ZACK VEACH/No.26 Andretti Autosport pulled one out of his helmet on the last lap of qualifying to turn a time of 1:15.0074 to take the pole for the Indy Lights 100 Race on Sunday. The hour-long race is Sunday as part of the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The dimunitive nineteen-year old American driver doesn’t look old enough to shave, but he can drive.
Veach said “I figured out I had nothing to lose, so I just went for it. Gabby is going to be very tough on Sunday.” He had done some fine tuning five laps before the end. Regarding the change of tires, he said “The returning drivers had experience last year managing the tires for the hour-long race, and though the brand was different, they handled much the same.”
Until Veach topped the charts, it had been a session-long battle between the two Belardi Auto Racing teammates, GABBY CHAVES/No.5, who finished second overall, and Rookie ALEX BARON/No.4, who ended up fourth. Mazda Road to Indy driver, Rookie MATTHEW BRABHAM/No.83 quietly moved up the chart to finish third. Chaves had been fastest all weekend,including much of qualified. Fifth was Rookie LUIZ RAZIA/No.7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian.
The series has twelve drivers, nine of which are Rookies. The other three are in their second season.
Chaves said “It was a good session. I had a great car. We went for a second set of tires. I’m confident and comfortable in my seat.”
Sunday’s race for the Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires starts at 10:15 am local time.