Along with the start of the IndyCar season comes the start of the three Road to Indy series. There has been plenty of driver movement as new faces entering while others move up to the next level and one moves down in hopes to get a better crack at IndyCar. There has been a name change. With Mazda scaling back its involvement in the ladder system, the Pro Mazda Championship has been renamed Indy Pro 2000.
All three series were on track at Homestead last week in preparation for the start of the season. We will preview every driver and what we should expect from them in 2019.
Indy Lights
It will be an 18-race season for Indy Lights and it starts with a doubleheader from St. Petersburg on March 9th and 10th. The series will head to Austin with IndyCar for the first time in the series history on March 23rd and 24th. There will be a month and a half off before returning to competition on May 10th and 11th on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The Freedom 100 on Carb Day is the first race of the second-third of the season on May 24th and then the series will take another month off before the doubleheader at Road America on June 22nd and 23rd. Toronto is the only other street course on the schedule with a doubleheader on July 13th and 14th. Mid-Ohio closes the month of July with two races on the 27th and 28th.
The series will take another month off before running its second of two oval races at Gateway on August 24th. Portland will host the penultimate round on August 31st and September 1st. Laguna Seca hosts the season finale on September 21st and 22nd.
Teams:
Andretti Autosport
Robert Megennis: #27 Palo Alto Networks/CyberArk Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Fifth in the Pro Mazda championship with 269 points from six podium finishes.
What to expect in 2019: Megennis has been a respectable drive in the Road to Indy but he has never been the dominant driver. He has made it to Indy Lights with one victory in 47 starts but his championship finishes between two years of U.S. F2000 and Pro Mazda are sixth, sixth and fifth and he does have nine total podium finishes. I think he is a good driver and this isn't a deep field. Add to that being with the best team and he will likely end up on the podium a few times. Maybe a race victory falls into his lap but because of the tentative size of the field, he might be in the back half for most of the season.
Oliver Askew: #28 Andretti Autosport Dallara Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Third in the Pro Mazda championship with 303 points from one victory and five podium finishes.
What to expect in 2019: Askew was fastest at the Austin test and I think he will challenge for the championship. I think everyone has reassessed the Floridian after his Pro Mazda season. Compared to his dominating U.S. F2000 championship in 2017, he took a step back when he moved up to Pro Mazda but if there is one saving grace it is his results improved from the first half of the season to the second and he clawed his way to third in the championship. It was also the first year of the PM-18 chassis and he may have been caught out. I think he is going to win a few races and he will be up there for the championship.
Ryan Norman: #48 EVO Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Fourth in the Indy Lights championship with 345 points. He won at Gateway, his first Indy Lights victory and he had three other podium finishes, all third place finishes at Barber, Toronto and Mid-Ohio.
What to expect in 2019: Norman is one of the few Indy Lights experienced drivers on the grid and I think that will pay off for him. Compared to 2017, the grid was smaller in 2018 and that allowed Norman to achieve 13 top five finishes after only having one the year before but he did win a race at Gateway where he beat his teammates Patricio O'Ward and Colton Herta and he won pole position for the second Portland race. I think he will be toward the front but will finish behind Askew in the championship.
Belardi Auto Racing
Julien Falchero: #4 Kuantic/Axodel/NX Telematic/Qectel Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Made 14 starts in the GP3 Series and scored zero points. Made two starts in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class with G-Drive Racing with his best finish being seventh at Portimão.
What to expect in 2019: Falchero is only signed up for the season opener but he was competitive at the Austin and Homestead test. He is the sleeper because if he runs the full season he could be the champion. This is not the deepest Indy Lights grid.
Lucas Kohl: #5 Bellko Trading/Kohltrade/IVI Vision Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Third in the U.S. F2000 championship with 215 points from four podium finishes.
What to expect in 2019: Kohl is taking the RC Enerson route and jumping from U.S. F2000 to Indy Lights. I don't think it is going to pay off. He was good in U.S. F2000 but not great and he could benefit from a year in Indy Pro 2000. He was slowest at the Austin test. He may get a hang of the car over the course of the season but I do not think he will be consistently on the podium.
Zachary Claman: #13 Zoological Wildlife Foundation/Abe & Mary's/Paysafe/UPS Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 23rd in the IndyCar championship after making nine starts with his best finish being 12th in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
What to expect in 2019: Claman should be a championship contender. He is coming in with some IndyCar experience, he did well in Indy Lights in his final year with Carlin and he is with a team that has won the championship with Belardi Auto Racing. He is going to win a few races but just because he has run IndyCar doesn't mean he is going to walking over the competition. This is going to be a tough fight for him as he looks to get to IndyCar full-time.
