Indinapolis, IND - Exclusive Autosport enjoyed another successful effort at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, coming off a long two-month break in the 2019 Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires schedule.
The team traveled to the most iconic track in the world - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - to race on the facility’s 14-turn, 2.349-mile road course on the May 9-11 weekend. Exclusive Autosport and its drivers entered the weekend with confidence, having enjoyed great results at IMS in the past.
Danial Frost and Nikita Lastochkin led the charge into the third and fourth rounds of the Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires program, while Manuel Cabrera carried the team flag in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship events. Frost left Indianapolis with a pair of third place finishes and Lastochkin followed up with top-10 finishes of seventh and fourth. Cabrera showed great speed, qualifying in the top-10 of each session, but he was forced to recover from an opening lap incident in Race 1 to come from the back to 11th, which was his best result of the weekend.
“I am thrilled to see an Exclusive Autosport driver up on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway podium in both of the Indy Pro 2000 races,” enthused Michael Duncalfe, Team Principal.
“Coming off such a long break, all of the drivers under the EA banner performed very well this weekend. We believe there is always room to grow and develop and we continue to make immense strides as a team. This positive momentum will be carried forward into the Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway in a couple of weeks. I am so proud of the drivers and crew and can’t thank our Team Manager Mirl Swan and the rest of the Exclusive Autosport crew enough for their hard work and dedication to this program.”
In the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Cabrera had an up-and-down weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. In Qualifying 1, he was strongly in the top-five, turning the fourth quickest lap, but he was unfortunately involved in the first turn, first lap incident in the race that shuffled him all the way to the tail of the field. The 18-year-old Mexican fought valiantly and rallied to an 11th place finish. Sadly, Cabrera’s Tatuus PM-18 suffered a mechanical issue in Race 2 and was not able to finish.
In the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship standings, Cabrera sits 19th, just 13 points from the top-15.
The Indy Pro 2000 event started on Thursday with two unofficial tests, followed by the one and only official practice for the weekend. Friday’s action began bright and early with Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 1, in which Frost flirted with the pole position. He would eventually finish up in second on the time sheets, although unfortunately, he was penalized two positions for not slowing down for a yellow flag, which put him fourth. Lastochkin was 10th in the first timed run to secure a row five start. Qualifying 2 ended with EA’s drivers starting nose-to-tail on the grid with speeds that would place them fourth and sixth, respectively.
Racing kicked off on Friday afternoon with the third round of the Indy Pro 2000 season and Frost delivered a strong performance to put himself on the podium with a third-place finish, his second of the year. Lastochkin had an epic start which advanced him to the third spot, and although he fell back slightly throughout the race, he still managed a solid seventh place finish. Round 4 was held on Saturday morning and after a first turn incident at the drop of the green, both Exclusive Autosport drivers emerged unscathed and were running together most of the race in third and fourth. Danial would gain his third straight podium of the season, while Nikita logged his highest finish of this season with a fourth-place result.
In the Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires championship standings, Frost remains in third, just 44 points behind the second-place driver. Lastochkin’s Indianapolis performances have moved him into sixth, just four points from a spot in the top-five.
The next stop for the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will take the team to 5/8-mile banked Lucas Oil Raceway, which is located just outside Indianapolis, IN near Brownsburg for the Carb Night Classic. Practice will begin on Thursday, May 23 with two practices and one qualifying session. The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Freedom 75 and the Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Freedom 90 will take place on the evening of Friday, May 24.
Exclusive Autosport is pleased to be able to partner with great companies, such as AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology (www.rethinkpaint.com), which is used on all their race cars.
EXCLUSIVE AUTOSPORT – DRIVER RESULTS AND QUOTES
USF2000 – ROUNDS 3/4 – MAY 9-11, 2019
GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS – INDIANAPOLIS, IN
MANUEL CABRERA - #90
Qualifying 1: 4th – 1:24.920
Qualifying 2: 9th – 1:25.371
Race 1: Start – 4th / Finish – 11th
Race 2: Start – 9th / Finish – 20th
Driver Quote: “It was not a lucky weekend for me, as everything just changed very quickly, but I’m proud of all the team for the job they did during the weekend. I’m sure it’s going to be better next week at the oval, and I’m happy that now we have the pace to be at the front and anxious for next race here in Indy!”
INDY PRO 2000 – ROUNDS 3/4– MAY 9-11, 2019
GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS – INDIANAPOLIS, IN
DANIAL FROST - #68
Qualifying 1: 2nd – 1:19.171
Qualifying 2: 6th – 1:19.479
Race 1: Start – 4th / Finish – 3rd
Race 2: Start – 6th / Finish – 3rd
Driver Quote: “I had a great weekend at IMS, and I can’t thank my team Exclusive Autosport, my sponsor Den-Jet, and my family enough for all their support. I qualified P2 for Race 1, however I received, received a two-position grid spot penalty for accidentally missing a yellow flag in the session. I ended up starting P4 for both races. The EA crew gave me an incredible car all weekend and I was able to challenge for the podium in both races. I am happy with finishing third in both races, as it’s always great to be on the podium. We will continue to work harder than ever to reach the top step shortly. Again, a huge thanks to my team, my sponsors and family because without them I wouldn’t be here.”
NIKITA LASTOCHKIN - #90
Qualifying 1: 10th – 1:20.122
Qualifying 2: 6th – 1:19.694
Race 1: Start – 10th / Finish – 7th
Race 2: Start – 6th / Finish – 4th
Driver Quote: “I love coming to Indianapolis Motor Speedway every year to compete. It’s one of the greatest tracks on the calendar. We had a pretty good weekend overall. We struggled for pace early on, but the team and I worked extremely hard and, in the end, we were right on point. Coming home P4 (in Race 2) was a solid result for myself and the team. We are hungry for more and will continue to work hard to reach the top step of the podium. I want to thank my sponsor RM for all their support and Exclusive Autosport for giving me a solid car. I can’t wait for our race at Lucas Oil Raceway.”