Evagoras Papasavvas scored a narrow USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory for Jay Howard Driver Development following a thrilling climax to Friday afternoon’s opening leg of the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio tripleheader. The 15-year-old …
Evagoras Papasavvas scored a narrow USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory for Jay Howard Driver Development following a thrilling climax to Friday afternoon’s opening leg of the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio tripleheader. The 15-year-old from Loveland, Ohio, came under intense pressure from title contender Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing), from Augusta, Ga., and even lost his lead momentarily on the final lap before securing his first-ever car racing win by a third of a second.
Sikes’ eighth podium finish of the season allowed him to regain the championship lead from Papasavvas’ teammate, Lochie Hughes, from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, who finished fourth behind Canadian Mac Clark (DEForce Racing).
It was Sikes who had set the pace during the pair of test sessions on Thursday as well as official practice earlier this morning. In the waning moments of the lone qualifying session, however, Papasavvas stepped up his game to edge Sikes and claim the first Cooper Tires Pole Award of his young career. That was the good news. The bad news was that Papasavvas inadvertently missed the checkered flag and completed an extra lap before returning to the pit lane. The error brought an automatic penalty of two grid positions and led to him lining up third in the starting order behind title contender Sikes and Ethan Ho, from Los Angeles, Calif., who recorded his best-ever qualifying result for DC Autosport.
A determined Papasavvas lost no time in regaining that ground. He scythed past Ho at the first corner, then raced wheel-to-wheel with Sikes through the Keyhole and along the length of the main straightaway before slipping through into the lead at Turn 4.
A couple of caution periods punctuated the first half of the 20-lap race, and Papasavvas had his work cut out to keep Sikes at bay following the final restart with nine laps in the books.
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Sikes poked his nose alongside Papasavvas a couple of times in the closing stages, and on the final lap he appeared to have turned the tables when he edged ahead at Turn 4. But Sikes slid a little wide at the exit which allowed Papasavvas one last chance to reclaim the advantage. Side by side they raced over the crest at Turn 5, whereupon it was Papasavvas who had the preferred line into the next right-hander at Turn 6, and he was back into the lead.
There was no further recourse available to Sikes, who had to be content with second. Clark and Hughes also were in close attendance at the checkered flag, while one of the drives of the race was produced by another 15-year-old, Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), from Gulfport, Fla., who slipped from sixth to 18th in the early skirmishes before scything through to an impressive fifth at the finish.
“I don’t have any words,” Papasavvas said. “The entire race, I was on it. I couldn’t make a mistake every single lap and that is what I love about racing. You have to be on the limit absolutely every lap. It is such a way to win and against competition like this, it is really something else. And at a level like this, with IndyCar here and all the fans, it’s great. I am really thankful for God and everyone who supports me and helps me and works as hard as I do.”
Ho followed in sixth, well clear of Sam Corry (VRD Racing), from Cornelius, N.C., and Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing), from Guadalajara, Mexico.
Former F1600 champion Thomas Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio, showed excellent speed in testing on his USF2000 debut with Exclusive Autosport, only to be forced to start at the tail of the field following an alternator failure in qualifying. Schrage vaulted from 22nd to 15th on the opening lap and eventually crossed the line in 13th to claim the Tilton Hard Charger Award.
Papasavvas’s victory secured a fifth PFC Award of the season for Jay Howard as the winning car owner.
Two more races will complete the event Saturday with the green flags set for 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EDT.
Last year’s polesitter at Mid-Ohio, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, was comfortably faster than his nearest pursuers in opening practice for the Honda Indy 200, ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and Marcus Ericsson. Unlike his fellow …
Last year’s polesitter at Mid-Ohio, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, was comfortably faster than his nearest pursuers in opening practice for the Honda Indy 200, ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and Marcus Ericsson.
Unlike his fellow established aces, two-time Mid-Ohio winner Josef Newgarden went out early with the rookies in this 75-minute session, and on his fifth of six laps, he produced a 1m07.3573s effort in his Team Penske-Chevrolet. That’s an average of 120.682mph around the 2.258-mile 13-turn road course in Lexington, OH.
After 15 minutes, other race winners hit the track, and it was Felix Rosenqvist of Arrow McLaren-Chevy who first displaced Newgarden, albeit by just 0.0324s. Defending series champion Will Power had just moved into second when Helio Castroneves spun off exiting Turn 5 and into Turn 6 and stalled on the grass, bringing out the red flag with 49mins still to go.
After the session restarted, the dominant points leader, 2021 champion Alex Palou, hit top spot with a 1m07.3073s in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda, while Scott McLaughlin ensured all three Penske drivers were in the top five.
