2026 Midsummer Catch-Up

We are at the halfway point of summer, and we are coming off a break for some. IndyCar, NASCAR, MotoGP and Formula One were all off last week. MotoGP is back after a month off. IndyCar had two weeks off and now has a five-week run-in to close its season. NASCAR gets just the one week off. Formula One will be on break for a few more weeks. Sports cars have remained busy. Every series has established itself. We know how things stand, and over the next few weeks and months, series will conclude their seasons. 

This isn't really a catchup in the traditional sense. It is more some thoughts and where things stand for a few series.

Formula One: This is Fine

It sounds odd to say a season where one driver won five consecutive races and has won over half the races run to this point has been rather competitive, but that has been the case, and the playing field has leveled out a little more recently. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 219 points, and he is 50 points clear of Lewis Hamilton in second. Antonelli has been the best driver this season, and he is really one mechanical issue and an off-track excursion away from having a slightly better lead. The championship is still within his control, but it feels like a strong second half from Ferrari could see him challenged.

Even with Antonelli winning six of 11 races, Ferrari has been up to the task and both its driver have won. George Russell has won twice. Lando Norris put McLaren on the board in Hungary. Red Bull isn't great but we all believe Max Verstappen could work something brilliant to win a race or two. A few races have been good. A few have been dull. It is a Formula One season like many Formula One seasons before it. There are still 12 races scheduled after the summer break! Remember when we got to August and there would be five races left? 

MotoGP: It is Marc Márquez's lose

This is a slightly more common belief around MotoGP. Despite Márquez's sloppy start to the season where he failed to stand on the podium in the first seven grand prix, two of which he missed due to injury, it feels like he entered the summer break as the best rider. 

In the last four races he has gone first, first, seventh and first with a pair of sprint victories in there. He did win two of the first four sprint races as well. He reached the summer break 18 points behind Jorge Martín. Martín's one grand prix victory was the French Grand Prix. Martín has two sprint victories, Austin and Le Mans. Ai Ogura is four points ahead of Márquez in the championship and has been rather strong the last few races. Marco Bezzecchi has unraveled ever since his retirement in Hungary with an exclusion for pushing a marshal at Brno and a broken collarbone in Germany in the interim. 

No Ducati rider is going to consistently beat Márquez, and it does not appear any competitor can match him on pace over the final 11 races. It really comes down to Márquez not tossing away results, something we cannot dismiss him doing. If he can accept days where he is going to fourth or fifth and not be desperate, he will take the title because more times than not the race will come to him.

NASCAR: Isn't it ironic how few surprise winners there are?

We are four races until the playoffs begin in the Cup Series, and all ten race winners this season rank in the top 15 of the championship. How about that in the first season since the reversion to the "Chase" format where the top 16 drivers in points will compete for the championship after the 26th race and there are no scheduled eliminations?

After the first 22 races last season, three winners were outside the top 16 in the championship. 

It should be acknowledged it pays more to win a race. Winning a race now pays 55 points as a base versus 40 points. The maximum points for a victory is now 76 points! A winner can now earn up to 41 more points than second place. That is one reason. 

Another is Shane van Gisbergen has improved mightily on ovals. Van Gisbergen has won twice, both on road courses, but his most impressive races have been the Coca-Cola 600, where he finished 11th but spent most of that race in the top ten, and he was fifth at North Wilkesboro and was legitimately a top five car. Add in finishing sixth in both Atlanta races and just showing more top twenty pace versus struggling to crack the top 25, and he is in the playoffs on points. 

We have had some close calls. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was second in the Daytona 500 to Tyler Reddick in what was somewhat a toss-up coming to the checkered flag. Alex Bowman missed four races due to vertigo-like symptoms, and then he nearly won at Talladega. Brad Keselowski was second at Darlington after winning the first two stages. Drivers currently outside the top 16 were close to victory this season. It just didn't break their way.

FIA World Endurance Championship: There is greater intrigue

BMW has won two of four races. Le Mans was rather compelling with Toyota beating BMW with Cadillac not far off. Ferrari has been good, but not as quick as it has been in previous seasons. The #20 BMW and the #7 Toyota are tied in the championship through four races. It has felt like WEC races have been a little more open this season, and it is not surprising to see deeper competition. 

The next round is at Circuit of the Americas in about a month, and there could be nine cars that have a plausible shot at winning. That isn't a bad thing. It feels like we are bound to see a proper championship fight until the final round.

The WEC calendar has always been eight or nine races in length. I feel like we are a few rounds too short. I wish there were more opportunities to see this championship. 

IMSA: Something is Missing

I cannot put my finger on it. It has been a fun IMSA season. 

Laurin Heinrich stole the show early. Whelen Racing has been near-bulletproof. Acura has won a race. Wayne Taylor Racing finally ended its slump. We have a fun two-driver championship battle because Heinrich has pieced together a full season and Jack Aitken had a different co-driver at Long Beach because Earl Bamber had WEC responsibilities. Something is missing though. 

It might be the IMSA season is too quick, but it has been this way ever since Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series merged. 

The schedule is front loaded... kind of. There are still six weeks between the first and second rounds, but IMSA becomes a once-a-month series for the top class starting in Detroit. 

May 30, June 28, August 2, September 20, October 3. That is the schedule for the top class, and you only see the class compete nine times all year. I don't know if another two or three races over the summer would make the season feel more full or make the championship more compelling. It isn't going to change. IMSA is set on this being the schedule length and this is what the teams can budget toward in terms of mileage over a full season. 

Maybe I am just not feeling it this year.

Super Formula: Kakunoshin Ohta is doing enough for Honda to take him to IndyCar

Seven races are in the books in the Super Formula season with five races remaining, Sportsland SUGO this weekend and a pair of doubleheaders at Fuji and Suzuka, and Ohta has 95 points and a 50.5-point lead over Ayumu Iwasa. Ohta has won four of seven races and finished in the points of all seven events. There are 115 points left on the table. 

It has been rather quiet on Ohta's possible move to North America. He has expressed interest in both IndyCar and IMSA, but the Acura program is leaving the grid at the end of this season. That leaves IndyCar and Ohta is probably ready for it. That second Meyer Shank Racing could be a good introduction.

Ohta was third in the Super Formula championship last year and he has won ten times in his Super Formula career. He is 27 years old. The last guy to come to IndyCar from Super Formula has done pretty well. Joining next year would mean one year in a lame-duck car. Holding off until 2028 could be the wiser move. Ohta is certainly fit for the challenge should he want it, and Honda will help facilitate it.

The Super Formula season goes until November 22. News could come deeper into the offseason than we are accustomed to hearing.

Indy Lights: I am not sure anyone is great

It speaks for itself. It has been a while since this series has had a three-driver championship fight with this little between the top drivers. Nikita Johnson is on 451 points, one point ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi and Tymek Kucharczyk is 25 points back. Nobody wows me. 

Johnson is 18 years old and was strong throughout his Road to Indy career. Fittipaldi spent the previous three years in Formula Two and won two races in that span with a pair of top ten championship finishes. Kucharczyk was Euroformula Open champion last year, but it was a series that had eight full-time drivers and had about 12 cars at most competing in any race. I don't know if these are good drivers or the best the series car attract. 

It doesn't help that Indy Lights does not have a historically great record of producing drivers. Drivers make it to IndyCar and then they are gone. There hasn't been a driver in the Road to Indy system that has ever wowed a team into fully supporting from their first race until they make their IndyCar debut. The closest we have is Kyle Kirkwood with Andretti Global being behind him and loaning him to A.J. Foyt Racing for his rookie IndyCar season. The rest are here today, gone tomorrow. Some do not even get that chance (We still remember you, Kyle Kaiser). 

Beyond the top three, Max Taylor is 18 years old and started strong but has had ups and downs. There is promise there. Lochie Hughes hasn't been as good as he was last years and the same can be said for Myles Rowe. Outside of the top six, there is no one to really mention. 

Somebody is going to be champion and we will have to discuss where that driver will race next year in IndyCar... which actually becomes tougher because of the charter system. 

We haven't discussed how the charter system makes it all-or-nothing for the Indy Lights champion. The prize was enough for an Indianapolis 500 entry and a few other races. There aren't going to be a few other races as grids are going to be restricted to chartered entries. That basically means full-time or just Indianapolis unless a team (Dale Coyne Racing) wants to split a car among multiple drivers. 

It only becomes more difficult to break into IndyCar for these drivers, and in recent years, rookies have struggled even when full-time and with a proper testing program entering a rookie season. We may need to discuss this further in the future.

Formula E: It looks good on paper

One round remains, a doubleheader from London, and nine drivers are still alive for the championship. 

A strong end to the season has seen Jake Dennis re-take the championship lead. With four podium finishes in the last five races, Dennis is on 146 points, two points ahead of Mitch Eavans. Pascal Wehrlein makes its five points covering the top three drivers. Oliver Rowland has an outside chance of defending his title, as Rowland is 14 points behind Dennis. It gets a little harder to believe Edoardo Mortara (116 points) and António Félix da Costa (113 points) have a chance. Nick Cassidy (104), Nico Müller (102) and Nyck de Vries (94) will require some good fortunate. 

There are multiple drivers alive for the championship entering the final round and it will likely be decided in the final race. 

It is unfortunate how buried Formula E has been. It has been that way for a while. It is a series without any demand. No one is lining up to broadcast the series because it is a can't-miss property. It can have some close races and multiple teams have a chance at winning. Eight of ten teams have won a race this season entering the final two rounds, and one of the winners is the worst time in the championship. Quality drivers are competing as well. It is a rather deep group. If only it was a little more accessible. 

