Indy Lights — The 200 mph club & predictions for the Freedom 100

What do Zach Veach, driver of the No. 5 Indy Lights Dallara for Belardi Auto Racing, and Indianapolis 500 legend Tom Sneva have in common? They both were the first to break the 200 m.p.h. barrier in their respective series. Sneva set the 1-lap speed record, 200.535 mph, during his qualification runs for the 1977 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in his No. 8 Penske Racing Norton Spirit McLaren M24/Cosworth. During the Indy Lights testing session late Monday afternoon, Veach ran a lap in his 450-hp IL15 at 201.455 mph. Topping 200 mph with only 450 hp just goes to show how far race cars have evolved over the decades.

Veach led the Monday testing session by nearly four mph over Andretti Autosport’s Dalton Kellett whose fastest lap was at 197.713 mph. This morning, the field of sixteen Indy Lights drivers had one more opportunity to practice before qualifications which were originally scheduled for the afternoon. Although no one was able to get above 197 mph, Zach Veach was still near the top of the time sheets with a 197.936 mph, just 0.021 mph shy of Juan Piedrahita. All in all, it was shaping up to be a good week for Zach who returns to Indy Lights after a year hiatus. Zach had been running near the front all season, scoring podium finishes at St. Petersburg and at Barber Motorsports Park, but never in a position to poise a strong challenge for a victory. This seemed to be his week to break through and jolt his season into high gear.

This is Springtime in the Midwest, so weather is always an important factor, and today was no exception. A line of storms was steadily marching toward the Speedway, bringing what promised to be day-ending rains. Race officials decided to truncate the morning practice session and advance the qualifications to 1115 EDT. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the qualifications started early enough. After half of the field made it through their qualifying runs, and after Zachary Claman De Melo spun during his attempt, the rains began ending the day and ending any chance of qualifying the remaining seven drivers. With qualifications scrubbed, the starting grid for tomorrow’s Freedom 100 will be set by championship points. This was a huge blow for Veach.

Carlin Racing’s Ed Jones, who struggled for speed during the testing session, but had good pace for the morning practice session, will start on pole alongside his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports rival Santiago Urrutia. Veach will start on the inside of Row 4 in 7th. Patience will be a challenge, but with the right positioning, it is possible to come back from mid-field. Also working in Veach’s favor is his extensive experience on ovals and especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to claim a victory, but I do expect him to work his way back to the front. Ed Jones, having had a successful practice, is the favorite to take the win. Urrutia didn’t have strong pace either Monday or this morning, but starting from the front gives him a good chance to battle Jones.

The Freedom 100 has a history of offering close, nail-biting racing. Hopefully the rain stays away long enough to get the race in tomorrow. The green flag drops at 12:30 EDT, and you can follow the action at racecontrol.indycar.com.

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Monday Testing Session Speeds

Pos	No	Driver	Team	BestSpd
1	5	Zach Veach	Belardi Auto Racing	201.455
2	28	Dalton Kellett (R)	Andretti Autosport	197.713
3	7	RC Enerson	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	197.390
4	14	Felix Rosenqvist (R)	Belardi Auto Racing	197.191
5	55	Santiago Urrutia (R)	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	196.828
6	51	Shelby Blackstock	Andretti Autosport	196.669
7	27	Dean Stoneman (R)	Andretti Autosport	196.568
8	4	Felix Serralles	Carlin	196.258
9	17	Andre Negrao (R)	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	195.719
10	2	Juan Piedrahita	Team Pelfrey	195.564
11	22	Neil Alberico (R)	Carlin	194.398
12	18	Kyle Kaiser	Juncos Racing	194.216
13	3	Scott Hargrove (R)	Team Pelfrey	193.504
14	13	Zachary Claman De Melo (R)	Juncos Racing	193.356
15	77	Heamin Choi (R)	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	193.196
16	11	Ed Jones	Carlin	192.419

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Thursday Practice Session Speeds

Pos	No	Driver	Team	BestSpd
1	2	Juan Piedrahita	Team Pelfrey	197.957
2	5	Zach Veach	Belardi Auto Racing	197.936
3	7	RC Enerson	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	197.672
4	11	Ed Jones	Carlin	197.651
5	4	Felix Serralles	Carlin	197.633
6	55	Santiago Urrutia (R)	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	197.504
7	18	Kyle Kaiser	Juncos Racing	197.252
8	3	Scott Hargrove (R)	Team Pelfrey	197.133
9	22	Neil Alberico (R)	Carlin	197.087
10	27	Dean Stoneman (R)	Andretti Autosport	196.831
11	51	Shelby Blackstock	Andretti Autosport	196.669
12	28	Dalton Kellett (R)	Andretti Autosport	195.768
13	17	Andre Negrao (R)	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	195.554
14	14	Felix Rosenqvist (R)	Belardi Auto Racing	195.143
15	13	Zachary Claman De Melo (R)	Juncos Racing	193.954
16	77	Heamin Choi (R)	Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian	193.379