But with 25 minutes to go, it was Christian Lundgaard who vaulted into top spot with a 1m07.2834s on his 17th lap, his Rahal Letterman Lanigan-Honda a hair quicker than Palou in the first and third sectors.
With less a dozen minutes left, the drivers strapped on their Firestone alternate tires, and O’Ward, who had been oversteering entertainingly on primaries, grabbed P1 with a 1m06.4935 — a 122.250mph lap in his Arrow McLaren. Newgarden also improved but was 0.6466s slower, and was knocked down to third by Long Beach winner Kyle Kirkwood in his Andretti Autosport entry.
Then the Ganassi cars of Palou and Marcus Ericsson jumped to second and third, while Lundgaard proved his RLL car was quick on the soft tires, too, by moving up to fourth, while Jack Harvey in his RLL machine also entered the top 10.
Behind O’Ward, Palou, Ericsson and Lundgaard, Andretti Autosport’s Kirkwood and Grosjean were fifth and sixth ahead of Penske’s Newgarden and McLaughlin, while Alexander Rossi survived a scary venture over the Turn 1 exit curbs to take ninth ahead of 2020 Mid-Ohio winner Herta.
Power never got a clear lap while his reds were fresh and ended up 14th. His former title rival Ryan Hunter-Reay, in his second race for Ed Carpenter Racing, was around a quarter-second behind teammate Rinus VeeKay, while rookie Agustin Canapino did a great job to be just one tenth behind Juncos Hollinger Racing teammate Callum Ilott.
UP NEXT: Second practice begins Saturday morning at 9:45am ET.
The competitive nature of the NTT IndyCar Series makes domination by one driver a rare feat – particularly a run like Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou has been on, winning three of the last four races and establishing a sizable early point lead …
The competitive nature of the NTT IndyCar Series makes domination by one driver a rare feat — particularly a run like Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou has been on, winning three of the last four races and establishing a sizable early point lead toward a second IndyCar championship heading into this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Yet while obviously happy with the way things are going, the Spaniard isn’t taking anything for granted.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s dominant, honestly,” he said of his season to date. “I would say that the points that we have now look better than what our races have been. We are just able to maximize everything well. Others, they couldn’t really maximize everything. It still counts. We still have that gap and all those points, which it’s great. But I don’t think it’s dominating. It’s just maximizing.
“I just think that everything is working really good for us now. I feel like we were as strong as we are now at the beginning of the season, but we had some ups and downs during the races. Long Beach was a clear example where we were running in the top four, got caught up on an accident, dropped back to 15th and still finished P5.
“Momentum in motorsports matters a lot for driver confidence, team confidence, mechanic confidence. Everybody want to get the win, just like you are asking for more and more. It just gets better and better. Hopefully we can keep the wave big or even bigger.”
Palou may have been at the front of the IndyCar pack a lot lately, but he says his results are more about capitalizing on opportunities than dominant performance. Motorsport Images
That wave might seem all the important to Palou given the uncertainty over his future beyond this season, as he continues to explore opportunities to race in Formula 1. However, he says he doesn’t think those decisions hinge on how his 2023 IndyCar season pans out.
“Honestly, I don’t think that by winning more races we will get one seat or the other seat, one seat in F1,” Palou said. “I don’t think getting different results will affect our season for next year.”
Palou emphasized that he felt no pressure to decide what his future plans will be. Asked when thought an announcement might come, he said, “Honestly, I don’t know. That day will come — maybe two months, three, four. I don’t know. Maybe once the season is over, maybe later. We’ll see.”
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The prospect of stepping away from a winning IndyCar seat to one in F1 — like the McLaren he tested in Hungary earlier this month — that is less of a front-runner might seem an odd choice for someone in Palou’s current position, but he says that there are levels of satisfaction to be gained as a driver that are unique to both categories.
“I mean, I would say it’s a different feeling,” he explained. “Obviously everybody wants to win whatever sport you are in. You know that in F1 basically you need to be in one or maximum two teams to be able to win, otherwise you’re fighting just for points or P15, whatever.
“It’s a different mindset. I would just say that the beauty of IndyCar is that everybody can win because you have the same tools as everybody. In F1, maybe the beauty, it’s different. It’s just that you are in the pinnacle of motorsport, you’re developing a car together with a big factory. It’s just a different mentality, I would say. I wouldn’t say there’s more satisfaction in one than the other.”
For now, he’s focusing on the challenge ahead at Mid-Ohio — which could include rain at some points during the weekend.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s going to be tough, honestly, both if we start on wets and then suddenly we have to qualify on drys. The opposite, as well,” Palou admitted. “Unfortunately we don’t really have a lot of practice on the wets, so I think everybody is, let’s say, guessing a little bit both for what the car needs and what the driver needs from a wet setup. Everybody is on the same scenario.