Musings From the Weekend: Missing Showcase

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

Álex Palou manhandled the field on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. There could be a change to the Indianapolis 500 entry list. The inevitable occurred in Salt Lake City. The inevitable also occurred in Darlington. Cadillac finally had a good weekend. People have lost their minds over Laguna Seca paving over some of the run-off area. Not all of it, not even close to majority of it it, only some of it. MotoGP celebrated its 1,000th grand prix weekend, and it was a race worthy of the millennium mark. Marc Márquez returned. He went down in first practice. He went down in second practice. He went down in the race. AlphaTauri is creating rumors on its own. Rumors aside, what is on my mind is what we will not see. 

Missing Showcase

The Grand Prix of Indianapolis weekend was a smashing success this year. Nearly 50,000 people turned up on Saturday for the IndyCar race, at least ten times the number of people who would show up to opening weekend when it was only Indianapolis 500 practice, and it is only the beginning to the month of May. 

Indianapolis Motor Speedway had 50,000 spectators this past weekend, it will likely get a healthy qualifying crowd next weekend and then about 100,000 people will show up on Carb Day before 300,000 people will turn up on that Sunday for the 500-mile race. 

Beyond the IndyCar race held this past Saturday, those near 50,000 spectators would have seen a few other races if they were at the facility for an extended period of time. Over the two days, the Road to Indy series put on six races. U.S. F2000 ran a triple-header, one on Friday and two on Saturday. USF Pro 2000 had a doubleheader split over the two days. Indy Lights put on a stout race Saturday afternoon. The races took place over a variety of conditions. Some in the damp, others in the dry, it was a full weekend. 

In less than two weeks, U.S. F2000 and USF Pro 2000 will be on track again, taking part of the Carb Night Classic at Indianapolis Raceway Park. For Indy Lights though, this was the end of its month of May. The other two series have another event to piggyback off Indianapolis 500 weekend. Indy Lights, the series that is under IndyCar ownership and promotion, the series that is the final stepping stone to IndyCar and has the next crop of IndyCar competitors, will be nowhere to be seen over Memorial Day weekend. 

This isn't going to be your usual "Bring the Freedom 100" rant. That race is gone. This is the fourth year without a race that for almost a decade put on the some of the most thrilling races and finishes in motorsports. As much as the 100th anniversary, the DW12 chassis and the 100th Indianapolis 500 breathed new life into Memorial Day weekend, the Freedom 100's constant photo finishes were a selling point of Carb Day. No offense to practice and the pit stop competition, but the Freedom 100 was the main draw that Friday afternoon.

However, under Roger Penske's ownership, the Freedom 100 is no more. Why? Penske said safety. He also said he wanted the Indianapolis 500 weekend to be about the Indianapolis 500 and not some other race. 

Fair answers. 

Penske isn't a dummy. It was only a decade ago Kyle Larson's car got into the catchfence for NASCAR's second division series race on the Saturday prior to the Daytona 500. Many fans were hurt from debris getting into the stands. It took up much of the conversation in the hours building up to the Daytona 500. It was a distraction from the race. 

Penske doesn't want that happening with the Freedom 100, less than 48 hours before the Indianapolis 500. In the most recent Freedom 100, Chris Windom's car was split in half after getting into the catchfence, red flagging the race. Windom was not injured, but a serious injury or possible fatality to a driver in a development series is something Penske does not want becoming the focal point in the final hours leading up to the Indianapolis 500. 

I get that. 

The rebuttal is why have any cars on track on Carb Day then? Colton Herta's car somersaulted last year and grabbed everyone's attention. Herta was fine, walking away, and he competed in the race. However, if Herta had not been able to walk away, doesn't one think that will take away attention from the race? Shouldn't all the cars be locked away after qualifying and no one turn a lap until race day if that is the fear? 

I digress, but Penske has a point, even if we don't like it. 

The problem is the Freedom 100 was the only event Indy Lights had televised all season. It was also the only Indy Lights race worth winning. Every other Indy Lights race looks the same. On a road or street course, it is about 30-40 laps. Iowa and/or Gateway is 100 laps or 100 miles or so. The Freedom 100 was only 100 miles but it was 100 miles around Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend and there was a crowd that was worth a damn actively watching. Indy Lights didn't get that anywhere else. It was the highlight. 

Without it, Indy Lights has just another development series schedule. On IndyCar's biggest weekend, the drivers that are trying their hardest to make it there are sidelined. The other two Road to Indy series get to compete. They get something. It might not be the biggest race in the world, but there is a chance people around the Indianapolis-area, whether residents or travelers in for the "500," will head to Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday night and want to watch some more racing. They will get to see U.S. F2000 and USF Pro 2000, but Indy Lights is nowhere, not returning to action until seven days later in Detroit. 

I am not sure Roger Penske understands the trials of Indy Lights drivers. I don't think he values IndyCar driver development. Slashing the Indy Lights champion's scholarship and distributing more money to the teams than the drivers tells us as much. With the Indy Lights grid growing for 2023, it is hard to argue against Penske's approach considering car count has been the biggest black eye for Indy Lights for over a decade, but if the Indy Lights champion, let alone anyone else competing in the series, receives next to no support to make a respectable attempt at IndyCar, that is a problem.

Even the drivers with the most talent struggle to make ends meet in Indy Lights. There are no real driver development programs. No IndyCar team is really behind any of these drivers where the driver will be in IndyCar no matter what as long as he or she runs respectably. It all comes down to money, and even that scholarship isn't enough to allow a driver to properly develop in IndyCar. 

Nine of the last 12 Indy Lights champions aren't in IndyCar. The only three that are competing are Josef Newgarden, Patricio O'Ward and Kyle Kirkwood.

 

Oliver Askew had one season in IndyCar despite winning two championships in three Road to Indy seasons. Gabby Chaves got one full season in IndyCar and then became a super-sub, as did Tristan Vautier. Sage Karam didn't even get a full season and was quickly discarded to become an Indianapolis one-off at 21 years old. Kyle Kaiser has only made six IndyCar starts despite winning the Indy Lights championship in 2017. 

Then there is the 2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist, who isn't even entered for this year's Indianapolis 500. Lundqvist is the first Indy Lights champion not entered for the following year's "500" since 2010 champion Jean-Karl Vernay. 

Without the Indy Lights scholarship money, there is a great chance many more of those champions that only got a brief taste of IndyCar wouldn't have even gotten their Indianapolis 500 shot. That could become even more frequent in the future. If Indy Lights drivers don't have a path to IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, and they don't have a showcase event at least in Indy Lights to sell each year to sponsors and partners, what is the point of Indy Lights? 

Indy Lights should be included in some meaningful way Indianapolis 500 weekend. Penske wants the focus to be on the "500," but he should be using the "500" to benefit the structure that props IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500 up. Penske should see this is a chance to bring Indy Lights drivers and teams to a larger audience. Indy Lights doesn't fill the grandstands at Mid-Ohio or Gateway. It doesn't get on television when it races at Iowa or Road America. Indy Lights needs a tentpole event, but no alternative will match what the Freedom 100 was. 

The Freedom 100 could become a race at Indianapolis Raceway Park alongside the other two Road to Indy series races and the USAC Silver Crown race, but it still will not be television and at best 20,000 people will show up that night. Could the Freedom 100 move back to qualifying weekend, where it was for its first two editions when there were still two qualifying weekends? The Indianapolis 500 schedule has changed since then. In 2023, that is the only qualifying weekend. This isn't 2003 where IndyCar kept up the two qualifying weekend charade and had loads of dead time to fill, meaning Indy Lights could squeeze in practice and qualifying on Friday and then race on Saturday when it was only a practice day and Bump Day was just Sunday. 

It could be done. Indy Lights could get two hours of practice on Thursday and/or Friday morning before IndyCar practice. Saturday would be tough to squeeze in because it is non-stop track time for Indianapolis 500 qualifying. There is time on Sunday. Indy Lights could qualify Sunday morning and then race before the Fast 12 and last chance qualifying take place. It is a little tight but still possible. 

A practical set up would be for two hours of Indy Lights practice on Thursday morning (with Indy Lights getting its own test day at the Speedway somewhere in the week or two leading up to the race just so everyone at least gets some practice time in case this Thursday session is rained out), qualifying is held Friday morning, Saturday is an off day for Indianapolis 500 qualifying and then the Freedom 100 kicks off Sunday at noon before the final day of "500" qualifying resumes at 2:00 p.m. 

It could be done. It won't though. 

As much as we circle around looking for solutions, we always come back to there isn't one. The Freedom 100 is gone. It is a loss to the Carb Day crowd. It is a loss to the regular fans. Worst of all, it is a loss to Indy Lights, and there is no better way to showcase a series that needs just a little attention. 

Champion From the Weekend

Chase Sexton clinched the Supercross championship with a victory in the Salt Lake City season finale.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Álex Palou and Chase Sexton, but did you know...

Matteo Nannini won the Indy Lights race from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Ricardo Escotto and Joel Granfors split the USF Pro 2000 races. Sam Corry, Simon Sikes and Lochie Hughes split the U.S. F2000 races.

Maco Bezzecchi won MotoGP's French Grand Prix, his second victory of the season. Jorge Martín won the sprint race. Tony Arbolino won the Moto2 race. Daniel Holgado won the Moto3 race, his second victory of the season. Jordi Torres and Matteo Ferrari split the MotoE races.

William Byron won the NASCAR Cup race from Darlington. Kyle Larson won the Grand National Series race. Christian Eckes won the Truck race, his second victory of the season.

The #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac of Sébastien bourdais and Renger van Zande won the IMSA race from Laguna Seca. The #11 TDS Racing Oreca-Gibson of Mikkel Jensen and Steven Thomas won in LMP2 class. The #79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG of Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella won in the GTD Pro class, its second victory of the season. The #91 Kelly Moss with Riley Porsche of Alan Metni and Kay van Berlo won in the GTD class.

The #88 AKKodis ASP Team Mercedes-AMG of Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy and the #40 Tresor Orange1 Audi of Mattia Drudi and Ricardo Feller split the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup races from Brands Hatch.

