorsports Benjamin Pedersen is so improved and Andretti driver Sting Ray Robb is also so improved that it is once again a three-way tie for the likely championship, as it stands right now. We will know more after the season starts and the real racing begins.

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Said Linus, “I’m super happy and very excited to be back for another year in Indy Lights together with HMD.

“First off, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has made this possible – to my sponsors and partners, and everyone who’s been supporting me.

“It’s great to be back with people that I know, and a car that I know. We had a strong season last year, but we want more – we are back to try and win the championship. I am confident that we can do it, and very excited to get going in just a few weeks’ time!”

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A d’Orlando is coming to the Road to Indy in 2022…

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No, not Michael d’Orlando. He was already in the Road to Indy as the Vice-Champion of USF2000 in 2021 and was recently CONFIRMED to return to Cape Motorsports for another shot at the title in 2022. We are talking about Nichlas d’Orlando - Mike’s younger brother. Nicholas is the 2021 Champion of FRP 1600 and has just announced that he will drive for DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports in USF Juniors for 2022.

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The d’Orlando brothers - Michael on the left and Nicholas on the right

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Nicholas ,17, joins the DCA w/ CM team following an outstanding season in the 2021 FRP F1600 Championship, his first full season in race cars after a stellar karting career. The Hartsdale, New York native set a new record for WINS (12) and scored 19 TOP FIVE finishes, four pole positions and set 10 Fastest Laps in 24 races to capture the series title.

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Said Nicholas, “Last year was a good experience. We had 24 races, so we had tons of track time. That was ideal for me, as it was my first experience in a car. It was a good way for up-and-coming drivers to learn so they could move up to a series like the Road to Indy. And I’m looking forward to sharing the track with Michael at Barber – it will be nice for my parents as well! But at the very least, it will be good to have us both in similar programs, like we were during our karting days. We can support each other and learn from each other, being on the same consistent page.”

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Nicholas is the 9th CONFIRM for the new USF Juniors series. He drove for Cape Motorsports at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in late October, with a best finish of a P4 in their Tatuus USF-17.

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Two exciting CONFIRMS for the Indy Pro 2000 2022 season…

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We can now report that England’s Enaam Ahmed will run the whole Indy Pro 2000 2022 season with the IP2K king-makers at Juncos Hollinger Racing, joining already-CONFIRMED Reece Gold.

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Enaam Ahmed

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Ahmed first joined Juncos Hollinger Racing for the season finale of the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 Championship at Mid-Ohio . The British Pakistani almost WON the final race of the season. Having led for some time, he had to settle for second place, but surely impressed Ricardo Juncos. Ahmed competed in the first three events of the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 Championship earning four top-five finishes, while driving for RP Motorsport USA. In between those races and the finale Enaam was seeking funding to continue racing in the States. It appears he was able to secure a full season of sponsorship, and that is GREAT news for race fans.

Said Enaam, “I am very motivated for the new Indy Pro 2000 season, which will be my first full season since 2018, so to be joining such a focused professional team as Juncos Hollinger Racing this year could not be better.

“I am looking forward to racing with Juncos Hollinger Racing this year. Ricardo Juncos has been a massive supporter of mine since we met last year and I really love driving for him!”

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Also CONFIRMED today was another Brit, Matt Round-Garrido, who drove a sophomore season in USF2000 for Exclusive Autosport in 2021, but will move up to their Indy Pro 2000 squad in 2022. Matt, like Enaam, has always battled for the bucks as much as the competition on track, trying to find the sponsors necessary to run a full season. It looks like at the moment he has them.

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Matt Round-Garrido

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Said Matt, “I’m very thankful to Michael Duncalfe, Corpay, Indigo Medical, Excel Labels, and every other individual behind the scenes for this massive opportunity to step up to the Indy Pro 2000 category in 2022. Indy Pro 2000 is a category where the drivers and teams are all functioning on an extremely high level, so it’s exactly what I want as far as my development as a driver is concerned. Last year was full of highs and lows for myself but mainly full of potential, which alongside the ability of these guys to produce me a fast race car, made it a no-brainer as to who I wanted to drive with. I’m sure the #92 car will be a rocket ship this season and it’s my job to be able to unlock the potential. I can’t wait to get started in St Petersburg at the end of February!”

