Colton Herta grew up watching his father, Bryan Herta, race in the Indianapolis 500. This weekend, he’ll get to race around the part of the oval for the first time.
Herta, who competes in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, will join the other future stars of INDYCAR when the three Mazda Road to Indy Series visit the reconfigured Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course as part of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
The three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy - the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires – will each conduct two races May 9-10.
Veach and Chaves to Continue their Battle for Indy Lights Supremacy
Zach Veach and Gabby Chaves have each won two races this year in Indy Lights -- the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder -- and have their eyes firmly set on a MAZDASPEED Driver Development Scholarship which will assist them in taking the final step into the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2015.
They're separated by nine points in the championship chase, primarily because Veach kept his podium streak alive in the second race at Barber while Chaves was involved in an incident during Race 1, which resulted in a sixth-place finish.
The battle for third place in the points table is even more closely contested with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian teammates Luiz Razia and Jack Harvey tied after four races.
The Indy Lights teams and drivers will gain their first experience of the new track layout with a pair 45-minute practice sessions May 8 Qualifying will take place May 9, followed by the green flag for a 40-minute "sprint" race at 5:30 p.m. The May 10 60-minute "feature" event will start at 1:30 p.m.
Pigot Seeks to Maintain his perfect season in Pro Mazda
Twenty-year-old Spencer Pigot has taken this year's Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires by storm.
After winning the preseason Cooper Tires Winterfest in dominant fashion, Pigot has claimed a maximum 130 points from the opening two doubleheaders of the season.
There will be no shortage of potential challengers to Pigot's early season dominance at this week's Allied Building Products Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Juncos Racing teammate Kyle Kaiser finished second in the first two races, while last year's USF2000 champion Scott Hargrove mirrored that feat in the two most recent races.
The Allied Building Products Grand Prix of Indianapolis weekend will commence a pair of practice sessions May 8. Qualifying will take place May 9 and Race 1 will start at 4:30 p.m. The green flag for Race 2 will fly at 12:10 p.m. May 10.
Enerson and Team E Racing Lead the Way in USF2000
RC Enerson, 17, from New Port Richey, Fla., will lead the 23-car field when the USF2000 series makes its debut at Indy.
Enerson holds a 41-point advantage over his rivals after earning three wins and one second-place finish from the opening four rounds.
In common with the other two Mazda Road to Indy series, the 23-car USF2000 field will commence the weekend with a pair of practice sessions May 8. Qualifying will take place May 9, followed by the first of two 40-minute races after Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying at 3:30 p.m. Race 2 on May 10 will commence at 11 a.m.