Kalle Rovanperä won Rally Portugal. 

Coming Up This Weekend

Indianapolis 500 qualifying. 

Formula One visits Imola.

NASCAR's All-Star Race is the long-awaited return to North Wilkesboro.

GT World Challenge America heads to Austin.

Supercars will be at Symmons Plains.

Super Formula has its third round of the season at Autopolis.

2023 Road to Indy Preview

Technically, the Road to Indy no longer exists, but without any other title for the ladder series to IndyCar, the nomenclature will remain. As in most years, IndyCar's opening weekend is the Road to Indy's opening weekend. All three series will be at St. Petersburg, but in this new age for the ladder system, the series will not always be together. Things are a little more fractured, something we haven't really seen in over a decade. 

For the moment, everyone is still officially together, and a few dozen drivers are on their way to IndyCar. Some drivers have moved up. Some drivers have moved over. Some drivers are back. Two-thirds of the series have new names, but Indy Lights will still be referenced as Indy Lights until the second series at least gets a more respectable name. 

Indy Lights

The season opens at St. Petersburg on March 5, but the series will have almost two months off before round two, which will be at Barber on April 30. Two weeks late, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course will host the series on May 13. The first of two doubleheader weekends will take place on the streets of Detroit over the weekend of June 3-4.

Road America on June 18 and Mid-Ohio on July 2 will close out the first half of the season. Iowa will be held on July 22, the first of two oval races. Nashville plays host on August 6 before Indy Lights returns to the IMS road course five days later. The final oval round will be Gateway on August 26. Portland hosts the penultimate round on September 3 before the Laguna Seca doubleheader closes out the season on September 9-10.

Teams:

Andretti Autosport

Louis Foster: #26 Copart/USF Pro Championship Scholarship Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Foster won the Indy Pro 2000 championship with seven victories, 12 podium finishes and 14 top five finishes in 18 races, ending with 451 points. 

What to expect in 2023: Foster drove a smart 2022 season in Indy Pro 2000. He grew into the season and became the man to beat. He could do the same this season. If he keeps up the consistency, he could make a run for the championship, but this grid is tougher than last season, and he has a teammate who will not be a push over. Foster should win a few races and be competing for the top five in the championship. 

Hunter McElrea: #27 Smart Motors Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Finished fourth in the 2022 Indy Lights championship with 460 points, the top rookie, with two victories, seven podium finishes and nine top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2023: McElrea is one of the early championship favorites. He was in the top five of both Homestead tests in January and earlier this week. He came to grips with the car and improved as 2022 went on. He should be starting 2023 vastly more comfortable than much of the competition. McElrea should win more races. He should at least improve on fourth in the championship. This isn't title or bust, but if he is fourth again it will be a disappointment. 

Jamie Chadwick: #28 DHL Dallara

What did she do in 2022: Chadwick won her third consecutive W Series championship with five victories in seven races, including three from pole position. 

What to expect in 2023: This will be a challenging season for Chadwick. Her Homestead testing results had her 15th in January and 13th earlier this week. She did have some good tests at Sebring. This is a tougher car to drive than what she has been in the last few years. She should improve as the season goes on, but top ten in the championship would be a brilliant season.

James Roe, Jr.: #29 Topcon Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Roe was 12th in the Indy Lights championship, participating in only 11 of 14 races with his best finish being seventh. 

What to expect in 2023: Roe never really showed any great pace last year. In testing, he was third at Homestead earlier this week, but last month he was 15th out of 18 cars. I am not sure what Roe we will see. He is in a good team, but he is arguably the team's fourth best driver. Andretti Autosport alone should bump up his results, but I expect him to be all over the board and in some fight just to make the top ten.

HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing

Josh Green: #3 Zimperium Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Green won the Indy Pro 2000 season opener at St. Petersburg, but he had only four total podium finishes and was sixth in the championship on 298 points. 

What to expect in 2023: There are nine HMD drivers this season. Green was good in the January Homestead test ending up ninth, but he was slowest in the Homestead test earlier this week. Green will be fighting to crack the top ten in the championship. 

Christian Rasmussen: #6 Valeo/Archer Law Firm Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Rasmussen was sixth in the Indy Lights championship with 440 points with two victories, five podium finishes and eight top five finishes.

What to expect in 2023: Sixth in the championship was a little harsh for Rasmussen considering he probably should have won the season opener in 2022 only to run out of fuel. He got in a few accidents. He was third in the January Homestead test, but 11th in the test earlier this week. At his best, Rasmussen could push for the championship, but he has to minimize those mistakes. Anything less than the top HMD driver will not be acceptable.

Christian Bogle: #7 Pelican Energy Consultants Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Bogle's best finish in Indy Lights was fourth at Belle Isle, but he finished 11th in the championship on 298 points with that lone top five finish. 

What to expect in 2023: This will be Bogle's third season in Indy Lights. In two U.S. F2000 seasons, he never finished better than sixth. He was 11th in the Indy Lights championship in each of his first two seasons. He doesn't really match well to the rest of this grid. He will be at the back, likely worse than 11th in the championship.

Rasmus Lindh: #10 GarageXYZ Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Lindh started four IMSA races in the LMP3 class after running a full season in 2021 while also competing in the IMSA Prototype Challenge series.

What to expect in 2023: At the end of 2019, Lindh looked poised to be in IndyCar in no-time. He was set with an Indy Lights ride for 2020, but then that season was cancelled due to the pandemic, and Lindh's career was re-routed. He has done well in LMP3 competition. He was in the top ten of both Homestead tests. This season is considerably more difficult than the Indy Lights season Lindh was set for in 2020. He could sneak into the top five of the championship and find a way to win a race or two. 

Nolan Siegel: #39 Menlo Ventures Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Siegel was fourth in the Indy Pro 2000 championship on 333 points after winning two races and standing on the podium six times with nine top five finishes. He also started the Indy Lights season finale at Laguna Seca, where he finished tenth and ninth in the two races. 

What to expect in 2023: Testing sent mixed messages. Siegel was sixth in the January Homestead test, but 18th earlier this week and slower than he ran in January. This is where being one of nine HMD-associated drivers is a bad thing. He should pull out some good races but other times he might be the bottom of the barrel.

Danial Frost: #68 DenJet Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Frost won on the IMS road course, but his five top five finishes only earned him seventh in the championship on 382 points. 

What to expect in 2023: Last season was a plateau for Frost. He won but he didn't make any gains. With the grid getting tougher in Indy Lights, I don't see Frost exceeding seventh. It would be something if he got back to seventh. He could still be in the top ten of the championship, but he could be lost in the clutter of HMD drivers.

HMD Motorsports

Josh Pierson: #14 Open Context Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Pierson was third in the FIA World Endurance Championship Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers while winning on debut at Sebring. He was also sixth in IMSA's LMP2 class and he was sixth in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he became the youngest starter at 16 years and 119 days old. 

What to expect in 2023: We aren't quite sure how many races Pierson will do, as he will still have WEC and other sports car racing responsibilities. Pierson did two seasons in U.S. F2000 and was fourth in the 2021 championship. This is a change from an LMP2 car. He is an Ed Carpenter Racing development driver. The results don't carry that much weight. He is only 17 years old. When he commits to a full Indy Lights season then the results will matter.

Kyffin Simpson: #21 Ridgeline/American Legion Dallara

What did he do in 2022: With two top five finishes, Simpson was ninth in the Indy Lights championship on 312 points. He spent the first eight races with TJ Speed Motorsports and the final six races with HMD Motorsports.

What to expect in 2023: Simpson was eighth and seventh in the January Homestead and last week's Homestead test respectively. Last year was underwhelming, and considering his best results were with TJ Speed, it makes 2022 look worse. I don't see a championship driver, at least not in 2023. I am not sure he can win a race. If 2023 is identical to 2022, no one should be surprised. 

HMD Motorsports with Force Indy

Ernie Francis, Jr.: #99 James Schnabel Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Francis, Jr. was tenth in the Indy Lights championship on 299 points with his best finish being seventh in the St. Petersburg season opener. 

What to expect in 2023: With the grid getting deeper, I doubt Francis, Jr. will get back into the top ten of the championship. He is still relatively new to single-seater racing. This is year two in Indy Lights. There should be some improvement and he should be more competitive, but the competition has only increased. Improvement does not mean he will see better results.

Abel Motorsport

Jacob Abel: #51 Abel Construction Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Abel was eighth in the Indy Lights championship with five top five finishes, scoring 355 points.

What to expect in 2023: Performing slightly better than expected, Abel lifted expectations for himself. However, this grid has gotten tougher than 2022. Abel does have the advantage of time with this car and he knows the circuits. If he was eighth in the championship again that would be a respectable achievement. 

Colin Kaminsky: #57 Slick Locks Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Only starting ten of 18 Indy Pro 2000 races left Kaminsky 14th in the championship, but he did score three podium finishes. 

What to expect in 2023: Kaminsky will be toward the back of the field, but not without some good efforts. He just needs time to develop. The results should not stop him from getting a second season in 2024. A second season would got a long way.

Cape Motorsports

Enaam Ahmed: #47 Cape Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Ahmed did not win in Indy Pro 2000, but he had five podium finishes and 13 top five finishes and would earn him third in the championship with 338 points. 

What to expect in 2023: Ahmed was a late addition to the Indy Lights grid, but he was fastest in the January Homestead test and he was fifth at Homestead earlier this week. Ahmed's best quality is he can bring the car home and not tear up equipment, but he was missing that last bit of magic to win races and be a force. He should at least continue his good form. If he is at the front, he will have a shot at victories, but he needs to find that extra boost if he wants to be a contender for more.

Jagger Jones: #98 TotalSim US/SimCrat/APEX Motor Club/Cape Brothers Speed Shop Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Jones was fourth in the U.S. F2000 championship with one victory and five podium finishes. 

