INDIANAPOLIS — Lucas Oil Raceway plays host on Friday to the first oval race of the year for the two lower levels of the Mazda Road to Indy, the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda.
The “Carb Night Classic” will be the first chance on an oval for many of the drivers, so MRTI hosted a clinic at the 0.686-mile oval on Thursday.
Harrison Scott (above) is among the oval newbies, though the Brit has two Pro Mazda victories on the season and sits fourth in points after six races – all on road and street courses. Scott’s team, RP Motorsport, has also never raced on an oval, so the challenge facing the 2017 Euroformula Open Champion is immense.
“I’m definitely excited,” Scott said. “Obviously, there’s been a lot of talk and hype, everyone’s saying how much you’re going to enjoy the oval racing and for sure it’s going to be fast.
“It’s going to be fun and the fact that you have the walls there and you’re going at such high speeds, your eyes are always going to be open and you’re always going to be kind of on the edge of your seat. I’m looking forward to that, looking forward to the challenge.”
In USF2000, 21 cars are set to take the green flag, the largest USF2000 field at LOR since 2014. With an added points emphasis to ovals across MRTI, more drivers are entering the events. Championship leader Kyle Kirkwood has also never raced on an oval, but his Cape Motorsports team has six oval victories since the MRTI was founded in 2010.
“I’m actually very excited,” said Kirkwood. “I didn’t really know what to expect coming into this weekend. We got one two-day test under our belt and I’m actually very intrigued with the oval and the way that the race is going to pan out.
“I’ve watched some videos with the team from Spencer Pigot, Scott Hargrove, guys like that, so I’ve got a little bit of a reference to what to expect. But it’s all new to me and I’m very excited for the weekend.”
Topics discussed during the oval clinic included different lines through the turns, passing, restarts, car handling and blocking. Panelists included Pro Mazda race steward Johnny Unser, 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires champion Kyle Kaiser and 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series and 2011 Indy Lights champion Josef Newgarden.
“It’s actually quite fun because you learn so much over the years,” Newgarden said of oval racing. "You develop incredibly when you’ve had six or seven years in INDYCAR. It’s amazing the amount of knowledge you obtain and being able to pass that on and then just speak honestly to young drivers, it helps them, it helps me.
“I think when you hear it from a driver (with oval experience), it’s more impactful.”
The Carb Night Classic begins Friday with USF2000 qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by Pro Mazda qualifying at 3:05 p.m. The 75-lap USF2000 race begins at 6:05 p.m., with the 90-lap Pro Mazda race to follow.