We are gearing up for another IndyCar season and along with IndyCar comes the three Road to Indy series.
After the 2020 Indy Lights season was cancelled due to the pandemic, the series returns and with a respectable grid of drivers. Indy Pro 2000 and U.S. F2000 both have exciting lineups. All three series completed testing last week at Barber and we will look over the entry list for each series in preview for the 2021 season.
Indy Lights
There will be ten doubleheader weekends that comprise the 2021 Indy Lights season.
Barber Motorsports Park opens the season on April 17-18 with St. Petersburg following on April 24-25. After two weeks off, the series will head to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for races on May 14-15.
After a month off, Indy Lights heads to Belle Isle for the first time since 2012 when Gustavo Yacamán took victory over Carlos Muñoz and Oliver Webb. The Belle Isle races will be on June 12-13. Road America forms another back-to-back with races on June 19-20 and this will bring IndyCar to the halfway point.
Independence Day weekend will be featured two races at Mid-Ohio on July 3-4 before the series heads to Toronto on July 10-11. Indy Lights will take six weeks off before running the only oval round of the season, a doubleheader at Gateway on August 20-21.
The season concludes with its fourth back-to-back. Portland hosts races on September 11-12 before the Laguna Seca season finale on September 18-19.
Teams:
Andretti Autosport
Devlin DeFrancesco: #17 PowerTap Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Second in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with two victories, six podium finishes and nine top five finishes.
What did he do in 2020: Second in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with two victories, six podium finishes and nine top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: DeFrancesco is a bit of a mystery. His results in the European junior series were underwhelming. He showed good pace last year in Indy Pro 2000, but when he needed to pull out results, he faltered and lost the championship. His preseason testing pace was toward the bottom of the charts. He might get on the podium once or twice, but I don't expect him to be a championship challenger. I would not be surprised if he finished outside the top five.
Robert Megennis: #27 Andretti Autosport Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Made two starts in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP3 class. His best finish was fourth in class at Circuit Paul Ricard. He also ran the Indianapolis 8 Hours in the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Megennis made his IMSA debut with the Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus in January at the 24 Hours of Daytona and ran at the 12 Hours of Sebring last month.
What to expect in 2021: Megennis is one of the few drivers coming in with Indy Lights experience and he looked competitive in testing. He should be in the mix at most races. Megennis has never been the standout driver in a Road to Indy series. He has always been just off the top. A victory or two would not be a surprise, but that will likely not be enough for a championship.
Kyle Kirkwood: #28 Road to Indy/Cooper Tires/Construction Contractors Club Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Kirkwood won the IMSA Prototype Challenge season opener at Daytona. He made three more starts, which included a third-place finish at Virginia International Raceway. Kirkwood made two starts in the AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus program in IMSA'S GT Daytona class. He ran Petit Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring. He ran the first two IMSA races this season for the program.
What to expect in 2021: Kirkwood was going to be the favorite last season. I wonder if somewhere in his mind Kirkwood is thinking he should be dipping his toes in IndyCar this year and the pandemic has stunted his career. Through every step in the ladder, Kirkwood has come out on top. He was a little off the top spot in testing and was actually slower than Megennis, but that does not concern me. Kirkwood is going to win races and he should be in the championship fight until the very end.
Daniel Frost: #68 DEN-JET Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Third in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with a victory, six podium finishes and 12 top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Frost's second season in Indy Pro 2000 was better than his first but outside of the opening weekend he was rather pedestrian, not really competing for race victories. I think he will have a solid season, consistently scoring top five finishes like he did in Indy Pro 2000, but that might only be good enough for third in the team, far from good enough to top the championship.
Juncos Racing
Sting Ray Robb: #2 Sekady Capital/Goodheart-Firehouse Animal Center Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Robb won the Indy Pro 2000 championship with seven victories, 11 podium finishes and 15 top five finishes in 17 starts.
What to expect in 2021: Robb's championship came in his fourth Indy Pro 2000 season and he got it at only 19 years old. The Idahoan was off in testing. I almost think he will need a season to acclimate to the car. His results should improve as the season goes along.