What to expect in 2023: Jones is taking the big leap from U.S. F2000 to Indy Lights. The only other notable driver to do that was RC Enerson, and Enerson did quite well in Indy Lights. I don't think Jones is going to be competing at the front immediately. He should at least be a midfield driver and improve over the course of the season. This should at least be a two-year program. 

Juncos Hollinger Racing

Reece Gold: #75 Ticket Clinic Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Gold won four races in Indy Pro 2000, but his seven podium finishes and 11 top five finishes could only earn Gold silver, runner-up in the championship on 390 points. 

What to expect in 2023: Gold had fantastic testing results, second at Homestead in January and then fourth earlier this weekend. He was quite consistent over his two seasons in Indy Pro 2000. If he repeats that form, he could challenge for the top five in the championship. If he can pull out a few victories, it could be enough to win the championship.

Matteo Nannini: #76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Dallara

What did he do in 2022: Nothing. Nannini did not compete in 2022. In 2021, he was 14th in the Formula Three championship with one victory and two podium finishes. He also started eight Formula Two races and his best finish was tenth in the Bahrain feature race.

What to expect in 2023: Nannini surprisingly topped the Homestead test at the start of the week. In January, he was fourth in the Homestead test. He could be ready for a breakout season, but all the circuits will be new. He improved on his second visit to Homestead, but the only track he will visit twice is the IMS road course. A few race victories and a championship challenge is not out of the question, but there will be a few weekends where Nannini is behind the eight-ball and fighting from behind.

USF Pro 2000

The season begins with a St. Petersburg doubleheader over March 4-5. The first of two standalone weekends will be over March 25-26 at Sebring, the first time the series has visited the track since 2010. USF Pro 2000 will be back together on the IMS road course May 12-13 before running at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 27. Road America marks the halfway point with a doubleheader over June 17-18. 

A doubleheader will occur at Mid-Ohio on July 1-2 and another will be on July 15-16. Austin will host the penultimate round of the season, a doubleheader over August 26-27, its first visit to the Texas capital since 2013. Portland will host the final round, ending with a triple-header spread over September 2-3.

Teams:

Exclusive Autosport

Yuven Sundaramoorthy: #90 S Team Motorsports Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Sundaramoorthy had three podium finishes in Indy Pro 2000, but those were his only top five finishes of the season, and he was tenth in the championship on 244 points.

What to expect in 2023: Sundaramoorthy had a slow start in U.S. F2000 and in his third year it clicked. He spent those three seasons and last year in Indy Pro 2000 with Pabst Racing. He is now with Exclusive Autosport. A change of scenery could be a good thing, but I think Sundaramoorthy will be around where he was last year. It would not be surprising if he fell outside the top ten of the championship.

Salvador de Alba: #91 Archandel/Red Cola/Z MotorsTatuus

What did he do in 2022: De Alba was eighth in Indy Pro 2000 on 289 points with two victories, four podium finishes and six top five finishes.

What to expect in 2023: De Alba was the overachiever of the 2022 season. I think he can win a race or two, but end up around where he was last season. It is going to be tough to crack the top five in the championship, and it just feels like the depth will keep him from being a title fighter. He should be the top Exclusive driver in the championship.

Joel Granfors: #92 Corpay Cross-Border Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Granfors was second in the GB3 Championship with two victories and 11 podium finishes in 24 races. 

What to expect in 2023: This is a big jump for Granfors. The GB3 Championship is effective a suped-up Formula 4 car. These will be new circuits. He should be outside the top ten in the championship.

Lindsay Brewer: #93 C4 Smart Energy/Biocide Systems/Autoshocker Tatuus

What did she do in 2022: Brewer competed in 11 of 18 Indy Pro 2000 races with her best finish being eighth. She was 15th in the championship.

What to expect in 2023: Brewer had a few good days in her partial season in 2022. I don't see much of a change in 2023. She will crack the top ten a few times but wind up in the back half of the championship.

Jay Howard Driver Development

Ricardo Escotto: #4 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil Products/LHP Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Escotto was 22nd in the F4 Spanish Championship with his best finish being ninth. He was also 25th in the F4 UAE Championship.

What to expect in 2023: Testing looked good for a driver that was not that spectacular in Formula 4. It is tough to imagine he will be in the championship top ten. A handful of top ten finishes could be a good season for Escotto. He is driving with a respectable team. That will help him.

Reece Ushijima: #6 Susquehanna Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Ushijima was 20th in the Formula Three championship with one podium finishes and five total points finishes.

What to expect in 2023: Ushijima did ok competing in Europe. He was fourth in the 2021 GB3 Championship. He was did score points in Formula Three. That isn't easy. He improved over each session at the Sebring test earlier this week. Ushijima is learning most of these circuits, as he mostly developed in Japan and Europe. You would think he should be a shoe-in for the championship top ten and perhaps a sleeper for the title. I am not sure that is the case. I do think he will have at least a few top five finishes.

DEForce Racing

Bijoy Garg: #7 DEForce Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Garg was ninth in the U.S. F2000 championship on 203 points despite not running the final three races. He had two podium finishes. Garg did run the final four Indy Pro 2000 races, where he finished tenth in three of those races.

What to expect in 2023: Garg did surprisingly well last year, and his U.S. F2000 championship finish would have been better if he had run the final three races. He got a taste of this series last year, but I think this will be a learning year and he will be in the back half of the top ten of the championship with a chance he is just outside the top ten, but there will be three or four notable days.

Kiko Porto: #12 Banco Daycoval/Petromega Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Porto won one race, had three podium finishes and six top five finishes to earn seventh in the championship on 290 points.

What to expect in 2023: Porto had a tough first season in USF Pro 2000, but he should move forward in 2023. This championship has regenerated talent. A lot of good drivers left for Indy Lights, but the talent that has entered is equally as good. I don't think Porto is going to have his way, but he should still be competing for top five in the championship. A title isn't out of the question either.

Pabst Racing

Jordan Missig: #19 Racing For Mental Health/AMV Ventures Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Missig was 11th in the Indy Pro 2000 championship on 199 points with his best finish being sixth.

What to expect in 2023: Missig took a good stride forward in preseason testing. Things looked better toward the end of 2022. I am not sure he can be a constant top five presence, but he should pick off at least a few top five finishes and maybe find three or four positions in the championship.

Jace Denmark: #20 Metal Works Custom Fabrication Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Denmark was third in the U.S. F2000 championship with four victories, seven podium finishes and 11 top five finishes, leaving him with 363 points.

What to expect in 2023: Denmark was a quiet championship contender in U.S. F2000 last year. I almost expect the same thing to happen in USF Pro 2000 this year. He will have some strong days, but we will not see him dominate and win four or five consecutive races. He will build his season with top five runs and podium finishes while minimizing poor days.

Myles Rowe: #99 Penske Entertainment Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Rowe was runner-up in the U.S. F2000 championship on 381 points, winning a series-leading five races, standing the podium ten times with 13 top five finishes.

What to expect in 2023: Rowe topped the USF Pro 2000 test held at Sebring earlier this week. Rowe had a big breakthrough last season, and it was crushing he didn't win the U.S. F2000 championship, where he was arguably the best driver in 2022. Accidents cost Rowe the title, and he has a way of getting into them while in strong positions. If he cleans it up, he could easily be USF Pro 2000 champion. Rowe should be competitive and win a few races, but I think there will still be a handful of results where he throws it away and it makes his season more difficult. 

Turn 3 Motorsport

Michael d'Orlando: #1 Focused Project Management Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: D'Orlando won the U.S. F2000 championship on 387 points with four victories, eight podium finishes and 14 top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2023: D'Orlando won the U.S. F2000 championship by not making mistakes. He didn't have many accidents and could bring a car home in the top five. He was in the top five of the U.S. F2000 championship in three consecutive seasons. Each of those three seasons basically look the same. Regular top five finisher, and that will get you victories and podium finishes. I almost expect to see the same in this series and at worst he will be fifth in the championship, at best he has another title and will be onto Indy Lights.

Jonathan Browne: #2 Human Centred Movement/CRPS Awareness Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Browne was 12th in the Indy Pro 2000 championship on 187 points with one top five finish. 

What to expect in 2023: Testing didn't look much different from 2022. Browne could find his way into the top five more, but could still be just outside the top ten in the championship.

Christian Brooks: #3 OFTV Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Brooks was entered for the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 season with Exclusive Autosport, but an accident in qualifying ahead of the St. Petersburg season opener ended his season. 

What to expect in 2023: We aren't sure. Brooks tested at Sebring and was tenth in testing, but Brooks has not announced any plans for this season. He had a promising few seasons in U.S. F2000 and looked ready for something special in 2022. 

Jackson Lee: #47 IU Simon Cancer Center/Browning Chapman/Prime 47 Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Lee ran 13 U.S. F2000 races with his best finish being seventh. He was 15th in the championship.

What to expect in 2023: In 27 U.S. F2000 starts, Lee had four top ten finishes. I don't think it gets much better in USF Pro 2000. He will be battling Browne for who is better among the Turn 3 Motorsport drivers.

Miller Vinatieri Motorsport

Jack William Miller: #40 Patterson Dental/Blue Marble Productions Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Miler had two podium finishes and six top five finishes in Indy Pro 2000 on his way to finishing ninth on 251 points.

What to expect in 2023: With the talent that has entered this series, Miller should take a step back. Expect fewer podium finishes, fewer top five finishes and Miller sliding back in the championship. 

TJ Speed Motorsports

Lirim Zendeli: #10 Vexavit/Ajdini Spedition Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Zendeli competed in the Formula Three round at Barcelona, where he finished 20th and 15th, and the Formula Two round at Spa-Francorchamps, where he finished 20th and 21st. In 2021, he was 17th in the Formula Two championship with his best finish being seventh.