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Matt drove in an IP2K car for EA at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test last October and scored both a P5 and a P2. He joins already-CONFIRMED fellow rookies Christian Brooks and Louis Foster. This is a STOUT squad.

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It’s Monday, It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s the first day of Spring Training!..

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Every year about this time the Road to Indy Shows up at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Southern Florida to hold Spring Training, where all the CONFIRMED and soon to be confirmed drivers get their first chance to show their state of readiness for the very close beginning of the season.

This year the Indy Lights are no longer a part of the Road to Indy, and won’t be there, but added in will be USF Juniors, joining USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000. There will be 5 sessions for IP2k, 4 sessions for USF2000 and USF Juniors will get an actual race, for which they will both practice and qualify.

Today, USF2000 held all four of their sessions and we have the results here, in order:

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

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1 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports - time of 1**:23.893s**

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2 - Jagger Jones (R) Cape Motorsports - time of 1:23.927s

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3 - Thomas Nepveu, DEForce Racing - time of 1:24.224s

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4 - Jacob Douglas (R) Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:24.364s

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5 - Billy Frazer, Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:24.375s

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6 - Christian Weir, Turn 3 Motorsport
7 - Bijoy Garg, Stanford, DEForce Racing
8 - Spike Kohlbecker, Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport
9 - Nicky Hays (R) Cape Motorsports
10 - Jorge Garciarce [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

11 - Viktor Andersson (R) Velocity Racing Development
12 - Yeoroo Lee (R) Jay Howard Driver Development
13 - Jackson Lee, Cape Motorsports
14 - Frederik Lund (R) Jay Howard Driver Development
15 - Dylan Christie, DEForce Racing
16 - Myles Rowe, Pabst Racing - no time
17 - Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing - no time
18 - Trey Burke, Joe Dooling Autosports - no time

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Notable:

• Not yet CONFIRMED but here are Myles Rowe, Jace Denmark and Jorge Garciarce. CONFIRMED yesterday was Nicky Hays for Cape Motorsports.

• Myles Rowe, Jace Denmark and Trey Burke all put in no time for this session.

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continued…

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[MarkyS]

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It’s Monday, It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s the first day of Spring Training!..(part 2)…

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Here was the order of speed for USF2000, T-2 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Nicky Hays (R) Cape Motorsports - time of 1:24.640s

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2 - Spike Kohlbecker, Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport - time of 1:24.765s

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3 - Christian Weir, Turn 3 Motorsport - time of 1:24.844s

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4 - Bijoy Garg, Stanford, DEForce Racing - time of 1:24.973s

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5 - Jacob Douglas (R) Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:25.002s

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6 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports
7 - Jagger Jones (R) Cape Motorsports
8 - Thomas Nepveu, DEForce Racing
9 - Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing
10 - Myles Rowe, Pabst Racing

11 - Billy Frazer, Exclusive Autosport
12 - Dylan Christie, DEForce Racing
13 - Jorge Garciarce [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
14 - Viktor Andersson (R) Velocity Racing Development
15 - Jackson Lee, Cape Motorsports
16 - Yeoroo Lee (R) Jay Howard Driver Development
17 - Frederik Lund (R) Jay Howard Driver Development
18 - Trey Burke, Joe Dooling Autosports - no time

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Notable:

• Nicky Hays was just announced as CONFIRMED for Cape Motorsports on Sunday. The 20-year-old Californian placed 3rd in French F4 in 2019 and 4th in FR Americas in 2020.

• Trey Burke has still not turned a wheel in anger, and the day is half over.

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Continued…

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It’s Monday, It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s the first day of Spring Training!..(part 3)…

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Because of a technical glitch, the order for the T-3 session for USF2000 has not yet been offered, but we do have the results from the T-4 session.