“I remember the Indy GP last year where we started on wets. There were some cars that were a bit more set up for the wet conditions, and they were flying. But as soon as it dried, they started to get slower. Yeah, I think it’s going to be an interesting weekend for sure.”
What: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio / Race 9 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Where: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio – natural-terrain road course When: Sunday, July 2, 1:30pm ET (green flag 1:53pm ET) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which hosts Sunday’s …
What: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio / Race 9 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series
Where: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio – natural-terrain road course
When: Sunday, July 2, 1:30pm ET (green flag 1:53pm ET)
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which hosts Sunday’s Honda Indy 200, provides a thorough workout for the drivers and cars of the NTT IndyCar Series, with several turns that rely heavily on showing the kind of commitment that only comes from huge amounts of bravery and intricate track knowledge.
Turn 1, for instance, requires absolute precision on turn-in. Come from too wide on the front-straight slice toward the apex, and your right-hand wheels will pick up enough track dust that you skitter wide on exit, find more dust, lose momentum and find yourself a sitting duck for your closest pursuer on the long run down to Turn 2. Turn in too early and clip the inside curb, and the car will again be nudged out wide on exit, possibly sending you out beyond the exit curbs.
Retaining maximum velocity through the dip then climb toward the second-gear hairpin of Turn 2 — also known as the Keyhole — is crucial because it’s a heavy braking zone, and there are a variety of lines one can take through there. The asphalt at the apex isn’t always in the rudest of health, and because the Firestone rubber has barely recovered from the longitudinal forces under braking, it can be a real tire shredder when it’s forced to deal with the lateral loads of a hairpin.
If you try and pass the car ahead on the outside, they’re going to leave you in the boonies for as long as possible before turning in, and even then they can run you out of road at the exit. If you dive down the inside, they can pinch you tight to the entry curb, costing you speed…and there’s a very long straight (incorporating the slight kink of Turn 3) that follows immediately afterward.
That second straight is where the race starts (below), and it’s ample for 27 Indy cars — although you wouldn’t guess that when you see the pack brake, change down to second gear, condense, compress and run three-wide into right-hand, 100-degree Turn 4. Oftentimes, some unfortunate souls fall off the edge, right and left.
As IndyCar has proven in recent years, it’s possible to then run two-wide through the uphill left-hand switchback of Turn 5, and downhill right-hand Turn 6 — which you have to get right or the blind turn-in for Turn 7 will be wrong. It’s a similar tale at Turn 8: get it right or it will leave you all wrong for the blind turn-in for Turn 9, where the car goes light and your momentum tries to drag you left and into the dirt. Then it’s the high-speed kink of Turn 10, climbing to the high-commitment, left-hand Turn 11, which will determine if you have it right into the long, neck-pulling right-hand Carousel, Turn 12, from which you can duck into the pitlane or commit to the dash downhill and hard left onto the pit straight.
In short, Mid-Ohio packs a lot into its 13-turn, 2.258-mile course, and the grandstand seating and grass banks offer thrilling viewing spots, whether you want to see Indy cars at maximum velocity, or braking hard and making passes.
Last year at Mid-Ohio, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet looked the most likely winners after qualifying, with Pato O’Ward on pole and Felix Rosenqvist lining up fourth. But both would suffer mechanical failures — Rosenqvist’s early and sudden while running third; O’Ward’s gradually debilitating — which left the door open for front-row starter Scott McLaughlin to claim his second win of the year for Team Penske (below).
The Kiwi was chased home by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou, who’d raced his way from seventh on the grid. But the biggest climber was Will Power. He and the No. 12 Penske had looked the fastest combination until qualifying, when he was docked his two fastest laps for inadvertently blocking his former teammate Helio Castroneves of Meyer Shank Racing-Honda. That consigned Power to 21st on the grid, and he compounded his issue by spinning to the back of the field on the opening lap after backing out of a maneuver he realized was overambitious. From the very back of the field, he climbed all the way to third, giving the lie to those who claim it’s too hard to pass at Mid-Ohio…
You can follow all the practice and qualifying action on Peacock on Friday, June 30, and Saturday, July 1, and the warmup on the morning of Sunday, July 2. Then the 80-lap/180.64-mile race will be carried on the USA Network and streamed on Peacock. And to get even closer to it all, grab the best seat in the house with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA and its 14 race day live onboard cameras.