What to expect in 2023: TJ Speed is bringing over a few European drivers and Zendeli was seventh in the Sebring test. We haven't seen many drivers with Formula Two experience come to USF Pro 2000. Zendeli is a championship sleeper. Every track will be new, but he should have no issues with the car. It will not be surprising if he wins races this season. 

Christian Weir: #32 EComfort.com/Ferguson/ProFlow Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Weir was eighth in the U.S. F2000 championship with 229 points. He stood on the podium twice and he had four top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2023: Weir looked good last season. He has flashes, but hasn't shown breathtaking pace. He left some room for improvement in testing. He should have a few top ten finishes and it should have him clawing for a top ten championship finish.

Francesco Pizzi: #55 Villa Mercede/Shaka Spirit/Roscioli Hotels Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Pizzi was 27th in the Formula Three championship with one point scored at Imola. He stared 2023 winning the LMP2 class in the 24 Hours of Daytona with Proton Competition.

What to expect in 2023: Like Zendeli, Pizzi is coming from Europe, and he had a good start in Formula 4, but his Formula Regional European and Formula Three results are not anything to brag about. However, Pizzi was eighth in testing, right on Zendeli's heels. I feel less confident in Pizzi's success than Zendeli's. This season could see Pizzi be a stunning champion or he has a few brilliant results and then about nine races full of mistakes that knock him down the championship.

NeoTech Motorsport

Nicholas Monteiro: #81 Unique/Caye International Bank/Collection Suites Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Monteiro was eighth in the F4 Brazilian championship. 

What to expect in 2023: This is a massive leap for Monteiro. It will be a rough season. 

U.S. F2000

The U.S. F2000 schedule almost exactly mirrors the USF Pro 2000 schedule. It starts with doubleheaders at St. Petersburg and Sebring. The IMS road course round will be a triple-header for U.S. F2000. There will be one race at Indianapolis Raceway Park and a doubleheader at Road America. 

Mid-Ohio will be a triple-header before a doubleheader in Toronto and the season will conclude with U.S. F2000's third triple-header in Portland. 

Teams:

Jay Howard Driver Development

Evagoras Papasavvas: #6 BodyWise/Tiger Natural Gas/Ares Elite Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Papasavvass participated in the final ten races of the U.S. F2000 season. His best finish was 11th and he ended up 23rd in the championship. 

What to expect in 2023: Last year was Papasavvas' first in car racing. It was a good start. Results should get better. He should at least get a few top ten finishes and perhaps a few top five results.

Al Morey: #7 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil Products/LHP Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Morey started 12 of 18 Formula 4 United States Championship races with his best finish being ninth.

What to expect in 2023: This is a big jump from Formula 4. I don't think he will be a front-runner immediately, but he could develop into one as the season progresses.

Lochie Hughes: #8 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil Products/LHP Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Hughes won the Formula 4 United States Championship with six victories and ten podium finishes from 18 races. He also ran the Mid-Ohio U.S. F2000 round where his best finish was fourth. 

What to expect in 2023: Hughes should be competitive. He should be pushing for race victories and podium finishes. If he does that, he will be in the championship conversation.

Louka St. Jean: #9 Planiform Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: St. Jean was 11th in the Formula 4 United States Championship after starting 12 of 18 races with one podium finish.

What to expect in 2023: There should be a battle between St. Jean and Morey for third best JHDD driver this season. 

DEForce Racing

Mac Clark: #1 Clubine Motorsports/Valkyrie Al Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Clark won the USF Juniors championship on 393 points with five victories and 12 podium finishes from 16 races. He started the U.S. F2000 round at Portland and won the second race while finishing fourth in the first race.

What to expect in 2023: Clark is exciting, and he could be set for a massive season. Clark was third in the Sebring test. No one would be surprised if he won the championship. He won immediately last year driving in a cameo role. He is more than ready for this step. He should be one of the best this season. 

Jorge Garciarce: #10 Sidral Aga/Red Cola/Skarch Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Garciarce was 13th in the U.S. F2000 championship on 142 points with his best finish being sixth. 

What to expect in 2023: Results improved over the course of 2022. I think he will make a step forward and at least be in the top ten of the championship.

Maxwell Jamieson: #12 2W Technologies Inc. Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Jamieson was 15th in the USF Juniors championship on 97 points with his best finish being eighth.

What to expect in 2023: With limited racing experience and slow testing results, Jamieson will be using this year to grow. 

Exclusive Autosport

Jacob Douglas: #90 JDM Properties Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Douglas was 12th in the U.S. F2000 championship on 179 points with three top five finishes.

What to expect in 2023: Douglas should make an improvement in year two. Championship top ten should be his goal and he should be aiming to push for the top five.

Joey Brienza: #91 UBS Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Brienza started only three U.S. F2000 races, but participated in three rounds. His best finish was tenth.

What to expect in 2023: Brienza has plenty of experience in F1600 competition. He will be part-time in U.S. F2000 while running full-time in USF Juniors. 

Nicholas d'Orlando: #92 Focused Project Management Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: D'Orlando started the final ten U.S. F2000 races and he had four top ten finishes, giving him 20th in the championship on 77 points. He ran the first two rounds in the USF Juniors championship.

What to expect in 2023: D'Orlando had a good first taste of U.S. F2000. He should be pushing to be the best Exclusive Autosport driver if he drives full-time, but at the moment, all he has confirmed is St. Petersburg.

Avery Towns: #93 Speed IntelliComm/Pizza Inn/Towns Law Firm Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Towns won the SCCA Formula X US Majors championship for the second consecutive year. 

What to expect in 2023: Towns did not start racing until he was 18 years old in 2021. He immediately became an SCCA champion. This is a step above club racing. The success will not come as easy.

Chase Gardner: #95 Mindshift Financial Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Gardner ran in the U.S. F2000 round on the IMS road course. His best finish was tenth.

What to expect in 2023: Though he ran at IMS last year, Gardner still does not have that much car racing under his belt. There will be some growing pains in 2023, but he could have a few impressive drives.

Velocity Racing Development

Sam Corry: #14 Red Line Oil/Fill-Rite/Stilo Helmets Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Corry was second the USF Juniors championship on 369 points with three victories, 11 podium finishes and 12 top five finishes.

What to expect in 2023: Corry was in Mac Clark's shadow last season in USF Juniors. He is 15 years old and he should be using this season as a building block. Another year in U.S. F2000 would not be a bad thing in 2024.

 

Nikita Johnson: #17 Allen Exploration, LCC/Walker's Cay Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Johnson ran in eight U.S. F2000 races. He was runner-up in the first Portland race and had four top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2023: Johnson showed a few sparkling moments in his partial season in 2022. He could piece together a strong season and find himself pushing for top five in the championship. 

Danny Dyszelski: #18 Formula Imports/Charlotte Mechanical Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Dyszelski ran 14 of 18 U.S. F2000 races and his best finish was sixth. He finished 16th in the championship on 99 points. 

What to expect in 2023: Last year was his first year in car racing. He doesn't turn 15 years old until April. There is no rush. A few more top ten results than 2022 would be a good season.

Gordon Scully: #19 VRD Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Scully was seventh in the FRP Formula 16000 Championship Series.

What to expect in 2023: A late-bloomer, Scully is 24 years old and last year was his first year in car racing. Expectations are low. This is a big leap for him. 

Noah Ping: #32 Ping Racing/Star Pharmaceuticals Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Ping was third in the Formula 4 United States Championship with four victories and eight podium finishes. 

What to expect in 2023: This car should be in Ping's comfort zone. He shouldn't struggle mightily, but the competition could be tougher than Formula 4 and have Ping scraping for results.

Zack Ping: #97 Ping Racing/Star Pharmaceuticals Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Ping ran in the World Racing League and competed in the SCCA Spec Racer class.

What to expect in 2023: Ping has announced he will drive in USF Juniors, but it appears he will also get a few U.S. F2000 starts as well. 

Pabst Racing

Simon Sikes: #22 Group6Gear Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Sikes started the first eight U.S. F2000 races with three top five finishes and his worst finish was ninth, but he did not run the final ten races and was 14th in the championship on 119 points. An average of 14.875 points per start had him on pace for 267.75 points, good enough for sixth.

What to expect in 2023: Sikes has had three partial seasons in U.S. F2000 and he has shown promise. Sikes topped the Sebring test. He has also won multiple SCCA national championships. If he competes full-time, he could compete for the championship, but history tells us he will not run a full season. 

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development

Elliot Cox: #67 Drive Planning/Hartman Oil Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Cox was 11th in the USF Juniors championship on 140 points but he did not run the final three races.

What to expect in 2023: This should be a building year, but Cox looked good in testing. He will only turn 16 years old in August. He should have a two-year U.S. F2000 plan, but an early championship could accelerate his career plans.

Future Star Racing

Andre Castro: #56 Wings & Wheels Foundation/Premier Arms Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Castro was fifth in USF Juniors on 233 points with one podium finish and six top five finishes.

What to expect in 2023: This is a comeback for Castro. He first ran in U.S. F2000 in 2017 and ran six races in 2021. He did well in USF Juniors last year, but not remarkable. This is a new team. Results will be tough to come by. 

Trey Burke: #58 Wings & Wheels Foundation/Premier Arms Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Burke ran the first ten U.S. F2000 races and his best finish was seventh. He also ran the Indy Pro 2000 race at Gateway and the NASCAR Truck race at Mid-Ohio. 

What to expect in 2023: Burke hasn't shown much in single-seater racing. He has been dabbling in NASCAR and ARCA. He isn't going to be in the top ten regularly and I sense this is the year he sees a shift in his career direction. 

DC Autosport

Ethan Ho: #68 Triple S Suspensions/MEGA Automotive Tatuus

What did he do in 2022: Ho was seventh in the USF Juniors championship with 182 points and two top five finishes. He ran in the U.S. F2000 final round at Portland where his best finish was 11th. 