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Here was the order of speed for the USF2000 T-4 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Yeoroo Lee (R) Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:24.341s

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2 - Jorge Garciarce [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:24.618s

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3 - Viktor Andersson (R) Velocity Racing Development - time of 1:24.642s

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4 - Billy Frazer, Exclusive Autosport - time of 1;24.916s

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5 - Thomas Nepveu, DEForce Racing - time of 1;25.029s

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6 - Bijoy Garg, Stanford, DEForce Racing
7 - Jacob Douglas (R) Exclusive Autosport
8 - Dylan Christie, DEForce Racing
9 - Spike Kohlbecker, Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport
10 - Christian Weir, Turn 3 Motorsport

11 - Nicky Hays (R) Cape Motorsports
12 - Jagger Jones (R) Cape Motorsports
13 - Frederik Lund (R) Jay Howard Driver Development
14 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports
15 - Jackson Lee, Cape Motorsports
16 - Myles Rowe, Pabst Racing - no time
17 - Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing - no time
18 - Trey Burke, Joe Dooling Autosports - no time

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Notable:

• Yeoroo Lee was at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test for JHDD last October, but was among the bottom performers. This P-1 is entirely unexpected, but it is helped by the fact that the top performers really didn’t run much in this session.

• Top performers Nicky Hays, Jagger Jones, and Michael d’Orlando only put in 4 laps, as did Jackson Lee.

• Once again, Myles Rowe, Jace Denmark and Trey Burke put in no time.

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Monday at Homestead-Miami Speedway - Indy Pro 2000 begins their testing…

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Indy Pro 2000 put in 2 of the 5 scheduled tests they have for Spring Training, salted in between the gang from USF2000. We have those 2 test sessions here, in order.

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

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1 - Wyatt Brichacek, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:20.250s

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2 - Braden Eves, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:20.395s

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3 - Louis Foster [R] Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:20.410s

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4 - Christian Brooks [R] Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:20.596s

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5 - Nolan Siegel [R] DEForce Racing - time of 1:20.804s

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6 - Reece Gold, Juncos Hollinger Racing
7 - Josh Green [R] Turn 3 Motorsport
8 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport
9 - Kiko Porto [R] DEForce Racing
10 - Salvador de Alba [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

11 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
12 - Jonathan Browne [R] Turn 3 Motorsport
13 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R] Pabst Racing
14 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
15 - Enaam Ahmed, Juncos Hollinger Racing
16 - Jordan Missig [R] Pabst Racing - no time

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Notable:

• The TOP FIVE are all great performers, but Wyatt is usually great only in testing. His race performance is never this good. Perhaps he’s ready to change that.

• There are really no hamburgers in this field. Indy Pro 2000 is always a case of very good drivers throughout the field. Some are simply better than others, but only by fractions of a second. Virtually the entire field is capable of podiums and they have proved that in other series.

• Driving today are veteran Colin Kaminsky and rookie Salvador de Alba. Both are not yet CONFIRMED.

• Jordan Missig put in no time in this session.

Jordan Missig

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Continued…
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Monday at Homestead-Miami Speedway - Indy Pro 2000 begins their testing…

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Pro 2000 T-2 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Louis Foster [R] Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:20.997s

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2 - Christian Brooks [R] Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:21.311s

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3 - Reece Gold, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 1:21.419s

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4 - Wyatt Brichacek, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:21.545s

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5 - Enaam Ahmed, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 1:21.675s

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6 - Braden Eves, Jay Howard Driver Development
7 - Kiko Porto [R] DEForce Racing
8 - Nolan Siegel [R] DEForce Racing
9 - Salvador de Alba [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
10 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport

11 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
12 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
13 - Jonathan Browne [R] Turn 3 Motorsport
14 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R] Pabst Racing
15 - Jordan Missig [R] Pabst Racing

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Notable:

• Louis Foster is demonstrating why he is one of the most highly anticipated drivers in the series in 2022. He is an immediate threat to take the title. We expect to see him in the TOP FIVE all season long.

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Tomorrow, the kids from USF Juniors will take to the track for a practice, followed by a qualifying session and ending the day in a race. Indy Pro 2000 will do their final three tests, in between the Juniors.

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Tuesday at Homestead Miami Speedway - Indy Pro 2000 wraps up Spring Training…

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On Monday the IP2K gang held two of their five sessions. Today they completed the other three, although most of the cars bowed out of Session 5. We have the results of all three sessions.