TUNE IN
Friday, June 30 / 3:05pm – 4:20pm ET – Practice 1 – Peacock
Saturday, July 1 / 9:45am – 10:45am ET – Practice 2 – Peacock
Saturday, July 1 / 2:45pm – 4:15pm ET – Qualifying – Peacock
Sunday, July 2 / 10:30am – 11:00am ET – Warmup – Peacock
Sunday, July 2 / 1:30pm – 4:00pm ET – RACE – USA Network, Peacock
* All sessions and the race are also available as audio commentary on SiriusXM and INDYCAR Radio.
Ride along with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA
Taking you inside the action, 14 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. During the race, you can live-stream every one of them with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. You choose who you ride along with, and you can switch drivers at any time. The App’s free to download for fans worldwide and you can find out more HERE. If you’re not already onboard, take your viewing experience to a whole new level HERE.
Bringing you the onboard action from Mid-Ohio are…
Scott McLaughlin / No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
The defending Mid-Ohio race winner seems able to dig deep and shine on any road course, matching the pace of his Penske teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden. McLaughlin’s triumph at Barber Motorsports Park this season — the track which most closely resembles Mid-Ohio — is another indicator that he’ll be a threat in the Buckeye State. Generally wise in attack, solid in defense, he’s the complete driver. And he started on the front row here last year. You wouldn’t bet against him.
Pato O’Ward / No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Knocked sideways at Turn 3 at Road America, O’Ward lost some hard-earned spots from his front row grid slot, and then some more as punishment for blocking on the run down to Turn 5. Yet despite this, and a malfunctioning weight jacker, he pressed on to finish an impressive third, ahead of Scott Dixon. At Mid-Ohio, O’Ward (below, in 2022) is always spectacular to ride onboard with, such is the swiftness with which he reacts when the car goes light and sideways over the crests, and his pole position last year was impressive. Keeping the tires alive is a bigger ask — for everyone — but Arrow McLaren appears to be on top of that in 2023.
Josef Newgarden / No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
Mid-Ohio is a track that Newgarden’s conquered twice, in 2017 and ’21, the latter from pole position. So while we’ve yet to see Team Penske enjoy an outright speed advantage at any tracks this year, in the way that we saw occasionally in ’21 and ’22, you can expect the two-time IndyCar champ and newly crowned Indy 500 winner to make the most of what he’s got on any given race day. It’s never a surprise to see Newgarden in victory lane, so watch for fireworks this weekend.
Colton Herta / No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda
Herta would have made a worthy winner of the last NTT IndyCar Series round at Road America, but the pole winner made his final stop a lap earlier than his fastest pursuers, obliging him to make judicious use of his fuel in the final stint and leaving him defenseless in the closing stages as he fell to fifth. Still, he can take heart from the knowledge that Andretti Autosport has retained its road course pace, and from the fact that he won here at Mid-Ohio in 2020.
Romain Grosjean / No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda
For a driver who’s scored two second-place finishes and twice started from pole this year, Grosjean’s Road America performance was a messy one, producing his third-straight result outside the top 20. However, having dropped to 13th in the championship, the former Formula 1 ace has nothing to lose now. Combine that attitude with his talent and a dexterous Andretti Autosport car, and he could very well be in the thick of the fight this weekend.
Alexander Rossi / No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Rossi continues to build momentum with Arrow McLaren, and topped two practice sessions at Road America. He shines on natural-terrain road courses, and took a superb win from pole position at Mid-Ohio back in 2018 and second place in 2020. What he needs to show now are a few weekends of supremacy over teammate Pato O’Ward — no easy matter, especially at this track. But Rossi is resilient as well as quick and it would be no surprise to see him scoop the team’s first win of the season.
Felix Rosenqvist / No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Rosenqvist’s Scandinavian politeness and civility were stretched to their limits at Mid-Ohio last year, when an unexpected engine failure put him out while running third — the leading driver on the harder compound Firestones, yet able to keep up with the alternate compound cars. Tactically, it had looked like the Swede was going to see his luck turn around. As it is, he still seeks his second IndyCar career win, but if Arrow McLaren finds its Mid-Ohio sweet spot, so can he.
Kyle Kirkwood / No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda
However strong we expect Herta and Grosjean will be this weekend, it’s entirely plauisble that neither of them will be Andretti Autosport’s pacesetter. In the ladder series, Kirkwood owned Mid-Ohio — three wins in USF2000, two in Indy Pro 2000, and three in Indy Lights (now Indy NXT). After a Lap 1/Turn 1 faux pas at Road America and after seeing himself slip to 10th in points, there could be no better time for the Long Beach winner to reboot his season.