What to expect in 2023: Ho will also be competing full-time in USF Juniors again this year while running part-time in U.S. F2000. However, he was second quickest in the Sebring test. Keep an eye on him. 

The first Road to Indy Series race will be USF Pro 2000 competing at 11:15 a.m. ET on Saturday March 4 from St. Petersburg. U.S. F2000 will have its first race later that afternoon at 3:45 p.m. ET. On Sunday March 5, U.S. F2000 opens up the day with its second race at 8:00 a.m. ET. Indy Lights will be at 10:00 a.m. ET and USF Pro 2000 rounds out the day at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Musings From the Weekend: Reverse It

Red Bull wore white after Labor Day, but it was Valtteri Bottas on top at the Turkish Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton was upset about his strategy. Formula One lost its Medical Car team for the weekend due to COVID cases. The Norisring hosts its first event in over 27 months and there was a controversial and incredible championship comeback. Romain Grosjean and Jimmie Johnson ran laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. There was also a Firestone tire test at the Speedway. Alpine confirmed an LMDh program for 2024. Jacques Villeneuve is going to test a NASCAR Cup car. Andretti Autosport could be on the verge of taking over Sauber. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking.

Reverse It

Another Indy Lights season ended last weekend and looking at the numbers it was a top-heavy season. 

Champion Kyle Kirkwood won ten races. Runner-up David Malukas won seven races. Third in the championship, Linus Lundqvist, won three races. The rest of the grid combined for zero victories.

It is the fewest race winners in an Indy Lights season since 1995 when Greg Moore won ten races and Robbie Buhl and Pedro Chaves each won once in a 12-race season. But the number of winners was not the number of the most concern. In 20 races, there were a grand total of 11 official lead changes and there were zero lead changes through the first seven races. 

Three of those lead changes are erroneous as they were times when the pole-sitter did not lead the opening lap, but for some reason in the United States we count that as a lead change. Think about how absurd that is. David Malukas led every lap in the second Road America race and yet a lead change is marked down because Malukas started second. There were really eight lead changes in Indy Lights over a 20-race season. That is an average of 0.4 lead changes per race. 

I don't have a problem with only three drivers winning all the races. All credit to Kirkwood, Malukas and Lundqvist. They combined to lead 678 of 682 laps all season. Shout out to Benjamin Pedersen (one lap), Danial Frost (one lap) and Toby Sowery (two laps) for leading the rest. But I think this shows a small problem with Indy Lights and it could be one of the things holding the series back. 

Indy Lights does not have pit stops in its races. The longest race was 85 miles in 2021 with the shortest at 59 miles. These are sprint races that take no longer than 45 minutes to complete and for each race the field is set via a qualifying session. That sounds great and it is fair for everyone, but what we end up getting is the top drivers always starting at the front and less competition, especially as the leaders get the advantage of clean air while the rest of the pack has to cut through the turbulence, slowing them down and allowing the leaders to run away.

 

Thirteen of 20 races were won from pole position and 16 races were won from the front row. It is a series that only had 11-13 cars in each race. It is unlikely a car is going to win from ninth, but Indy Lights has its own agency to make the series a little more competitive. 

While Indy Lights is a development series, it is the series right below IndyCar. This is no longer a bunch of drivers trying to learn what it is like to drive a race car. These are drivers on the cusp of high-level motorsports, some are already competing in high-level motorsports, such as the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship and European Le Mans Series. 

Like many other ladder series around the world, Indy Lights runs doubleheaders each weekend. Most other ladder series around the world invert part of the grid for one of the races. Indy Lights does not as it runs separate qualifying sessions for each race. 

With barely a dozen entries, Indy Lights has more to gain than lose from introducing an inversion to its race weekends. For starters, it might keep drivers on the grid. It does not look good when drivers leave Indy Lights midseason because they are no longer in contention for the championship. It is not a good thing when Toby Sowery, a previous Indy Lights race winner, and Alex Peroni, a respectable driver who moved over from Europe this season, both leave the championship early. It is even worse because unlike Formula Two or Formula Three where a team will fill a seat, in Indy Lights, a team will be just as happy not to run a car than not run one. Juncos Racing did fill the Sowery vacancy, but Carlin did not replace Peroni. 

There is a correct way to introduce an inversion. Indy Lights has so few entries I would be ok with flipping the entire field. It would be risky with the likes of Christian Bogle and Antonio Serravalle leading the field, but Indy Lights has to do something different. It could have a different points system for the second race, award points for most positions made up and just be something different after doing basically the same thing forever. 

Inversion would also give drivers who are normally at the front a chance to pass cars. Indy Lights drivers are not going to enter IndyCar and immediately qualify on the front row each week. It is more likely they will be starting between tenth and 20th every weekend. If they are going to be passing cars in IndyCar, they mind as well get some practice in Indy Lights.

More importantly, an inversion might give people a reason to tune into both races. In the current format, it is easy to see why people might bypass an Indy Lights race weekend. If Indy Lights inverted the field or at least inverted the top eight, it would give people a different race than the first one and people would tune in to see how the top finishers from race one do making it through the field in race two. 

Again, Indy Lights might be a development series, but there is a reason why those races are broadcasted on Peacock, and the likes of Indy Pro 2000 and U.S. F2000 are not. Indy Lights needs viewers. Viewers bring in sponsors. Sponsors pay the bills for race cars. Race cars are a good thing for a racing series.

This would not be a crazy thing for the drivers. Again, Indy Lights is the step below IndyCar. If the drivers in Formula Two and Formula Three can handle it, the drivers in Indy Lights should not have a problem either, especially when many of these drivers have already experienced it in Europe. Indy Lights is not a little kid series. Some of these drivers might be teenagers, but they have spent years in race cars. Though not in the top division, they are professionals. They spend their every waking moment training to be in a race car. Facing added difficult on the racetrack will only be good for their development. 

Penske has brought Indy Lights back under the IndyCar umbrella after Andersen Promotions ran it for eight years. There will be some changes with new management. Hopefully, Penske sees that Indy Lights needs to do something on the racetrack to increase competition. An increase in competition is once again a good thing for a racing series. 

Champions From the Weekend

Maximilian Götz clinched the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship after sweeping the races from the Norisring.

The #51 Iron Lynx Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Cô Ledomegar and Nicklas Nielsen clinched the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with a seventh-place finish at Barcelona.

The #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin of Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn won the IMSA WeatherTeach GT Daytona Sprint Cup championship. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Valtteri Bottas and Maximilian Götz, but did you know...

Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup race from Charlotte, his seventh victory of the season. A.J. Allmendinger won the Grand National Series race, his fifth victory of the season.

The #4 Corvette of Nick Tandy and Tommy Milner won the IMSA race from Virginia International Raceway, the team's third consecutive victory. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor and Zacharie Robichon won in the GT Daytona class, the team's fourth victory of the season.

The #88 AKKA ASP Team Mercedes-AMG of Felipe Fraga, Jules Gounon and Raffaele Marciello won the 3 Hours of Barcelona.

Néstor Girolami and Norbert Michelisz split the World Touring Car Cup races from Most.

Coming Up This Weekend

The Super Formula season has its penultimate race at Motegi. 

The Intercontinental GT Challenge returns for the third Indianapolis 8 Hours.

NASCAR begins its semifinal round in Texas.

World Rally Championship runs its penultimate round with Rally Catalunya

World Superbike is apparently going to Argentina. 

World Touring Car Cup will race in Pau, but not that Pau, Circuit Pau-Arnos to be specific.

Track Walk: Belle Isle 2021

Belle Isle is back

The seventh and eighth rounds of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season take the series to Belle Isle. The 2.35-mile street course returns to the calendar after it was unable to host an event last year due to the pandemic and local restrictions. It is the second of five returning venues on the schedule. With an additional entry set for Belle Isle, there will be 25 cars on the grid this weekend, the largest Belle Isle field since 25 cars were entered for the 2013 doubleheader. These will be the final two races of spring and the 28th and 29th IndyCar races respectively held on Belle Isle Park.

Coverage
Time: Race one coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday June 12 with green flag scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET. Race two coverage begins at noon ET on Sunday June 13 with green flag scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC
Announcers: Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell will be in the booth. Marty Snider and Kevin Lee will work pit lane.

IndyCar Weekend Schedule 
Friday:

First Practice: 5:00 p.m. ET (75 minutes)*

Saturday:

Qualifying: 11:00 a.m. ET *

Race: 2:05 p.m. ET (70 laps)
Sunday:
Qualifying: 9:00 a.m. ET (NBCSN will have live coverage)*
Race: 12:40 p.m. ET (70 laps)

* - All practice and qualifying sessions are available live on Peacock.

Palou on Top

While Hélio Castroneves was in the spotlight after his fourth Indianapolis 500 victory, runner-up Álex Palou finds himself leading the IndyCar championship entering Belle Isle. Palou has led the championship after three races this season. He first led after his first career victory at Barber in the season opener. Despite finishing 17th at St. Petersburg, the Spaniard held a two-point lead leaving Florida. He did lose the championship lead after the first Texas race, but Palou has stayed in the top three all season with his largest deficit to the top spot being 26 points. 

With 85 points from the Indianapolis 500, Palou has a 36-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon. 

The championship leader after the Indianapolis 500 has a track record of remaining at the top of the field. Since 1997, the championship leader after Indianapolis has won the championship seven times, including Scott Dixon last year. In seven of the last 24 seasons the championship leader after Indianapolis has gone on to finish second in the championship. 

Since 2000, only once has the leader after Indianapolis not finished in the top five of the championship, and that was Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014, who went on to finish sixth. Jeff Ward and Mike Groff are the only other post-Indianapolis championship leaders not to finish in the top five of the championship since 1997. In both cases, those drivers were outside the top ten, with Ward falling to 11th. Groff was 14th, but he was replaced after fracturing his tibia in practice at Texas. He made one more start at Charlotte and missed the final two races after suffering a concussion at Loudon. 