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Pro 2000 T-3 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Wyatt Brichacek, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:20.561s

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2 - Braden Eves, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:20.702s

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3 - Reece Gold, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 1:20.712s

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4 - Enaam Ahmed, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 1:20.837s

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5 - Nolan Siegel [R] DEForce Racing - time of 1:20.975s

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6 - Salvador de Alba [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
7 - Louis Foster [R] Exclusive Autosport
8 - Jonathan Browne [R] Turn 3 Motorsport
9 - Kiko Porto [R] DEForce Racing
10 - Josh Green [R] Turn 3 Motorsport

11 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing
12 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
13 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R] Pabst Racing
14 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport
15 - Jordan Missig [R] Pabst Racing
16 - Christian Brooks [R] Exclusive Autosport - no time

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Notable:

• This is the 2nd TOP TIME for Wyatt Brichacek in the testing, but he was also outstanding last year in Spring Training and then fell on his face for the season, relative to that. We want to believe in Wyatt, but we will need the evidence of a few races, first.

• Nolan Siegel and Reece Gold are both paired with outstanding teammates, and yet they are both asserting their own dominance on their teams. The inter-team rivalries will be great fun to watch this season.

• Christian Brooks put in no time for Exclusive Autosport

Christian Brooks

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Continued…

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Tuesday at Homestead Miami Speedway - Indy Pro 2000 wraps up Spring Training…(part 2)…

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A few drivers decided to bow of of Session T-4 and one of them was Wyatt Brichacek, so we will never know if he could have taken TOP TIME for the 3rd time.

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Here was the order of speed for Indy Pro 2000, T-4 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Braden Eves, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:21.068s

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2 - Enaam Ahmed, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 1:21.136s

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3 - Reece Gold, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 1:21.139s

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4 - Nolan Siegel [R] DEForce Racing - time of 1:21.402s

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5 - Louis Foster [R] Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:21.429s

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6 - Christian Brooks [R] Exclusive Autosport
7 - Kiko Porto [R] DEForce Racing
8 - Josh Green [R] Turn 3 Motorsport
9 - Salvador de Alba [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
10 - Jonathan Browne [R] Turn 3 Motorsport

11 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
12 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport
13 - Wyatt Brichacek, Jay Howard Driver Development - no time
14 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R] Pabst Racing - no time
15 - Jordan Missig [R] Pabst Racing - no time
16 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - no time

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Notable:

• The session was at the heat of the day and was the slowest of the 4 sessions, thus far, marginally. Still, the fastest guys remain the fastest guys.

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Continued…

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Tuesday at Homestead Miami Speedway - Indy Pro 2000 wraps up Spring Training…(part 3)…

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The last session of the day was a bust, with only 4 drivers going out, and they put in 7 laps or less each, so it represents nothing. Most teams figured they already had the data they needed to start the season in St. Petersburg, next week, so why waste good tires?

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Pro 2000 T-5 session, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Louis Foster [R] Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:21.997S

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2 - Nolan Siegel [R] DEForce Racing - time of 1:22.745S

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3 - Matt Round-Garrido, Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:22.818S

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4 - Kiko Porto [R] DEForce Racing - time of 1:23.522s

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Notable:

• Both DEForce Racing and Exclusive Autosport have shown in the past a willingness to take advantage of every opportunity to learn something. They probably learned that they were NOT going to better their earlier times, and they didn’t. This was the slowest session.

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Next up for Indy Pro 2000 is the season opener at St. Petersburg, a week from this Friday. By then, all the teams will have made their final decisions about who will be driving for the rest of the season.

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USF2000 results from their T-3 session…

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The Road to Indy had a technical glitch on Monday that prevented them from presenting the results of the 3rd of 4 sessions for USF2000, but they have finally come up with the session data, and we have it here.

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Here was the order of speed for the USF2000 T-3 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing - time of 1:24.439s

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2 - Spike Kohlbecker, Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport - time of 1:24.586s

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3 - Jorge Garciarce [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 1:24.653s

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4 - Billy Frazer, Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:24.754s

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5 - Myles Rowe, Pabst Racing - time of 1:24.757s

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6 - Jacob Douglas (R) Exclusive Autosport
7 - Yeoroo Lee (R) Jay Howard Driver Development
8 - Viktor Andersson (R) Velocity Racing Development
9 - Christian Weir, Turn 3 Motorsport
10 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports

11 - Jagger Jones (R) Cape Motorsports
12 - Frederik Lund (R) Jay Howard Driver Development
13 - Jackson Lee, Cape Motorsports
14 - Nicky Hays (R) Cape Motorsports
15 - Dylan Christie, DEForce Racing
16 - Bijoy Garg, Stanford, DEForce Racing
17 - Thomas Nepveu, DEForce Racing
18 - Trey Burke, Joe Dooling Autosports - no time

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Notable:

• Jace Denmark was one of the series delights last season, so we aren’t particularly surprised by this great showing. He didn’t run in the T-1 session or the T-4 session and was clearly warming up in T-2, so this is representative of what he can do.