Toby Sowery: #51 m-start/Kumpf Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Sowery sat out 2020. In 2019, he was third in the Indy Lights championship on 367 points with one victory and seven podium finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Sowery was impressive in 2019 and was somewhat unheralded considering what he did with his limited funding. Juncos Racing is returning to Indy Lights. His times were just slightly better than Robb in testing. If one Juncos driver ends up competing for the podium on a regular basis, I expect it to be Sowery, but looking at this grid I would not be surprised if his championship finish is worse than third.
Carlin
Alex Peroni: #5 Blundstone/Tasmania/RDM Fast Ferries Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Tenth in the FIA Formula Three Championship with three podium finishes and eight points finishes in 18 starts.
What to expect in 2021: The newest European transfer, Peroni had bright moments in Formula Three and he was carrying Campos Racing last season as he was the only driver to score points. Like Juncos, Carlin is returning to Indy Lights but Carlin has been absent for much longer. All these tracks will be new for Peroni but I think he will win a few races. He could even be a surprise championship contender.
Christian Bogle: #7 Pelican Energy Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: 15th in the U.S. F2000 championship with four top ten finishes. His best finish was sixth in the first race of the season at Road America.
What to expect in 2021: Bogle is not ready for Indy Lights. He arguably isn't even ready for Indy Pro 2000. He was slowest in testing. I expect him to spend much of the season at the bottom of the charts.
Pserra Racing/AS Promotions
Antonio Serravalle: #11 LedgeMark Homes LivGreen/Tycoon Capital Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Ran two Formula Regional Americas races at Mid-Ohio, where he finished 10th and 16th.
What did he do in 2020: Ran two Formula Regional Americas races at Mid-Ohio, where he finished 10th and 16th.
What to expect in 2021: Similar to Bogle, I don't think Serravalle is ready for Indy Lights. He did have better showings in Indy Pro 2000 compared to Bogle's U.S. F2000 results. Serravalle did have his share of top five finishes but he was not one of the top drivers in the series. His pace was a little better with Bogle in testing. He will be a bottom-feeder as well.
Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports
Benjamin Pedersen: #24 DirtFish/Bell Helmets/The Heart of Racing/Colibri Capital Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Ninth in the BRDC Formula Three Championshp with a victory at Silverstone, a second at Donington Park and a third at Snetterton. He ran the first five races of the Formula Regional Americas championship where he picked up two top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Prior to his season in Britain, Pedersen was third and second in the F3 Americas Championship and he has won races in Formula 4 United States Championship. He knows some of the tracks and we saw Colton Herta run in Britain, which kind of rounded him out before he entered Indy Lights. Pedersen looked good in testing and he will make the championship more competitive. Not everyone can finish in the top five of the championship. He will be on the cusp of the top five.
Linus Lundqvist: #26 HPD/Global Racing Group/FX Airguns/Paytrim/JULA Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Won the Formula Regional Americas championship with 15 victories in 17 races and his worst finish was sixth.
What to expect in 2021: We will get a good clue of how the SCCA-sanctioned Formula 4 and Formula Regional championships measure up compared to the Road to Indy. Lundqvist has won championships in his native Sweden and he was the 2018 BRDC Formula Three champion. He will win multiple races and I think he will be one of the top three drivers.
HMD Motosports
Nikita Lastochkin: #59 Russkaya Mekhanika Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Lastochkin sat out in 2020. In 2019, he was sixth in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with 237 points and his best finish was fourth on two occasions.
Nikita Lastochkin: #59 Russkaya Mekhanika Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Lastochkin sat out in 2020. In 2019, he was sixth in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with 237 points and his best finish was fourth on two occasions.
What to expect in 2021: Lastochkin was toward the bottom in testing. His Road to Indy results have never been that impressive. In 76 starts, he has only two podium finishes. He is not going to factor in for many top five finishes.
David Malukas: #79 HMD Trucking Dallara-AER
What did he do in 2020: Second in the Formula Regional Americas championship with two victories, 15 podium finishes and his worst finish was fifth.