Juncos Racing
Rinus VeeKay: #21 Mazda/Jumbo Supermarkets/La Place Restaurants/KNAF Talent First Mazda
What did he do in 2018: VeeKay won the Pro Mazda championship with 412 points from seven victories from 16 races. He also won the 2019 Asian F3 Winter Series championship.
What to expect in 2019: VeeKay has come to the United States and taken little time to get acclimated to the scene. He pushed Askew for the title in U.S. F2000 two years ago and last year he was quick and consistent to earn the Pro Mazda title. I don't see that changing. I think he is going to push for a few race victories and he will find himself in the championship conversation with Askew and Claman as his biggest rivals with Norman being a slight outsider.
Dalton Kellett: #67 K-Line Insulators USA, Inc. Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Seventh in the Indy Lights championship with 299 points and he finished third in the Freedom 100 for the third consecutive year while he also finished third at Mid-Ohio.
What to expect in 2019: This will be Kellett's eighth season in a Road to Indy series and fourth in Indy Lights. He has made 108 Road to Indy starts and his best finish is third on six occasions, including in three consecutive Freedom 100s but all those came with Andretti Autosport. Juncos Racing is good but it isn't Andretti Autosport. He may get another third but he isn't going to finish in the top five of the championship.
BN Racing
Toby Sowery: #2 Gap Guard/Rich Energy Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Made two starts in Pro Mazda at Road America with RP Motorsport and finished second in each race. Made six starts in Italian F4 Championship with two third-place finishes and two fourth-place finishes. Ran in the Pro-Am class of International GT Open with his best finish being ninth.
What to expect in 2019: Sowery is only confirmed for St. Petersburg and his entry is in partnership with Team Pelfrey. Sowery has shown potential. He was third in the 2016 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship behind Matheus Leist and Ricky Collard and the following year he was fifth in the championship. He has dabbled in the Road to Indy before, as he ran the Barber round in U.S. F2000 in 2017. He is a late addition to the grid and he was at the bottom of the timesheet at the Homestead test but if he runs the entire season I think his results will improve significantly from the start of the season.
David Malukas: #79 HMD Trucking Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Fourth in the Pro Mazda championship with 293 points and three victories.
What to expect in 2019: Malukas has been a bit of a scrapper. He was part-time in U.S. F2000 two years ago and he was competitive. Last year, he won three races but he had a handful of bad days that cost him points. He is moving up with BN Racing, the team he has driven for the last two years and he in the middle at the Austin but off the leaders. I think it could be a trying year as BN Racing learns a new car against a field that has been running it since it was introduced. Malukas could have a few good days and get on the podium three or four times.
Indy Pro 2000
The Indy Pro 2000 seasons starts at St. Petersburg with races on March 8th and 9th but the series will have two months off before it returns to action on May 10th and 11th from the IMS road course. The first oval race of the season will be May 24th at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
After a month off, the series runs twice at Road America on June 22nd and 23rd with doubleheaders at Toronto on July 13th and 14th and a doubleheader at Mid-Ohio on July 27th and 28th following.
Like Indy Lights, the series takes off before returning to Gateway on August 24th, running at Portland on August 31st and September 1st and closing the year at Laguna Seca on September 21st and 22nd.
Teams:
Juncos Racing
Sting Ray Robb: #1 Go out Local/Big Idaho Potato Truck/OMP/Intervention.com/Marika Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Seventh in the Pro Mazda championship 231 points and one podium finish.
What to expect in 2019: This will be Robb's third season in this series. He has the one podium finish. I think he is just a good driver and instead of sliding up into the top tier of drivers in this series the next batch of talent from U.S. F2000 moves in and keeps him in the back half of the top ten. Surprisingly, Robb ended the Homestead test fastest overall and he was second quickest in two of the other four sessions. This could be his best season yet but I am not sure he can keep it up over 16 races.
Rasmus Lindh: #10 Chicago Pneumatic/PWR Junior Team/SFK Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Second in the U.S. F2000 championship with 238 points from five podium finishes.
What to expect in 2019: Kyle Kirkwood dominated last year in U.S. F2000, which makes Lindh's results seem less impressive but I think the Swede is a good driver and he will be competitive. Juncos Racing has won this title the last two years and I think Lindh gives the team a good shot at making it three consecutive. It will be tough but I think Lindh wins at least one race and he is on the podium at least six times. While his teammate ended the Homestead test fastest overall, Lindh was consistent and was in the top five for the final four of five sessions.