Helio Castroneves / No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
The four-time Indy 500 winner has a strong record at Mid-Ohio, having won in 2001 and ’02, and taken pole in ’07 and ’08. Even in IMSA sports cars, Castroneves’ affinity for the place shone through with victories in 2018 and ’20, while last year he enjoyed one of his best IndyCar races of the season with an eighth place. With both Meyer Shank Racing entries on the fringes of the top 20 in points, this isn’t a stellar year for the Ohio-based squad, but there could be no better place to turn things around.
Graham Rahal / No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
If New Albany, Ohio-born Rahal feels pressure at his home race, he hides it well, making himself available to the public, soaking up the atmosphere, and rarely making mistakes on track. He won here in 2015, on his way to fifth in the championship, but such results must seem an eternity ago right now, to all at a struggling RLL. But Graham has taken it upon himself to help rally the troops and, with the right calls on Sunday, could pull off a home-state surprise.
Christian Lundgaard / No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
You definitely get the impression that Lundgaard’s first IndyCar win is most likely to come at a road course. This year he’s qualified and finished sixth at Barber, took pole and finished fourth at the Indy Grand Prix — on a track where he scored his first podium in 2022 — and two weeks ago qualified and finished seventh at Road America. RLL is not totally out of the woods yet, but isn’t way off the pace on road courses, either. If it homes in on a decent setup this weekend, Lundgaard could just score himself another podium.
Ryan Hunter-Reay / No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
The 2012 champ and 2014 Indy 500 winner endured a tough return to IndyCar road racing at Road America after a 20-month absence, spinning into a gravel trap during qualifying and therefore having to fight from the back row. He did this, finishing 17th on his ECR debut. Now Hunter-Reay (below) returns to a track at which he has a pole position and several podium finishes, but where he’s still seeking his first win. A top-10 at Mid-Ohio would be stout enough, but if he can help guide ECR into the top five, he should consider it some kind of victory.
Callum Ilott / No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
The former Formula 2 ace has endured a tough season since starting with a fifth-place result in St. Petersburg and ninth at Texas Motor Speedway. Considering he regards qualifying as something of a specialty, an average grid position of 20th suggests the innate pace of the car needs improving or better tailoring to his preferences. In a field as competitive as IndyCar, starting on the 10th row leaves you with way too much work to do, especially if the race doesn’t deliver a bunch of caution periods.
Jack Harvey / No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Much of what is said of Ilott can be applied to fellow Brit Harvey, too, although for him the situation is compounded by an average finish of 19.75 in 2023. RLL is seeking consistency rather than occasional bouts of competitiveness, and so is Harvey, a two-time runner-up in the Indy Lights category. Just one strong weekend, one where he outraces his teammates, would be a huge confidence booster.
The INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA is free to download and access, so don’t miss out – CLICK HERE to get started.
All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Thursday, June 29 Mid-Ohio TA2 8:00-9:00pm (D) Mid-Ohio TA 9:00-10:00pm (D) Friday, June 30 Austrian GP practice 1 7:25-8:30am Austrian GP practice 1 7:25-8:30am Austrian GP qualifying 10:55am- …
All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.
Thursday, June 29
Mid-Ohio TA2
8:00-9:00pm
(D)
Mid-Ohio TA
9:00-10:00pm
(D)
Friday, June 30
Austrian GP
practice 1
7:25-8:30am
Austrian GP
practice 1
7:25-8:30am
Austrian GP
qualifying
10:55am-
12:00pm
Austrian GP
qualifying
10:55am-
12:00pm
Mid-Ohio
practice 1
3:05-4:20pm
Saturday, July 1
Austrian GP
sprint
shootout
5:55-7:00am
Austrian GP
sprint
shootout
5:55-7:00am
Mid-Ohio
practice 2
9:45-
10:45am
Spa 24
Hours 1
10:00-1:00pm
Austrian GP
sprint
10:25-
11:00am
Austrian GP
sprint
10:25-
11:00am
Chicago
practice/
qualifying
11:00am-
1:00pm
Redbud
1:00pm
VIR
1:00-3:00pm
(D)
Chicago
practice/
qualifying
1:30-3:30pm
Mid-Ohio
qualifying
2:45-4:15pm
VIR
3:00-4:30pm
(D)
Chicago
4:30-5:00pm
pre-race
5:30-7:30pm
race
Sunday, July 2
Austrian
GP
7:30-
8:55am
pre-race
8:55-11:00am
race
Austrian
GP
7:30-
8:55am
pre-race
8:55-11:00am
race
Spa 24
Hours 2
8:00-11:00am
Mid-Ohio
warmup
10:30-11:00am
Mid-Ohio
11:30am-
12:40pm
Mid-Ohio
1:30-2:00pm
pre-race
2:00-4:00pm
race
VIR
4:30-6:00pm
(D)
Chicago
5:00-5:30pm
pre-race
5:30-9:00pm
race
Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Repeat/Replay
A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:
The Trans Am Series airs in 60-minute highlight shows in primetime on the MAVTV Network. For those wishing to tune in live, the entire lineup of SpeedTour events will stream for free on the SpeedTour TV YouTube page. SpeedTour TV will also air non-stop activity on Saturday and Sunday (SVRA, IGT and Trans Am). You can also watch all Trans Am event activity on the Trans Am YouTube page and Facebook page.