What to expect in 2021: Malukas topped testing and he could be the most overlooked driver entering the season. He won pole position at St. Petersburg last year before the season was shutdown. He has been good in each step of the Road to Indy, but he has never spent more than one year in a series. This will be his second Indy Lights season. Malukas should win a few races. It will be a tough championship battle between Malukas, Kirkwood and Lundqvist with Peroni, Megennis and Pedersen in the next tier of drivers.
Indy Pro 2000
Eighteen races will make up the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 season with a range of single-race weekends, doubleheaders and triple-headers.
The season begins with a pair of doubleheaders, first at Barber on April 17-18 and then St. Petersburg on April 24-25. The IMS road course will be the first triple-header of the season with three races spread over May 14-15.
Indianapolis Raceway Park hosts the first oval race on Carb Night, May 28. Road America will be a doubleheader on June 19-20. Mid-Ohio and Toronto each host a doubleheader. Mid-Ohio will be first on July 3-4 with Toronto following on July 10-11.
Gateway will be the second ovals and host the 15th race of the season on August 21. The season will end the following weekend with a triple-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park on August 28-29.
Teams:
Juncos Racing
Kyffin Simpson: #21 Simpson Race Products/GoPro/SpY Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Competed in nine F4 United States Championship races with his best finish being sixth. Competed in nine Formula Regional Americas races with eight top ten finishes and his best finish was seventh.
What to expect in 2021: Simpson looked good in testing and Juncos Racing is known for fielding competitive drivers. It would not surprise me if he won a few races. There are a few more Road to Indy experienced drivers on the grid and that could knock Simpson down a few spots in the championship.
Manuel Sulaimán: #22 Telcel Infinitum/WBC/Intellgentus/Anahuac Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Sixth in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with two victories, four podium finishes, eight top five finishes and 12 top ten finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Sulaimán topped testing and he had flashes last year. He will have to be fighting for more podium finishes this season and I expect that to be the case. He will also need to win more races. I think that will also be the case. He should be somewhere in the top five of the championship and could end up on top.
Reece Gold: #55 The Ticket Clinic Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Third in the U.S. F2000 championship with two victories and ten podium finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Gold improved mightily in his second U.S. F2000 season last year. He was in the middle of the pack during testing. I think he will be competing for top five finishes and could end up on a few podiums.
Jay Howard Driver Development
Christian Rasmussen: #1 JHDD, CSU | One Cure/Lucas Oil Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Won the U.S. F2000 championship with nine victories, ten podium finishes and 12 top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Rasmussen was marvelous last year, and I think he will continue to be one of the top drivers into Indy Pro 2000. He did have a dip in the middle of last season, which left the championship open. He will have to be more clinical because I don't think he will be able to fall back on six consecutive victories to open a season.
Wyatt Brichacek: #5 JHDD, CSU | One Cure/Lucas Oil Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 16th in the U.S. F2000 championship with his best finish being tenth in his final race of the season at St. Petersburg.
What to expect in 2021: This is a big jump for Brichacek. I think he should have stayed in U.S. F2000. Top ten finishes will be hard to come by.
Turn 3 Motorsport
James Roe: #3 Topcon Positioning Group Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Seventh in the Formula Regional Americas championship four top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Testing was encouraging. I just wonder if Roe will be able to keep up that pace over the entire season. He could be respectable, but not necessarily pull out a victory. However, if he is regularly starting and running in the top five, he is bound to have a race fall his way.
DEForce Racing
Cameron Shields: #7 Valkyrie Intel Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Ninth in the U.S. F2000 championship with two podium finishes, three top five finishes and 11 top ten finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Shields was good in U.S. F2000, but never established himself as one of the drivers to beat. He should be good this season, picking up top ten results, but top ten results alone will only take you so far.
Velocity Racing Development
Hunter Yeany: #11 Thirty Seconds Out/DFNDUSA/Hoist Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Won the F4 United States Championship with seven victories, 13 podium finishes and 14 top ten finishes in 14 starts. His worst finish was sixth.
What to expect in 2021: Yeany was at the bottom of testing, but only a second off of Sulaimán's top time. This will be a learning year for him.
