News, views, and behind the scenes coverage of the NTT INDYCAR Series and Road to Indy
Since its launch in 2010, the Road to Indy ladder system has attracted competitors from around the globe. Drivers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Ireland, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Spain, United Kingdom, Venezuela and Zimbabwe have been part of the grids, showcasing their talents at premier venues on a mix of road courses, temporary street circuits and ovals.
From “The World’s Fastest Spring Break Party” in St. Petersburg, Fla., to the famed Brickyard – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – drivers compete on the NTT IndyCar Series stage in front of large crowds and television cameras as well as team owners, sponsors and media.
Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the Road to Indy provides drivers, teams and sponsors an opportunity to gain valuable experience on and off the track while following a clear-cut path of progression through three development series: Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires.
Spencer Pigot, 25, exemplifies the success of the Road to Indy platform.
Pigot, who began karting at age 9, made the move into car racing in 2009, winning the Skip Barber Shoot-Out Top Scholarship Award and a season of competition in the 2010 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Series Presented by Mazda as an official Mazda Development driver. He claimed the title as a rookie to secure another Mazda scholarship prize and ensure his graduation onto the first step of the Road to Indy, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, in 2011.
After consecutive runner-up finishes in the USF2000 title-chase, Pigot capped another two years in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires by winning the crown and another scholarship prize in 2014 which enabled him to move on to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires in 2015.
Pigot earned his fourth scholarship – a prize valued at $1M with a guaranteed three-race program in IndyCar including the Indianapolis 500 – by claiming the 2015 Indy Lights title and made his NTT IndyCar Series debut with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing in 2016. He now drives full-time for Ed Carpenter Racing.
Story Credit: INDYCAR PRPhoto Credit: INDYCAR Photo BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, May 1, 2022) – 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 Read More…
Story Credit: INDYCAR PRPhoto Credit: INDYCAR Photo BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Saturday, April 30, 2022) – Barber Motorsports Park has been a special place for Linus Lundqvist in his Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires career, and he took it to the next level by winning the pole for Sunday’s Indy Lights Grand Prix of Alabama. Lundqvist Read More…
Story Credit: INDYCAR PRPhoto Credit: INDYCAR Photo BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, April 29, 2022) – Danial Frost started the Indy Lights Grand Prix of Alabama race weekend hot by pacing Friday’s sole Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires practice session. Frost turned a best lap of 1 minute, 12.6511 seconds in the No. 68 HMD Motorsports Read More…
Story Credit: Road to Indy PRPhoto Credit: Road to Indy Photo ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – David Malukas withstood enormous pressure from yesterday’s winner Kyle Kirkwood to claim a memorable victory in this morning’s thrilling 40-lap Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Andersen Interior Contracting. The second win of the young season for Read More…
Story Credit: Road to Indy PRPhoto Credit: Road to Indy Photo ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Denmark’s Christian Rasmussen claimed a stylish maiden Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires victory this morning on the streets of St. Petersburg for the Jay Howard Driver Development team. It was no more than he deserved. After knocking Read More…
Story Credit: Road to Indy PRPhoto Credit: Road to Indy Photo ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Christian Brooks and the Exclusive Autosport team enjoyed a near perfect weekend on the streets of St. Petersburg. The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship sophomore claimed a pair of victories today on the unforgiving 1.8-mile street circuit, elevating himself from fifth Read More…
Story Credit: Road to Indy PRPhoto Credit: Road to Indy Photo ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Kyle Kirkwood loves the Streets of St. Petersburg. At the track where he made a victorious debut on the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires by winning his first USF2000 race and championship in 2018, Kirkwood, from Jupiter, Fla., Read More…
Story Credit: Road to Indy PRPhoto Credit: Road to Indy Photo ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Braden Eves scored another beautifully crafted victory this afternoon in the opening leg of the Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Cooper Tires. The 21-year-old from New Albany, Ohio, led from flag to flag for Exclusive Read More…
Story Credit: Andretti Autosport PRPhoto Credit: Jared DePouw Andretti Autosport has announced an expansion to the team’s development efforts with the addition of brothers Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon as junior drivers. Through its history, Andretti Autosport has been committed to developing driver, crew and engineering talent across its wide range of operations. “Dan was family Read More…
Story Credit: Road to Indy PRPhoto Credit: Road to Indy Photo ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The ultra-competitive nature of this year’s Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel racing development ladder was plain for all to see today during qualifying on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Autosport), from Jupiter, Read More…