All NTT IndyCar Series stream live on Peacock Premium.
Michael Costello earned his second-career win in Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) on Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Driving the No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / …
Michael Costello earned his second-career win in Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) on Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Driving the No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4, Costello endured a race filled with changing track conditions to take home the trophy.
After a rain-filled afternoon Friday, qualifying was cancelled and the field lined up by championship point standings to start the race. Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink-Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) led the way, with everyone on slick Hankook tires. However, a pop-up rain shower during the formation lap led to several offs and forced the field back down pit road as cleanup ensued. Race director Scott Goodyear made the call for a mandatory switch to rain tires for all teams and called for a two-by-two rolling start.
With Woods-Toth on the inside and Jesse Lacey (No. 16 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports Ligier JS F4) on the outside driving down the front stretch, Costello drove through the middle from the third position to enter Turn 1 side by side with Woods-Toth. Costello completed the pass to take over the top spot before they reached the Keyhole. With Woods-Toth in second, Alex Berg (No. 08 MySim.ca / Rohde & Liesenfeld / Easy Drift / Penn Elcom Online / Dae Systems Ligier JS F4) started to apply pressure as they worked through the Keyhole. Running side by side nearly the entire lap, Berg completed the pass as the two drivers worked through the Carousel—just before a pair of offs back in the pack caused a full-course caution.
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The race restarted with just over 10 minutes remaining, giving drivers another opportunity to advance their position. Costello and Berg got clean jumps, with Berg temporarily contending for the lead. Woods-Toth, however, fell victim to teammate Lewis Hodgson (No. 30 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) who overtook the third position as they worked down the backstretch. As Hodgson sailed by, a five-car battle broke out for the fourth position, with Woods-Toth racing against Lacey, Frankie Mossman (No. 6 JHDD / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4), Daniel Cara (No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Ligier JS F4), and Auggie Soto-Schirripa (No. 24 International Motorsports Ligier JS F4) while they worked through the Esses. Cara came out ahead to inherit the fourth position, while the rest of the group battled it out for fifth. The caution flag waved once again, as both Mossman and Soto-Schirripa were removed from contention.
With just enough time to make two more laps, the field returned to green, giving drivers another chance to advance their position. Costello once again had a perfect jump to take command of the race, while Hodgson was left to fight off competition from Berg and Cara after restarting the race in second. As they took the white flag, Costello led Hodgson, Berg and Cara—in that order. They stayed fairly orderly running through the majority of the lap, but Berg took one last shot at Hodgson as they worked through the Carousel, completing the pass and earning his career-best finish.
As they crossed the line, Costello led, followed by Berg in second and Hodgson in third. Cara finished fourth, with Woods-Toth, who entered the weekend as the championship points leader, in fifth.
“That race was so fun to drive,” said Costello from the podium. “I just knew that if I kept finding grip—especially under the safety car—that I would be able to push it more every lap and get it done. I would definitely do that race again; that was really fun!”
F4 U.S. returns to the track Sunday for race two at 9:00 a.m. ET, followed by race three at 1:55 p.m. ET. Follow the championship on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or use Race Monitor to follow live timing and scoring. This weekend’s races are streaming free at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV.
Callum Hedge extended his win streak to five races with a victory in race one of Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) competition at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday morning. Driving the No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi …
Callum Hedge extended his win streak to five races with a victory in race one of Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) competition at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday morning. Driving the No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3, Hedge led the field from flag-to-flag.
The day started off differently than usual, with Race Director Scott Goodyear calling for a rolling start in the morning’s event. Hedge brought the field to the start zone, getting a great jump immediately as the flag waved. Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) settled into second as they raced through Turn 1, as Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) was challenged by Oliver Westling (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3), racing side by side into the Keyhole. As they exited the corner, Becklin pulled ahead, while a battle for fifth broke out behind him with Manuel Roza (No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), Max Hewitt (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 Save22 Ligier JS F3) jockeying for the position.