• We are still trying to find out all we can about last-minute Jay Howard driver Jorge Garciarce. We know only that he has run in NACAM F4 with some success, as well as F4 Spain and Italian F4. If he starts the season for JHDD at St. Petersburg we will ferret out more on him.

• Myles Rowe was also a last minute add to Pabst Racing’s squad and we hope it will be for the season. Myles surprised everyone with an outstanding rain race WIN last season and was still unceremoniously dropped by Force Indy when they decided to go to Indy Lights with Ernie Francis, Jr. as their pilot instead of stay in USF2000 with Myles. This result shows that Myles is also good in the dry.

• Bijoy Garg only put in 1 lap and Thomas Nepveu only put in 2 - probably installation laps on new engines. Otherwise, both wouldn’t be in the cellar. Trey Burke AGAIN had no lap time. This is devastating for Trey, who desperately needs lap time. He should have stayed home for the two days, instead of show up for the disappointment.

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Left to right, Bijoy Garg, Thomas Nepveu and Trey Burke

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The same glitch that had this information come in late has also left us without any USF Juniors information from Tuesday. We will either wait for the Road to Indy to provide updated information or we will seek whatever we can get elsewhere.

In any case, if and when we get some, we will present it.

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.That’s a wrap on Spring Training 2022, for USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000. Like IP2k, The USF 2000 gang will next appear at St. Petersburg, a week from Friday, for the start of the 2022 season and in support of the IndyCars.

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[MarkyS]

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Voices from Homestead-Miami…

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We have a few quick vids from some of the participants at Spring Training on Monday and Tuesday, beginning with Myles Rowe for Pabst Racing in USF2000:

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USF2000 Series

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Here is Reece Gold from Juncos Hollinger’s Indy Pro 2000 squad…:

USF Pro 2000

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…and here is Nolan Siegel from DEForce Racing’s IP2K squad:

USF Pro 2000

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M

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[MarkyS]

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IndyCars at Sebring for two days of testing…

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While we were watching Spring Training for the Road to Indy at Homestead-Miami Speedway, several IndyCars - about 3/4ths of the 2022 field - were doing their last test on Sebring International’s Club Course, or “short course” before the season starts, next weekend.

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Sebring’s Short Course, between turns 3 and 13B.

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The test was “unofficial,” so no times were recorded by the series, but with the help of several professional fence-sitters who were present, we have the approximate times for the two days of testing here:

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Here was the order of speed for DAY 1 of the IndyCar test at Sebring, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 51.851s

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2 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports - time of 51.858s

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3 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport - time of 52.021s

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4 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 52.059s

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5 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 52.211s

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6 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
7 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
8 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
9 - Scott McLaughlin [R], Team Penske
10 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

11 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan
12 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
13 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Autosport
14 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
15 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Racing
16 - Tatiana Calderon [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
17 - Kevin Magnussen [R], Chip Ganassi Racing

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Notable:

• Romain Grosjean was TOP DAWG for most of the day but Colton and David Malukas stole his thunder late in the afternoon. David was only 0.007 seconds off Herta’s time. We knew David was good but do we have a wunderkind in our midst?

• Kevin Magnussen was being evaluated and took over Champion Alex Palou’s CGR car for the day. Alex and his teammates drove on Tuesday, instead.

• The entire field - including Magnussen - were within 1 second of each other.

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Kevin Magnussen gets a shot

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HOT SHOE for the day, Colton Herta

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They did it again on Tuesday, but with the Meyer Shank Racing duo, the Ed Carpenter Racing full-timers and Takuma Sato for Dale Coyne joining the fun, along with all four of the Chip Ganassi regular guys.
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continued…

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M

[MarkyS]

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IndyCars at Sebring for two days of testing…(part 2)…]

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Tuesday at Sebring saw some of Monday’s driver elect not to run while others who missed Monday were present Tuesday, so effectively, virtually every 2022 IndyCar driver was at Sebring on one day or the other or both.