RP Motorsport
Damiano Fioravanti: #5 Marika Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Sixth in the International GT Open championship with a victory at Circuit de Catalunya.
What to expect in 2019: Fioravanti is returning to single-seater racing after a year in sports cars and his testing results were not great. He was toward the bottom of the chart in most of the sessions from Homestead. The Italian ran for RP Motorsport in the Euroformula Open Championship and he won a race in 2015 but that is it. He never had flashy results in European single-seaters. He will be in the back half of the top ten.
Kyle Kirkwood: #28 Mazda/Firstex Industries/Bell Helmets/Sabelt Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Kirkwood won the U.S. F2000 championship with 12 victories from 14 races with his other two finishes being fifth and second. He scored 440 points. He also won the F3 Americas championship with 15 victories from 17 races and he won the IMSA Michelin Encore with Roman De Angelis in the #13 ANSA Motorsports Ligier-Nissan.
What to expect in 2019: Kirkwood has the tremendous weight around his neck of winning a championship and moving up and being expected to win another championship and I think he could do it. RP Motorsport will be in its second year in what is now Indy Pro 2000. Last year, the team won with Harrison Scott twice and Scott had six podium finishes in 12 starts. Kirkwood ended the Homestead third overall and I think Kirkwood will challenge for the title and at worst finish in the top three.
Abel Motorsports
Parker Thompson: #8 Abel Motorsports Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Second in the Pro Mazda championship with 345 points from three victories and six podium finishes.
What to expect in 2019: Thompson has been taking his time climbing the ladder. This will be his fifth season in the Road to Indy and the first three were in U.S. F2000. He will be on his fourth team after spending the last two with Exclusive Autosport. The Canadian has finished in the top three of a championship the last three seasons but has yet to win a title. Last year seemed to be his but he had a rough handful of results right when Rinus VeeKay went on a tear. This kind of feels like Thompson has to win the title this year. He is moving to a new team but it doesn't appear to be a hurdle as he was second fastest at the Homestead test.
Jacob Abel: #51 Abel Construction Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 23rd in the U.S. F2000 championship after starting five races with his best finish being 10th at Road America. He also finished fourth in the F3 Americas Championship with four podium finishes from 11 starts and he finished 15th in the Formula 4 United States championship.
What to expect in 2019: Abel is a young driver and he is still getting a hang of it. I don't think he is going to push his teammate and there will be some days where he will be in the top five and others where he is at the back of the field.
Exclusive Autosport
Daniel Frost: #68 Den-Jet Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 17th in the U.S. F2000 championship after starting seven races with his best finish being fourth at Toronto.
What to expect in 2019: Frost did not participate in the first day of the Homestead test and in the two Sunday sessions he was running in the middle of the field. I think he will be competing for best out of the Exclusive Autosport drivers but that might be for at best fifth in the championship.
Nikita Lastochkin: #90 Russkaya Mekhanika Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Ninth in the Pro Mazda championship with 209 points and his best finish was fourth at Toronto and Portland.
What to expect in 2019: This will be Lastochkin's third year in this series and fifth in the Road to Indy. He has never won a race and he has two podium finishes in 59 starts but he was around the top five for majority of this test. This might be his best season in this series but I don't think he is a title challenger.
Parker Locke: #91 Exclusive Autosport Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Sixth in the F3 Americas championship after starting eight races with three podium finishes. He also finished 15th in the 2019 Toyota Racing Series with his best finish being seventh.
What to expect in 2019: Not a lot. Locke was toward the bottom of the timesheet at this test.
DEForce Racing
Moisés de la Vara: #6 UAG/I.E.P/MOTUL/JUMEX/Oil Depot Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 15th in the Pro Mazda championship after starting the final five races with his best finish being fourth at Gateway. He also won the NACAM Formula 4 Championship with nine victories from 18 races.
What to expect in 2019: This could be the sleeper of the season. De la Vara looked good in his few starts last year and he was fourth quickest in this test. He could win a race and if he keeps finishing in the top five while Thompson has bad days and Kirkwood might finally have a bad day it could open the door for him to contend for the title.
Kory Enders: #7 MB Sugarland/Caliber Collision/McLaren Houston Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Eighth in the U.S. F2000 championship with 143 points with his best finish being third at Portland. He ran the Pro Mazda round at Barber and finished seventh and 13th in those races. He made six starts in the NACAM Formula 4 Championship and won three races with two runner-up finishes and a third.