Pabst Racing
Hunter McElrea: #18 Giltrap Group/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory Partners Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Fifth in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with a victory in the final race of the season at St. Petersburg, six podium finishes and nine top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: McElrea was fourth in testing, but I think he is one of the championship favorites. He had four runner-up finishes last year. He probably should have won an additional race. He cannot afford the same slow start that he had last year.
Colin Kaminsky: #27 Slick Locks Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Eighth in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with three podium finishes and 13 top ten finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Somewhere between sixth and tenth in the championship. Kaminsky could sneak into the top five in a few races and he could even make a podium, but I do not see him winning a race this season.
Legacy Autosport
Flinn Lazier: #20 Metalloid/Spark VR/Tivoli Lodge/Bell Helmets Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Competed in SCCA Formula Atlantic National Championship Runoffs and made his Trans-Am debut in the TA2 class.
What to expect in 2021: Lazier was slowest in testing. I think he would have been better off with a season in U.S. F2000.
Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
Jack William Miller: #40 Indy Dental Group/LLC/Lumist Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Eighth in the U.S. F2000 championship with two podium finishes, four top five finishes and ten top ten finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Miller took a few years to get the hang of U.S. F2000 and he looked good last year, nearly winning on the IMS road course. He was toward the bottom in testing. I don't think he will be in the top ten of the championship.
Exclusive Autosport
Artem Petrov: #42 Road to Success/Bell/226ers Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Fourth in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with two victories, eight podium finishes and 12 top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Petrov was up and down last year and he was sixth in testing. He should win a race or two and keep his name in the championship discussion.
Braden Eves: #91 Cambridge/Exclusive Autosport Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 11th in the Indy Pro 2000 championship with a victory at Mid-Ohio, two podium finishes, four top five finishes and seven top ten finishes in eight starts. Eves suffered a fractured neck after an accident on the Indianapolis Motors Speedway road course, ending his season prematurely.
What to expect in 2021: Eves was 11th in testing and I think he is still recovering. He hasn't had much time in a car since his accident. I expect a slow start but with results improving over the course of the season. He might not be able to get back to a race-winning level, but it would not surprise me if he won a race or two later in the season.
Abel Motorsports
Jacob Abel: #51 Abel Constructrion/Bell Helmets Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 14th in the Indy Pro 2000 championship after making only seven starts. His best finish was third in the fifth Mid-Ohio race. He was also fifth in the Formula Regional Americas championship with one podium finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Not much. There is no guarantee he will complete a full season. He has some good results, but until he runs a full season, one-off good results aren't going to matter.
RP Motorsport USA
Enzo Fittipaldi: #74 Claro/Baterias Moura/XP Investimentos/PLGG Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 15th in the FIA Formula Three Championships with his best finishes of fourth and fifth being at the final round in Mugello. He was second in the 2019 Formula Regional European Championship and he was the 2018 Italian F4 champion.
What to expect in 2021: Fittipaldi was good in testing, but there is definitely room for improvement. RP Motorsport had to miss last season after the pandemic hit. There could be a few rough patches. I would not be surprised if Fittipaldi won a race or two, but I do not expect him to be contending for the championship. He could break into the top five.
Enaam Ahmed: #77 Lux Lot/Discover US/Newpoint Financial Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Competed in three rounds of the FIA Formula Three Championships with Carlin and his best finish was 14th. He was third in the 2019 Japanese Formula Three Championship with two victories.
What to expect in 2021: Similar to Fittipaldi, this will be a learning year for Ahmed. The results should get better as the season goes along.
U.S. F2000
The U.S. F2000 calendar is similar to the Indy Pro 2000, as it also includes a few triple-headers.
The series begins with doubleheaders at Barber on April 17-18 and St. Petersburg on April 24-25. U.S. F2000 will run three races on the IMS road course over the weekend of May 14-15. The only oval race will be on Carb Night, May 28, at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Road America will bring the season to the halfway point on June 19-20 before the second triple-header of the season at Mid-Ohio on July 3-4. Toronto hosts two races on July 10-11.
U.S. F2000 will take seven weeks off before concluding with a triple-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park on August 28-29.