The very next lap, Westling had a major lockup as he entered Turn 4, bouncing through the gravel before rejoining the event at the back of the field. Meanwhile, Bowlsbey, Austin Hill (No. 8 SoOhio Equip / Alum Trailers / Ferris Mowers / Big Tex Trailers / PJ Trailers / CM Truck Ligier JS F3) and Cole Kleck (No. 11 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F3) were on the move, each picking up three positions from their starting spot by the time the field completed lap two.
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From there, things quieted down. Becklin continued to apply the pressure to Shehan, racing within just 0.3s as the race marched toward the halfway point. Realizing that completing the pass on Shehan would be a tough hill to climb, Becklin opted to back off a bit to conserve his Hankook tires for races two and three Sunday. Meanwhile, Westling continued a steady climb back from his lap two misfortune, picking off his competitors one by one to move back up to the sixth position before the checkered flag waved.
Meanwhile, there was one last burst of excitement as a trio of deer ran across the race track while the field worked the final lap of the race. With everyone escaping harm’s way, Hedge led the field to the checkered flag with Shehan following in second and Becklin in third.
“It definitely wasn’t easy,” said Hedge from the podium. “It actually got quite warm out there today. I got a little bit of a sweat, and had to stick my hand in the visor to wipe a couple beads away. Very good race. Good start. Big thanks to the team for making the car so good; hopefully we can go again tomorrow.”
Today’s victory marked Callum Hedge’s fifth-consecutive win in FR Americas competition. Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport earned their fifth podium sweep of 2023.
Ryan Shehan recorded the fastest lap of the race today to secure the pole for Sunday’s race two.
FR Americas returns to the track Sunday for race two at 10:10 a.m. ET, followed by race three at 3:05 p.m. ET. Follow the championship on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or watch Race Monitor for live timing and scoring. This weekend’s races are streaming free at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV.
Chris Dyson came from third to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in one of the closest battles of the season so far. With the top four running in a tight pack for the first half of the race, Dyson was …
Chris Dyson came from third to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in one of the closest battles of the season so far. With the top four running in a tight pack for the first half of the race, Dyson was able to reel in Justin Marks and Boris Said while holding off competition from his teammate Matthew Brabham to visit GYM WEED Victory Lane for the third time this year.
After earning the Motul Pole Award in a rainy qualifying session, Marks led the field to green in his No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro but was immediately challenged by Said in the No. 2 Weaver/Householder/Technique Dodge Challenger. Said, who started second, took over the lead by the conclusion of the first lap and began to drive away from the pack. Marks managed to hold Dyson behind him in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang. Meanwhile, Dyson was joined by teammate and eighth-place starter Matthew Brabham in the No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang, who had impressively woven his way up through the pack. Once second through fourth place got into a rhythm, they closed the gap on Said and the four Trans Am winners ran nose to tail in that order until lap 15. The following lap, Dyson managed to get by Marks after riding his tail and looking for an opening, and on lap 19, the two-time champion worked his way around Said to take over the point position.
A caution closed the field up on lap 20, setting up an exciting restart on lap 23. Marks challenged Dyson at the wave of the green flag, but unfortunately, he locked up his left-front wheel with an aggressive attempt to pass. Marks went off the track and had to work his way out of the gravel and wet grass before continuing his race, resuming competition from last in the TA class. Meanwhile, Dyson’s teammate Brabham made the pass on Said, putting the CD Racing machines at the helm of the race.
Dyson and Brabham continued to pace the field in front of Said. Meanwhile, Marks was on a mission to retake the positions he lost. He began to pick off his competitors, engaging in hard-fought battles with Ohio drivers David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang and Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Chevrolet Corvette. Once he had passed Ruman for the fourth position, he set his sights on Said in third. He was able to make the pass on Said with just two laps to go, securing a podium spot before following Dyson and Brabham across the finish line.
“It was an absolute thrill racing with Justin (Marks), Boris (Said) and Matthew (Brabham) as he was coming up through the field,” said Dyson in GYM WEED Victory Lane. “I think we put on a great show for everyone out there. The No. 16 car was just amazing today. I was pretty disconsolate in qualifying, so I was really hoping it was going to be dry today because we were really good in the first test session. Good Lord willing, things worked out for us. I’m honestly so honored for the CD Racing guys to come out here and have some success. We’re putting together a nice championship campaign, and I’m really looking forward to going to Road America with the GYM WEED cars and staying up front.”
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Today’s 1-2 finish for CD Racing is the team’s fourth of the year and fifth victory of the season. Dyson has won a total of three races in 2023 and Brabham has earned two victories.
CD Racing has won all but one race this season.
Brabham started eighth as a result of issues during yesterday’s rainy qualifying session, making an impressive comeback to score his fifth podium of the season.
