A trio of supplemental races that will be held this weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park that supports Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 event features the open-wheeled stars of tomorrow as well as a NASCAR developmental series.
It begins with the NASCAR K&N PRO Series as they showcase the Monaco Gateway Classic Presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. The green flag drops for the 150-lap showdown at Madison’s 1.25-mile oval Friday at 9:15 p.m.
The stock-car based series has competitors that participate in either East or West Division races but Gateway’s Friday event contains both factions. It had previously held a mixer earlier this year at the Casey’s General Store 150 at Iowa Speedway in late-July.
East Division driver Tyler Ankrum, who won the aforementioned sprint, currently sits atop the standings after eleven races with four wins in his portfolio with a 471-point output. Tyler Dipple, who has a win and nine Top 20s recorded, trails the leader by 45 points.
Rusty Wallace – Photo Credit: IndyCar – Steve Snoddy
West drivers looking to clam the checkered flag include current leader Derek Thorne, who sits atop the points standings (382) and finished second at Iowa, as well as Ryan Partridge, who trails the hierarchy by only 18 points.
Hometown hero and NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace will be the race’s grand marshal and will give the command to start the event. Wallace won the 1989 NASCAR championship when it still was referred to as the Winston Cup Series and was inducted into the governing body’s Hall of Fame in 2013.
For more information on the series, go to THIS LINK.
Next up in the trifecta is the Pro Mazda Series presented by Cooper Tires’ 55-lap sprint that takes place Saturday at 3:45 p.m. It is the second official step on the three-tiered Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder system, bridging the gap between the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires.
The series’ champion is awarded a scholarship package from Mazda of over $790,000 to advance to the Indy Lights competition the following year.
Currently heading into Stage 14 of the 16-event schedule, rookie driver Rinus VeeKay currently holds a 25-point lead in points to rookie Parker Thompson (320-295). VeeKay claimed back to back wins at the two-race stop at Mid-Ohio in late-July and has six wins on the season. Thompson seeks his fourth checkered flag of the year at Gateway.
Other scheduled drivers also giving chase are Carlos Cunha, David Malukas, Oliver Malukas, Robert Megennis and Sting Ray Robb.
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Mike Young
Finally, the aforementioned Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires’ 60-lap event launches at 4:45 p.m. Saturday prior to the Verizon Indy 55-lap Car Series marquee race held later that night.
In this final developmental tier, the stakes are high for the pilot that gains the most podiums as the series champion is awarded a scholarship valued at $1 million that pushes towards to the Verizon IndyCar Series with three guaranteed future races that includes the Indianapolis 500.
“It’s an evolution process that takes all the kids all the way up,” said Dan Anderson, who heads up Anderson Promotions, the marketing arm that features the series.
Leading the Indy Lights’ series right now is rookie Patricio O’ Ward, who won the recent pair of road course races held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Road Course in late July. The Monterrey, Mexico driver has won seven of fourteen races this season.
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Mike Young
Second in the eleven-driver hierarchy is Colton Herta, the 18-year-old son of former IndyCar racer and two-time Indianapolis 500 car owner Bryan Herta. Colton claimed four straight races this summer that included the Indianapolis road course.
Third place in the standings is Sanitago Urrutia, who has notched a pair of checkered flags this season. Rookie Victor Franzoni and Ryan Norman are also looking for a podium finish.
Key to the future development of the Indy Lights participation, IndyCar announced earlier this month a five-year plan that hopes to strengthen the series.
Areas of focus included a reduction of budget for entrants, bigger payouts in prize money, a revision in licensing guidelines and testing expansion for teams.
Saturday afternoon’s one-hour showdown marks the third and final oval of the seventeen-race schedule and is the penultimate event of the season.
For more information on the Mazda Road to Indy series, go their official website.
GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK SUPPORT RACE SCHEDULE
NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM – NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES PRACTICE
5:30 PM – 6 PM – NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES QUALIFYING
9:15 PM – NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES MONACO GATEWAY CLASSIC 200 (150 LAPS)
10:55 PM – VICTORY LANE AWARDS
PRO MAZDA SERIES
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24
11:30 AM – 12 PM – PRO MAZDA PRACTICE
6:15 PM – 7 PM – PRO MAZDA QUALIFICATIONS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
3:45 PM – PRO-MAZDA SERIES PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES RACE (55 LAPS)
INDY LIGHTS SERIES
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24
3:15 PM – 4 PM – INDY LIGHTS PRACTICE
7: 15 PM – 7:45 PM – INDY LIGHTS QUALIFICATIONS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
4:45 PM – INDY LIGHTS SERIES PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES RACE (60 LAPS)