Teams:
DEForce Racing
Ely Navarro: #1 Lucas Oil School of Racing Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Lucas Oil Formula Car Series champion with six victories and seven runner-up finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Narvarro is still new to car racing. We saw last year Prescott Campbell move up from the Lucas Oil series to U.S. F2000 and struggle at first but get better as the year went along. I expect Navarro to follow a similar path.
Nolan Siegal: #10 Menlo Ventures/Aero Paint Technologies Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 13th in the U.S. F2000 championship with two podium finishes, three top five finishes and a pole position at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
What to expect in 2021: Siegal looked good in testing. He should make a jump up the championship and possibly win a few races. He could be a championship contender.
Prescott Campbell: #11 Fluid Logic/Valkyrie Intelligence Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 11th in the U.S. F2000 championship with his best finishes being third and fifth, both coming at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Five of his six top ten finishes came in the final nine races.
What to expect in 2021: Campbell was second in testing, just ahead of Siegal. I think both these drivers could be winning races and in the top five of the championship.
Kiko Porto: #12 Banco Dayvocal/Petromega Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 10th in the U.S. F2000 championship despite missing five races. He won at St. Petersburg, had four podium finishes and won two pole positions.
What to expect in 2021: Unlike his teammates, Porto is already a U.S. F2000 race winner and if he is full-time I think he will be fighting for the championship. He was fifth in testing, but I think he enters this season as the leading DEForce Racing driver.
Cape Motorsports
Thomas Nepveu: #2 Cromwell/Pétrole Bélanger/Home Hardware Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Ran two rounds in the NACAM Formula 4 Championship and won on debut at Querétaro while finishing on the podium of all three races. Ran one round in the F4 United States Championship and his best finish was eighth at Homestead.
What to expect in 2021: I don't think he will be in the top ten of the championship. This is a big step up from Formula 4.
Evan Stamer: #3 Ignite Autosport/Margay Racing Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Completed Lucas Oil School of Racing training at Sebring. Participated in the Mazda Motorsports MX-5 Karting Shootout at Road Atlanta. Won notable karting events such as the Battle at the Brickyard at Indianapolis and SKUSA Winter Nationals at Homestead.
What to expect in 2021: Stamer is new to car racing. He just needs to complete laps.
Michael d'Orlando: #4 Focused Project Management/UFC Gym Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Fourth in the U.S. F2000 championship with a victory at Mid-Ohio, four podium finishes and 11 top five finishes.
What to expect in 2021: This will be d'Orlando's second full season in U.S. F2000. I think he needs to be on par with how he did last year. He cannot afford a setback, but testing was a little concerning as he was 12th.
Spike Kohlbecker: #5 Ignite Autosport/Raceway Gives/Tierpoint Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Third in the F4 United States Championship with two victories and eight podium finishes. He was also 13th in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series season.
What to expect in 2021: Kohlbecker was on par with his senior teammate d'Orlando in testing. If d'Orlando picks up his pace during the season then I think Kohlbecker will be right there with him.
Jay Howard Driver Development
Bijoy Garg: #6 JHDD, CSU | One Cure/Lucas Oil
What did he do in 2020: 17th in the U.S. F2000 championship with two top ten finishes in 11 starts.
What to expect in 2021: Garg was 15th in testing. He is the only returning driver for the JHDD program in 2021. I think his results will be close to in line with what we saw last year.
Jackson Lee: #8 Tnemec/Browning Chapman/Spruce Haven Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Fourth in the F1600 championship with two victories and seven podium finishes in his final seven starts. He missed the final two F1600 rounds to compete in the Team USA Scholarship program, finishing tenth in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and making it to the Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final at Silverstone.
What to expect in 2021: Lee was 18th in testing. He has notable car experience and he has been on the road to the Road to Indy for a few years. He should be mixing it up for top ten finishes at some point with hopes of breaking the top five in at least one race.
Peter Vodanovich: #9 Giltrap/Goldwise/Crème Insurance Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Won the New Zealand Toyota 86 Championship with eight victories and 14 podium finishes from 15 races. He was fifth in the 2021 Toyota Racing Series championship with three podium finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Vodanovich was 17th in testing. All these tracks are going to be new to him. If he can pull out a handful of top ten results, it will be a good season.
Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
Kent Vaccaro: #16 Adirondack Radiation Therapy/P1 Nutrition Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Two starts in the Formula Regional Americas Championship with his best finish being 11th. Ran the U.S. F2000 round at New Jersey Motorsports Park with his best finish being 13th.
What to expect in 2021: Vaccaro was toward the bottom in testing. His Formula 4 and Formula Regional results are not spectacular. I don't have high hopes for him in this series.
Pabst Racing
Yuven Sundaramoorthy: #22 S team Motorsports Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 12th in the U.S. F2000 championship with one top five finishes and nine top ten finishes.
What to expect in 2021: This will be Sundaramoorthy's third season in U.S. F2000. He has finished 12th in the championship each year. He was eighth in testing. I think he will improve but I am not sure if he will be a threat for any race victories.
Jace Denmark: #23 Metal Works Custom Fabrication Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Made his car racing debut at the F4 United States Championship round at Virginia International Raceway and his best finish was seventh.
What to expect in 2021: Denmark was seventh in testing, which is quite good considering his lack of car racing experience. I think if he was a regular top ten finish that would be a good season.
Josh Pierson: #24 TransUnion/iovation Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: 20th in the U.S. F2000 championship with only two top ten finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Pierson was sixth in testing. This season should be a big improvement over last year. He should exceed his top ten finish total from last year and he should be fighting for top five finishes.
Velocity Racing Development
Erik Evans: #29 VRD/Storm & Salvage Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Sixth in the F4 United States Championship with one victory and three podium finishes despite missing five races.
What to expect in 2021: It will be a learning year and Evans will be hoping to get a few top ten finishes.
Turn 3 Motorsport
Josh Green: #33 JHG Investment Fund Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Sixth in the U.S. F2000 championship with three podium finishes, including runner-up results at Road America and New Jersey Motorsports Park.
What to expect in 2021: Green was fourth in testing. I think he could be a contender this season. He should probably get a victory or two.
Dylan Christie: #34 Turn 3 Motorsports/DCR/Stilo Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Second in the F1600 Championship with four victories and eight podium finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Testing results were good. This will only be his second season in car racing. Results should improve over the course of the season.
Exclusive Autosport
Christian Brooks: #44 Hot Wheels/Chaco Flaco/Bell Helmets Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Fifth in the U.S. F2000 championship with a victory in the final race of the season at St. Petersburg along with two podium finishes on the IMS road course.
What to expect in 2021: Brooks led testing and he should be one of the favorites this season. He won the season finale last year and he will be coming in with a lot of momentum. Anything worse than the top three in the championship would be a surprise.
Billy Frazer: #91 Cambridge Global Services/Giltrap Group Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: New Zealand Formula Ford champion with seven victories in 15 races. He started 2021 with a third-place championship finish in the Toyota Racing Series with one victory and three podium finishes.
What to expect in 2021: Frazer was ninth in testing. He will be learning tracks this year but his pace is already competitive. He could be the darling of the season.
Joe Dooling Autosports
Trey Burke: #63 Dooling Machine Products Texas Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Sixth in the Lucas Oil School of Racing Championship Series with two victories, seven podium finishes, five top five finishes and 13 top ten finishes. It was his first season racing on pavement and road courses.
What to expect in 2021: As stated above, this will be Burke's first year on pavement and road courses and he was slowest in testing. He just needs to complete laps.
Force Indy
Myles Rowe: #99 Force Indy Tatuus
What did he do in 2020: Rowe tested a U.S. F2000 car and a F4 United States Championship car. He was the 2017 Lucas Oil School Formula Race Car winter series champion. He is currently attending Pace University majoring in film and screen studies.
What to expect in 2021: Rowe was tenth in testing. He hasn't competed in car racing in almost four years. That testing pace is impressive. I think a regular top ten finisher is a reasonable expectation.
All three Road to Indy series will have testing sessions and a practice session on Thursday April 15 from Barber Motorsports Park before qualifying on Friday. All three series will have their first races of 2021 on Saturday with U.S. F2000 also running its second race on Saturday. Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights will wrap up their weekends on Sunday.