Will Rodgers in the No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang was in a league of his own at Mid-Ohio, handily taking the win in the XGT class. Rodgers qualified first in class and fourth overall, then went on to finish fifth overall in his first-career Trans Am National Championship start. Rodgers’ team owner Chris Evans in the No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang suffered a mechanical issue early in the race after engaging in a battle with Danny Lowry in the No. 43 BridgeHaul/Bennett Family of Companies Mercedes AMG GT3, leaving Lowry to earn the second step on the podium and the XGT Masters Award.
“I am very grateful to Chris Evans and the entire Chris Evans Race Cars group,” said Rodgers. “Everybody on this team is incredible and they put a great race car together. This XGT car that they built is (an awesome) machine, and I just get to be the lucky guy to drive it. It was a great race today. We were kind of in a class of our own; I feel like we ran really well and the equipment was really great. I can’t wait to do it again.”
Lee Saunders in the No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper led the SGT race from start to finish. Ricky Sanders started in the rear of the field in his No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup but was able to work his way past Milton Grant in the No. 55 Springhill Suites Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup and Carey Grant in the No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup to finish second. Carey Grant was able to hold off his father Milton, who won the SGT race at Mid-Ohio last year, to finish third.
“First of all, I’d like to thank God for giving us a beautiful day,” said Saunders. “That was a good race. We luckily had some cars between us because Ricky (Sanders) and Carey (Grant) were both very fast. They just didn’t have enough time to get us. My two crew guys did a fantastic job getting us turned around quickly from Indianapolis. Thank you to the fans for coming out; it’s great seeing everybody here today. I really appreciate Trans Am bringing us here.”
In the GT class, Billy Griffin in the No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang started on the pole, but got bumped in the Keyhole early in the event, going almost a lap down. This allowed Chris Coffey in the No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GTA, who had started last on the grid and worked his way up to second, to take over the lead. Coffey held the point position for the remainder of the event, while Griffin battled Jack Rinke in the No. 12 Chevrolet Performance Turn Key Chevrolet Camaro and Michael Attaway in the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8, working his way back into the second position. Rinke rounded out the podium in third.
“It was pretty chaotic at the start,” said Coffey. “Unfortunately, I had to start dead last on the grid, so I had to work my way through the field. The first lap was really interesting. I’ve got to thank Colin Cohen; without him, there’s no way I could be here. He’s the best friend and sponsor I could ever ask for. Along with Jack, my truck driver and crew chief who does everything I can’t do, we’re basically a two-man show, so it was a blast and I hope to keep doing it. Thank you to Norwood Auto Italia.”
As the only competitor in his class, Wally Dallenbach in the No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang led the Trans Am Heritage class from start to finish.
“I’ve loved driving that Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang; this is the last race we’ll run in that car,” said Dallenbach. “It was so great. John and Deb (Cloud) are amazing people to drive for. We’ve been trying to build something in this heritage class, but it’s time to get real and play with these TA guys. We’re having a Meissen car built this year, and we’re hoping to have it by Watkins Glen. We’ve got our fingers crossed.”
The broadcast of today’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
The Trans Am Series TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes return to the track on July 6-9 at Road America.
Rafa Matos in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang will lead the field to green for Sunday’s 3-Dimensional Services Group Classic at at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, race three of the 3-Dimensional Services Group Triple Track …
Rafa Matos in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang will lead the field to green for Sunday’s 3-Dimensional Services Group Classic at at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, race three of the 3-Dimensional Services Group Triple Track Tournament for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series. Matos laid down a lap time of 1m24.399s to earn his second Motul Pole Award of 2023.
“We didn’t have a lot of track time this weekend because of the rain yesterday, so this morning was really our first session of the weekend,” said Matos. “This was a much-needed pole position for myself and the team after losing two cars in the Detroit Grand Prix from crashing pretty bad in the second race. The team gave everything building a new car for [team owner] Doug [Peterson]. We have to remember this team has managed to put a driver on the podium every single race this season except the second race in Detroit, and (teammate) Austin (Green) had a great shot of finishing on the podium there before he got caught in a wreck. Hats off to the 3-Dimensional Services Group team for giving me a car that I can be very competitive with in qualifying. Hopefully we’ll make the right adjustments overnight and win this race tomorrow.”
The race will be contested on Sunday, June 25 at 12:40 p.m. ET and can be streamed live here.
The TV broadcast of the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Stream all the action from the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli TA/XGT/SGT/GT race from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, starting Saturday, June 24 at 1:10pm ET.
Stream all the action from the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli TA/XGT/SGT/GT race from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, starting Saturday, June 24 at 1:10pm ET.