Thirty-six points is not a small lead. This is the fourth-largest championship lead after Indianapolis since double points were adopted in 2014. Dixon won the title last year after holding an 84-point lead and Simon Pagenaud won off the back of a 57-point lead after Indianapolis in 2016. Hunter-Reay had a 40-point lead after his 2014 victory, but still dropped to sixth. 

While it looks favorable for Palou, who else is comfortable heading to Detroit?

Let's set the parameters. Since 1997, 23 of the last 24 champions have been in the top eight of the championship after the Indianapolis 500. Greg Ray is the one outlier as Ray went from 20th, 81 points back after the Indianapolis 500 to champion in 1999. The 1999 Indy Racing League is significantly different from the 2021 IndyCar Series. There were only ten races in 1999, all ovals and it could be statistically speaking one of the worst grids in IndyCar history. However, Ray sets the bar for worst championship position and largest deficit. 

Focusing on the DW12-era, five of the nine champions overcame a deficit of 40 points or greater after the Indianapolis 500. Scott Dixon overcame the largest deficit, as Dixon was 61 points behind Juan Pablo Montoya after the 2015 Indianapolis 500. 

Dixon is also one of two drivers in the DW12-era to be outside the championship top five after Indianapolis to go on and win the title. The New Zealander was eighth, 46 points behind Marco Andretti in 2013, and Dixon ended that season with his third championship. Josef Newgarden was seventh, 59 points behind then-Penske teammate Hélio Castroneves after Indianapolis in 2017 and Newgarden went onto win his first championship. 

Dixon is 36 points back in second with Patricio O'Ward 37 points off in third. Simon Pagenaud is up to fourth in the championship, 47 points behind Palou, with Rinus VeeKay rounding out the top five, trialing Palou by 57 markers. 

Newgarden finds himself sixth and 64 points off the top spot. There is a 30-point gulf between Newgarden and Colton Herta while Graham Rahal is 100 points off the top spot in eighth. 

Palou's weekend will start with a minor setback. Because the team changed an engine between Carb Day and the Indianapolis 500 without approval, Palou will have to serve a six-grid spot penalty in race one from Belle Isle. 

Possible History

Through six races there have been six winners this IndyCar season, representing six different nationalities. History could be made this weekend. There have been seven IndyCar seasons to feature seven different winners through the first seven races. The most recent was in 2017. 

There has only been one IndyCar season to feature eight different winners through the first eight races. That was 1911, which had 13 different winners to open that season. 

The good news is we have 19 drivers who could extend the streak on Saturday afternoon, including the most recent road course pole-sitter, Romain Grosjean. 

Grosjean returns in the #51 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing. He led 44 of 85 laps in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis from pole position before falling to second after a difficult battle in lapped traffic. A victory for Grosjean would not only be another winner, but the fourth first-time winner in 2021. The last time IndyCar had four first-time winners in a season was 2013. Only three drivers have scored their first IndyCar victory at Belle Isle. They are Hélio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud and Carlos Muñoz. Dale Coyne Racing has one victory at Belle Isle. It came with Mike Conway in the first race in 2013.

Dale Coyne Racing's other driver, Ed Jones, also could extend the streak and be the fourth first-time winner of 2021. Jones has yet to pick up a top ten finish this season and he has not had a top ten finish in his last 14 starts. His last top five finish was 29 starts ago, a third at Belle Isle. It is one of three tracks where Jones has a podium finishes. 

Three quarters of Andretti Autosport are winless this season. All three of those drivers are ranked 15th or worse in the championship. Alexander Rossi leads that grouping and for the second consecutive year Rossi exits the Indianapolis 500 coming off the worst finish in his IndyCar career. Last year, Rossi followed Indianapolis up without completing a lap in the next race. His best finish this season is seventh. This is his longest stretch without a top five finish to open a season in his IndyCar career. He has four top five finishes in eight Belle Isle starts and he has led 65 laps at the track.

Ryan Hunter-Reay also has not finished in the top five this season and he has finished in the top five of his last four Belle Isle starts, including a victory in the second race in 2018. James Hinchcliffe hasn't finished in the top 15 this season, let alone the top ten or top five. Hinchcliffe is 24th in the championship, ahead of only Dalton Kellett amongst the drivers to have started every race this season. 

Graham Rahal swept the Belle Isle races in 2017 and he has not won an IndyCar race since. Rahal's first victory made him the seventh different winner through seven races that season. In Rahal's 63 starts since his most recent victory, he has seven podium finishes, 18 top five finishes and 44 top five finishes. He is coming off a 32nd place finish in the Indianapolis 500. In 2014, Rahal was 33rd at Indianapolis and followed it up with a runner-up finish in Belle Isle. 

Takuma Sato could extend the streak and could also make it seven different nationalities to win a race. Sato has not had a top five finish since he was second in the first Gateway race last year. He has not had a top five finish on a street course since he was third in the first Belle Isle race in 2019. 

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing remains at a three-car lineup for a second consecutive race weekend, as Santino Ferrucci will remain the #45 Honda for the Belle Isle doubleheader. Ferrucci was sixth at the Indianapolis 500, the top RLLR finisher. He has finished in the top ten in all three of his Indianapolis 500 starts. Three years ago, Ferrucci made his IndyCar debut at Belle Isle and finished 22nd and 20th with Dale Coyne Racing. He was 19th and tenth at the track in 2019. After opening 2020 with three consecutive top ten finishes on road/street courses, Ferrucci finished outside the top ten in the final five road/street course races. 

Marcus Ericsson's first trip to Belle Isle started with a 13th-place result in the damp conditions on Saturday in 2019, but he followed it up with a runner-up finish the next day, Ericsson's first and so far only podium finish in IndyCar. He has three top ten finishes this season and 12 top ten finishes in 20 starts with Chip Ganassi Racing. 

Jack Harvey is another driver entering looking for a first career victory. Harvey carries the extra weight of driving for the Indianapolis 500 winning team, but not being the driver responsible for that victory. He has finished outside the top fifteen in his last three starts after starting the season with an 11th, fourth and seventh. This will be Harvey's first time competing at Belle Isle. Five of his six street course starts in IndyCar have come at St. Petersburg. He was 12th in the 2018 Grand Prix of Long Beach. 

A.J. Foyt Racing has fallen on hard times after opening the season with finishes of fifth and tenth with Sébastien Bourdais. Bourdais has not finished better than 19th in the last four races and Dalton Kellett's best finish this season is 18th. This is Bourdais' worst stretch of races since 2015-16, when he ended the 2015 season with three consecutive finishes outside the top fifteen and then opened the 2016 season with a 21st-place result at St. Petersburg. The Frenchman is a two-time Belle Isle winner, one of six former winners in the field this year and one of five drivers all-time with multiple victories at the circuit.

Conor Daly is coming off his best finish of the season in 13th. Daly led 40 laps in Indianapolis, the most in the race. It is the first time Daly has led the most laps in a race in his IndyCar career. Daly's only podium finish came at Belle Isle in the first race in 2016. Daly has not run at the track since 2017. 

Felix Rosenqvist is 20th in the championship, 129 points off his Arrow McLaren SP teammate Patricio O'Ward. Rosenqvist has not finished in the top ten this season. He was fourth in his first Belle Isle start two years ago, and he was running in the top ten before he spun with damaged suspension in race two.

Max Chilton and Jimmie Johnson are back this weekend. Chilton is three points ahead of Johnson in the championship. Both drivers have made the same number of starts, but Chilton started the double points Indianapolis 500 and Johnson did not. Johnson also has the better finish this season of 19th at Barber, while Chilton's best result was 20th, coincidentally at Barber.

Team Penske's Bagels

All four Team Penske drivers could also extend IndyCar's different winners streak, as the most successful team in IndyCar has yet to take a checkered flag first this season. The last time Team Penske did not win one of the first six races was in 2013, and that is when the team did not win until the eighth race of the season. 

Things are much better than that 2013 campaign. Eight years ago, Hélio Castroneves was the only driver with a podium finish through the first seven races. Will Power had only one top five finish. A.J. Allmendinger was part-time, having run five of the first seven events. Allmendinger was seventh at Indianapolis, but he was outside the top twenty in three starts, and he was taken out on the opening lap of both Belle Isle races. 

Flash-forward to 2021, and all four Team Penske drivers have been on the podium this season. Team Penske has had a podium finisher in five of six races this season. Three of the drivers have runner-up finishes. Three of the drivers are in the top ten of the championship and the worst Penske driver is in 12th. 

A third-place result at Indianapolis gave Simon Pagenaud two podium finishes this season, but it also lifted Pagenaud to fourth in the championship on 201 points, 47 behind Álex Palou. Pagenaud's first career victory came at Belle Isle in 2013, but he has only two podium finishes and three top five finishes in the 12 races since. He swept the pole positions for the 2016 races, but since then he has started seventh or worse. Pagenaud has started in the top ten in four of six races this season. He started in the top ten of four of 14 races in 2020. 

Josef Newgarden won the first Belle Isle race in 2019 and he is sixth in the championship. Since joining Team Penske, Newgarden has three top five finishes in six Belle Isle starts after having only one top five finish in his first nine starts at the track. He was on the front row for both races in 2019, but before that he had never started in the top five in 13 attempts. Newgarden has won a street course race in three of the last four seasons and four of the last six seasons. 

Scott McLaughlin may have made a mistake speeding on pit lane at Indianapolis, which dropped him to 20th at the finish, but McLaughlin is ninth in the championship. He was eighth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Among the Penske drivers, McLaughlin has the third best average finish at 10.5, but he has the second-best average starting position at 12th. He was the top Penske qualifier for the Indianapolis 500. 