What to expect in 2019: Enders has been good but has never been great in his two years in U.S. F2000. He was not at the Homestead test. I think he will be a mid-pack driver.
Pserra Racing/Jay Howard Driver Development
Antonio Serravalle: #11 Tycoon Capital Limited Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 13th in the Pro Mazda championship after starting ten of the first 11 races with his best finish being eighth at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
What to expect in 2019: Serravalle had a respectable Homestead test and it appears he will make a big step forward from his 2018 results.
FatBoyRacing!
Charles Finelli: #83 Surgere Hagerty Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Tenth in the Pro Mazda championship after starting 13 of 16 races with his best finish being sixth in both Toronto races.
What to expect in 2019: Bottom of the charts.
Phillippe Denes: #98 PR Energy/Zoltan Denes/Denes Realty Carmel Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Started the International GT Open final weekend at Catalunya with Finelli. Won the SPX class at the 12H Silverstone.
What to expect in 2019: Denes made four Pro Mazda starts in 2017 and he was decent. He wasn't at the Homestead test. I think the back half of the top ten is the best he can do.
U.S. F2000
St. Petersburg is the first of seven weekends to have all four series of the Road to Indy on track and U.S. F2000 will run on March 8th and 9th to start the season. It will take two months off with Indy Pro 2000 and return on May 10th and 11th at the IMS road course. The only oval race in U.S. F2000 will be at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 24th before taking a month off before a doubleheader at Road America on June 22nd and 23rd.
It will run at Toronto on July 13th and 14th and Mid-Ohio on July 27th and 28th before taking over a month off. The penultimate round will be August 31st and September 1st at Portland and the series concludes on September 21st and 22nd from Laguna Seca.
Teams:
Cape Motorsports
Darren Keane: #2 Cal Development/Keane Architectural Woodwork Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 14th in the U.S. F2000 championship after starting 12 of 14 races. His best finish was third at St. Petersburg.
What to expect in 2019: Keane was the fastest at the Homestead test and he is with the benchmark team when it comes to U.S. F2000. I think his results improve and he wins a few races. It would not be surprising if he was in the championship discussion.
Reece Gold: #3 School of Racing/The Ticket Clinic Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Lucas Oil Formula Race Series champion with five victories and 13 podium finishes from 16 starts.
What to expect in 2019: Gold was the slowest of the three Cape Motorsports driver but he was in the back half of the top ten. I think this is a learning year for him and this year will be important for him getting laps and having something to build on for 2020 onward.
Braden Eves: #8 MDRN Livery/Community Choice Financial Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Won the Team USA Scholarship but was unable to participate due to a medical reason. Ran the Portland round of the U.S. F2000 championship as well as races in the Formula 4 United States Championship and the F1600 Championship Series.
What to expect in 2019: Eves was not far off Keane and I think those two will both be in the top five of the championship with multiple race victories.
Jay Howard Driver Development
Matt Round-Garrido: #5 Excel Labs/No Stone Unturned Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Northern Irish Formula Ford champion.
What to expect in 2019: He was in the top ten for most of this test but he will be learning the tracks. I think he will be competent and he could be in contention for podium finishes come the end of the season.
Christian Rasmussen: #6 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Third in the Formula 4 United States Championship with five victories from 17 starts.
What to expect in 2019: This is going to be a fun season in U.S. F2000 because it seems like there are at least six drivers you would not be surprised by if they won the championship and this is one of them. Rasmussen should win a few races.
Christian Bogle: #7 Pelican Energy Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Made eight starts in the Formula 4 United States Championship with his best finish being 17th at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
What to expect in 2019: Bogle only ran one session at Homestead and he was 17th out of 18 cars. This is someone who still has a long way to go.
DEForce Racing
Manuel Sulaiman: #12 DEForce Racing Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Ninth in the F4 British Championship with his best finish being fourth at Thruxton. He leads the NACAM Formula 4 Championship with three victories through five races.
What to expect in 2019: Sulaiman was at the top for most of this test and was not far off Keane for best overall time. If he runs the series he should be a title contender.
Legacy Autosport
Alexandre Baron: #14 Metalloid Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 12th in the U.S. F2000 championship with 123 points but only started the first seven races. He won at St. Petersburg and the IMS road course.
What to expect in 2019: I have no clue. Baron won in Indy Lights in 2014 when he was 19 years old. If you had told me that day at Toronto in five years he would be in U.S. F2000 I would say something must have drastically gone wrong. Nothing terrible happened but it appears another talented driver with not enough funding to stick around. He could win the championship but he could also be gone after six races. I hope he is here for the entire season.
