Linus Lundqvist withstood a late-race charge by teammate Benjamin Pedersen and contact coming off the final turn to score a dominating Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires victory Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park. Swedish driver Lundqvist led the entire 45-minute race from the pole and held a strong lead for most of the race in the No. 26 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing car. The race was run on a wet racetrack due to morning thunderstorms, forcing teams to compete on rain tires.
Sting Ray Robb rounded out the podium with a third-place finish in the No. 2 Sekady car fielded by Andretti Autosport. Danial Frost came home fourth in the No. 68 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing car, and Kyffin Simpson was the highest finishing rookie at fifth in the No. 21 TJ Speed Motorsports car.
The race began roughly 20 minutes after the scheduled start time due to weather and was moved from a 35-lap race to a 45-minute race. While the race was packed with action as drivers learned how to race in the wet conditions or worked overtime to keep their car on track, there was just one caution.
As the race was nearing its end, Andretti Autosport teammates had contact that nearly brought the race under caution again. Entering Turn 5, rookie Hunter McElrea attempted to pass St. Petersburg race winner Matthew Brabham on the inside with just over two minutes remaining in the race.
McElrea’s No. 27 Andretti Autosport car lost grip and slammed the left rear of Brabham’s No. 83 Andretti Autosport car. Both drivers went off track. Brabham continued to finish seventh, while McElrea’s day was done, and he finished 12th.
Lundqvist’s fourth career Indy Lights win vaulted him into the Indy Lights championship lead after two races so far this season. It’s also gives him two wins in the last three Indy Lights races as Lundqvist won the 2021 finale at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which was also a wet race.
The series will be back in action Friday, May 13 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for Race 1 of a doubleheader weekend on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile track that kicks off the Month of May action at IMS. Lundqvist won Race 1 of the IMS doubleheader last season.
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