The weather was dry but windy on Tuesday, so times were slightly off the 51-second runs of Colton Herta and David Malukas on Monday.

Again, times are unofficial:

Here was the order of speed of the IndyCar test at Sebring, DAY 2, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 52.113s

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2 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 52.194s

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3 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 52.210s

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4 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 52.269s

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5 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises - time of 52.338s

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6 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
7 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
8 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Racing
10 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports

11 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
12 - Jimmie Johnson [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
13 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
14 - Tatiana Calderon [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Missing are the guys from Andretti, Team Penske, Arrow McLaren and Rahal Letterman Lanigan, so comparisons to Monday are pretty much useless. Still, the Meyer Shank guys were clearly the best of the rest and their times are excellent, considering the windy conditions.

• Pagenaud and Castroneves are coming off the WIN of the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the MSR Acura ARX-04 DPi, so they are already seasoned performers on the year.

• The entire field was covered by less than a second, once again.

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Simon Pagenaud - best of the rest

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The next outing for the IndyCars will be the season opener at St. Petersburg, not this coming weekend, but the next. Support will come from Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000.

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[MarkyS]

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Comments from Sebring!..

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Several IndyCar drivers testing at Sebring on Monday and Tuesday took a moment to comment on their day and the upcoming season, and we have a few here:

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Pato O’Ward

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Kyle Kirkwood

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Scott McLaughlin

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Marcus Ericsson

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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David Malukas

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Conor Daly

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Callum Ilott

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Alex Palou

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Thanks, guys!

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M

[MarkyS]

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He’s IN!..Marco Andretti will drive in the 106th Indy 500 for Andretti Autosport…

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…and sponsored by KULR Technology Group, a high-tech thermal management company that is involved with space flight. This is clearly one of the business-to-business sponsorships that dominate in the IndyCar series.

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This will be Marco’s 250th IndyCar start and 17th Indy 500. Andretti has been a top performer at the Speedway, with eight TOP TEN finishes and four podiums, additionally earning the Indianapolis 500 pole position in 2020. He will drive the # 98 Honda.

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Good luck, Marco!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Nikita Johnson WINS the YACademy Winter Series Championship…

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Former Indy Lights driver Gustavo Yacaman is now the manager of the Road to Indy’s USF Juniors series. Yacaman also leads the YACademy Winter Series, a highly regarded training ground for drivers looking to make the move from karts to cars. Most of the drivers looking to be in the inaugural USF Juniors season of 2022 drove in the YACademy Winter series, as a sort of “pre-season” race season for the Juniors. That series held its final three of five seasonal races at Homestead-Miami Speedway last Tuesday and Wednesday, during the Road to Indy’s Spring Training. After the smoke cleared Nikita Johnson for Velocity Racing Development took the 2021-2022 title.

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Gustavo Yacaman (left) with Nikita Johnson

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Johnson WON both the series’ first two races at Sebring International Raceway the week before and came to Homestead-Miami with the points lead. On Tuesday of Spring Training it was Nikita’s teammate Noah Ping who took Season Round 3 of the series, with Johnson coming in P2, while Ellis Spiezia for DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports was 3rd. Johnson pulled down Fastest Lap of the race.

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The YACademy Winter Series gang on the Homestead Speedway

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On Wednesday morning the podium for Season Round 4 was P1 for Elliot Cox for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, P2 to David Burketh for Future Star Racing and P3 went to Alan Isambard for International Motorsport. The WIN for Cox was the first in single-seaters for SFHR since Ed Carpenter WON in IndyCar in 2011. Johnson had a mechanical early in the race and DNF’d.

In the season finale on Wednesday afternoon Johnson WON for VRD while P2 went to VRD teammate Sam Corry and P3 went to VRD’s Noah Ping, for a team shut-out of the podium. Johnson again took Fastest Lap, as well. With the WIN Nikita took the series title, with 111 points over Noah’s 95 points.

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Nikita Johnson in his Ligier Honda for Velocity Racing Development

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The next outings for USF Juniors drivers will be a series test at Barber Motorsports Park, March 21-22 - their Spring Training. The series will begin racing at the new Ozarks International Raceway, April 22-24.

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