José Sierra: #77 Go-Kart Mania/RPLracing/Telcel Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 11th in the U.S. F2000 championship with 128 points. His best finish was second in the first race of the season at St. Petersburg after he started on pole position.
What to expect in 2019: His 2018 season started off great but the results fell off by the end of the year. I think his results will be better than the finish of his 2018 season but he will not quite be at the front battling for victories.
Pabst Racing
Yuven Sundaramoorthy: #21 S team Motorsports Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Ran the Mid-Ohio round in the U.S. F2000 championship and finished tenth in two of the three races. Third in the F1600 Championship Series.
What to expect in 2019: Sundaramoorthy is just off that top group of drivers. I think his results will be good and he will be in the top ten most of the time. There may be a few races where he breaks through and could end up on the podium.
Hunter McElrea: #22 Mazda/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory Partners Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Road to Indy Scholarship winner. Australia Formula Ford champion with 13 victories.
What to expect in 2019: I think he will be good but his testing results had him toward the back of the top ten. This could be a case where his results improve throughout the season.
Colin Kamiskey: #23 Slicks Locks Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Tenth in the U.S. F2000 championship with 134 points and his best finish was fourth at Road America.
What to expect in 2019: If enough drivers run full-time I think Kamiskey finishes outside the top ten of the championship.
Bruna Tomaselli: #24 Bruna&Bia Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 16th in the U.S. F2000 championship with 87 points and her best finish was seventh at St. Petersburg.
What to expect in 2019: I think Tomaselli and Kamiskey will be near each other on the racetrack and in the championship and that will not be toward the front.
BN Racing
Anthony Famularo: #28 Andres cames de res/3g Consulting Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 22nd in the Italian Formula 4 Championship with his best finish being eighth at Vallelunga and Mugello.
What to expect in 2019: Famularo ran competitive times in the Homestead test. BN Racing had good results with David Malukas. I think he will be in the top ten of the championship but not a title contender.
Newman Wachs Racing
Nolan Siegel: #36 Menlo Ventures Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Moving up from karting. He ran in the Challenge of the Americas, SKUSA California Pro Kart Challenge and Central European Rotax Championship.
What to expect in 2019: Siegel's times were not that impressive at the Homestead test but this is his first big step into car racing from karting and this year will be more about gaining experience and improving than winning races.
Cameron Shields: #73 Dependable Sheds/HRX/Vision Sports Science Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Second in the Australian Formula 3 Premier Series with seven victories from 18 races.
What to expect in 2019: Shields was competitive at the Homestead test and I think he could win a race. Newman Wachs Racing has not won a race since returning to competition in 2017. The team might just be off the likes of Cape Motorsports but Shields could be the driver to breakthrough for the team and I think he will at least be fighting for the top five in the championship.
Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
Jack William Miller: #40 Indy Dental Group, LLC/Lumist Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 18th in the Formula 4 United States Championship with his best finish being sixth at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
What to expect in 2019: Miller's testing results were not great. He is 15 years old. Let's give him time and not expect much from him this year. This year will be about gaining experience and growing for 2020 and beyond.
Eduardo Barrichello: #41 Bib's Chocolate Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 20th in the Formula 4 United States Championship with his best finish being eighth at Road America and New Jersey Motorsports Park.
What to expect in 2019: He has the name but name aside Barrichello was quick and I think he has what it takes to be on the podium and probably win a race. I think he is in the top group of drivers entering this season along with Keane, Eves, Sulaiman, Rasmussen and Shields, and Baron if he runs the full season, with Sundaramoorthy, McElrea and Gold in the next group.
Team E/JAY
Nate Aranda: #69 WePURSUIT Mazda
What did he do in 2018: Fifth in the Lucas Oil Formula Race Series with one victory and four podium finishes.
What to expect in 2019: Aranda is going to be toward the back of the field as he continues to learn and get used to car racing.
Exclusive Autosport
Manuel Cabrera: #90 Gateway Systems/Gateway Telecoms Mazda
What did he do in 2018: 22nd in the U.S. F2000 championship after starting the first seven races with his best finish being eight at Road America.
What to expect in 2019: Cabrera was toward the back of most sessions at Homestead and I don't think he will be close to the top ten of the championship.
Indy Pro 2000 and U.S. F2000 will be the first to hit the track at St. Petersburg on Thursday March 7th with each series having one practice session and a qualifying session. Indy Lights will have its first practice and qualifying session on Friday March 8th.
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