We do not say this often but bringing up the rear for Team Penske is Will Power. Though 12th in the championship, Power has failed to finish in the top ten in his last four stats and he was runner-up at the Barber season opener. He does not have a pole position this season. It is only the third time in his IndyCar career he does not have a pole position through the first six races of a season. The other two were his rookie season in 2006 and reunification season in 2008. Strangely enough, Power has only one pole position at Belle Isle and that was for the Saturday race in 2015. He has only one top five start in his last eight Belle Isle appearances. 

If Team Penske does not win this weekend, it will be the first time the organization has not won one of the first eight races in a season since its last winless season in 1999. 

Qualifying Adjustment

This year's Belle Isle weekend will see a slightly modified qualifying session compared to previous seasons. 

Both Belle Isle races this weekend will feature a two-round qualifying session. Round one will see the grid split into two groups and each group will get ten minutes on track. The fastest six drivers from each round will advance to round two. Round two will be another ten-minute session that will set the first six rows of the grid. The drivers that do not advance from group one will set the odd-numbered positions on the grid from row seven downward with the drivers not advancing from group two setting the even-numbered positions from row seven downward. 

In previous years, only the first round of qualifying would take place at Belle Isle, with two groups split in half. The fastest time from the two groups would get pole position and the remaining drivers from that group would set the odd-numbered positions. The fastest time from the other group would start second and the remainder of that group would set the even-numbered positions. The fastest drivers from each group would receive a championship point. 

IMSA

IMSA joins IndyCar this weekend for the first of two companion weekends. Belle Isle marks the fourth round of the championship. Twenty cars are on the entry list. 

Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor are coming off their second victory of the season at Mid-Ohio last month and the drivers of the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura have 1,070 points, 55 points ahead of the #55 Mazda of Oliver Jarvis and Harry Tincknell. The #55 Mazda has finished on the podium of all three races this season, and it even was on the podium in the qualifying race ahead of the 24 Hours of Daytona. 

Sebring winners Loïc Duval and Tristan Vautier are third with 951 points in the #5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac. Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr have the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac on 918 points in fourth. Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla sit fifth with 904 points in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura. Chip Ganassi Racing has finished fifth in the last three races and Kevin Magnussen and Renger van der Zande enter Belle Isle will 859 points. 

Wayne Taylor Racing has won four of eight Belle Isle races since 2012. General Motors had won seven consecutive races before Team Penske and Acura won in 2019 with Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya. Ricky Taylor leads 

There will be 12 GT Daytona entries at Belle Isle, but this race only counts toward the WeatherTech Sprint Cup and not the overall GTD championship. Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley won at Mid-Ohio last month and they lead the Sprint Cup championship with 380 points in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW. The Turner twosome also lead the overall GTD championship with 920 points, seven ahead of the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin of Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn.

Lexus won at Belle Isle in 2019 and it has made a late change to its driver lineup in the #12 Lexus. Townsend Bell will be in the car with Frankie Montecalvo as Zach Veach has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be forced to miss the race. Montecalvo and Veach were second at Mid-Ohio last month. Jack Hawksworth won at Belle Isle two years in the #14 Lexus. At Mid-Ohio, Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz are coming off a lost opportunity at Mid-Ohio when suspension issues took the car out of the race after leading the opening stint. 

Katherine Legge and Mario Farnbacher each have two Belle Isle victories, and they won together in 2018 driving an Acura for Meyer Shank Racing. Farnbacher is still in an Acura, driving the #76 Compass Racing Acura with Jeff Kingsley, while Legge splits the #88 Porsche with Rob Ferriol for Team Hardpoint EBM. Richard Heistand won with Hawksworth two years ago. Now, Heistand will drive the #39 CarBahn with Peregine Racing Audi with Jeff Westphal. Westphal won at Belle Isle in 2014 with Scuderia Corsa. 

Lamborghini has yet to win at Belle Isle and the Italian manufacture has the #1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini of Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers leading the way. Snow and Sellers have a pair of third place finishes this season.

Corvette will run both cars this weekend, the only two GT Le Mans cars competing. Belle Isle was designated as a non-championship event for the class. The #3 Corvette of Antonio García and Jordan Taylor lead the championship with 662 points after a victory at Daytona and fourth at Sebring. Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy trail the sister car by 47 points, as the #4 Corvette was second at Daytona and fifth at Sebring.

The IMSA race will take place at 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday June 12. This race is scheduled for 100 minutes.

Indy Lights

While IndyCar and IMSA have been regulars at Belle Isle, Indy Lights makes its first trip to the street course since 2012. 

David Malukas and Linus Lundqvist split the Indy Lights races weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last month and they are 1-2 in the championship. Malukas has 151 points, 11 more points than Lundqvist. Malukas has five consecutive podium finishes. Kyle Kirkwood has five consecutive top five finishes and the American trails Malukas by 27 points. Toby Sowery was on the podium in both IMS road course races and the Briton rounds out the top four on 105 points. 

Alex Peroni picked up his first podium finish of the season with a third in the second IMS road course race. That result moved Peroni to fifth in the championship on 101 points, two points ahead Devlin DeFrancesco and six points ahead of Danial Frost. Benjamin Pedersen was runner-up in the opening race of the season at Barber, but Pedersen has not finished in the top five since and he has dropped to eighth on 88 points. Robert Megennis has only one top five finish and sits on 83 points. 

Reigning Indy Pro 2000 champion Sting Ray Robb rounds out the top ten on 72 points. Antonio Serravalle has 64 points, three more than Nikita Lastochkin and Christian Bogle is last in the championship on 59 points.

Gustavo Yacamán won the most recent Indy Lights race at Belle Isle nine years ago. It was a Colombian 1-2, as Carlos Muñoz was second and Oliver Webb rounded out the podium. There was only one American in that race, as 43-year-old Rodin Younessi was 12th out of 13 cars. Younessi retired after 12 of 40 laps and it was his second of two Indy Lights starts. 

Race one of the weekend will take place at 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday June 12 with race two scheduled for 10:35 a.m. ET on Sunday June 13.

Fast Facts

Saturday's race will be the 12th IndyCar race held on June 12 and first since Tony Kanaan won at Texas in 2004. 

There has been one Belle Isle race held on June 12. Paul Tracy won that race with Team Penske in 1994. 

Sunday's race will be the sixth IndyCar race held on June 13 and the first since Danny Sullivan's final IndyCar victory in 1993 at Belle Isle driving for Galles Racing. 

Honda has won nine of 15 Belle Isle races since 2012. Honda has swept the Belle Isle doubleheader three times since 2013 while Chevrolet has swept it twice. 

Five times has a driver won at Belle Isle and gone onto win the championship (Bobby Rahal 1992, Alex Zanardi 1998, Will Power 2014, Scott Dixon 2018 and Josef Newgarden 2019). Since becoming a doubleheader, the three drivers to win at Belle Isle and win the championship all won the first race of the weekend.

The average starting position for a Belle Isle winner is 5.629 with a median of fourth. 

Since 2013, the average starting position for a race one winner is eighth. Three of the seven race one winners have started outside the top ten. Three of the seven race one winners have started second. 

The average starting position for a race two winner is 6.428. Five of the seven race two winners have started outside the top five and the race two winner has never started on the front row. 

In 2019, only four drivers finished in the top ten of both Belle Isle races. All four drivers were Americans (Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi, Graham Rahal and Zach Veach).

The greatest number of drivers to finish in the top ten of both Belle Isle races is six and it has happened four times (2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018).

Only four drivers have finished on the podium of both Belle Isle races (Mike Conway 2013, Will Power 2014, Graham Rahal 2017 and Ryan Hunter-Reay 2018).

Five of the last six Belle Isle winners have led the most laps. 

American drivers have won four of the last six Belle Isle races. American drivers had won only four of the first 21 Belle Isle races. 

The average number of lead changes in a Belle Isle race is 4.333 with a median of five. 

Twelve of the last 13 Belle Isle races have featured at least five lead changes. Only three of the first 14 Belle Isle races had at least five lead changes. 

The average number of cautions in a Belle Isle race is 4.148 with a median of four. The average number of caution laps is 14.629 with a median of 14.

Five of the last eight Belle Isle races have featured two cautions or fewer. There has never been a caution-free race at Belle Isle. The most cautions were eight in 1999 and in the rain-shortened first race in 2015.

Possible Milestones:

Scott Dixon is one victory away from tying Mario Andretti for second all-time with 52 victories.

Scott Dixon is one podium finish away from his 125th podium finish.

Will Power is one victory away from the 40-victory milestone.

Alexander Rossi is one podium finish away from his 25th podium finish. 

Sébastien Bourdais needs to lead 43 laps to reach the 2,700 laps led milestone.

Josef Newgarden needs to lead one lap to reach 2,500 laps led milestone.

Ryan Hunter-Reay needs to lead 51 laps to reach the 1,600 laps led milestone.

James Hinchcliffe needs to lead 19 laps to reach the 800 laps led milestone.

Graham Rahal needs to lead 50 laps to reach the 500 laps led milestone.

Colton Herta needs to lead 136 laps to reach the 500 laps led milestone.

Predictions

We will reach eight different winners through the first eight races, as Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi split the weekend. One of those winners will start outside the top five. Álex Palou will finish outside the top ten in one of the races. The gap between first and second in the championship will be smaller than 36 points after this weekend. Sébastien Bourdais bounces back and gets top ten finishes in both races. Romain Grosjean will start ahead of his teammate in both races. Jimmie Johnson will not have a spin. James Hinchcliffe will pick up his best finish this season. There will be one race where both Arrow McLaren SP drivers finish on the lead lap and Felix Rosenqvist is at least four positions ahead of Patricio O'Ward. There will not be a red flag or delay due to rain. Sleepers: Marcus Ericsson and Ryan Hunter-Reay.