McElrea Leads Pabst Racing’s Homecoming Efforts with a Win and Podium Finish
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Following a month reprieve, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship teams made their way to the 4.014-mile, 14-turn Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Rounds 6 and 7 of the year were more than just opportunities to earn points and glory. In this case, these were homecoming races for Pabst Racing. A greater emphasis for success was prevalent for drivers Hunter McElrea, Colin Kaminsky, Bruna Tomaselli and Yuven Sundaramoorthy.
Correspondingly, the Pabst Racing quartet started off on a strong note during the sole practice of the race weekend with McElrea posting the fastest time followed by Kaminsky (second), Tomaselli (fifth), and Sundaramoorthy (15th).
In like manner, Kaminsky scored his second consecutive pole position, this time coming for Round 6 of the year. McElrea (third), Sundaramoorthy (10th) and Tomaselli (11th) were within striking distance of their quick teammate on the starting grid.
As the green flag unfurled for Round 6, Kaminsky retained the number one position for the opening two laps. However, McElrea made the decisive pass on his teammate into Turn One on lap three, holding the top spot and earning his first career Cooper Tires USF20000 Championship Series victory.
While McElrea won Round 6 by 3.5352 seconds over Kaminsky, Tomaselli earned a strong sixth-place outing as Sundaramoorthy drove his way to a solid seventh-place finish.
Not to be outdone with their strong qualifying and race efforts for Round 6, Pabst Racing nearly duplicated their magic for Round 7 as McElrea scored his first career pole and Kaminsky (fourth), Tomaselli (11th) and Sundaramoorthy (15th) found themselves in decent positions for another team victory.
Although McElrea led the field to green and the first lap of Round 7, Braden Eves worked his way to the number one position on lap two. While Eves held onto the lead for the rest of Round 7, McElrea found himself in a competitive battle for the second spot with Kaminsky, Christian Rasmussen and Darren Keane.
Ultimately, McElrea powered his way to a third place showing while Kaminsky nabbed a fourth-place result. Knocking just outside the top-10 finishing order were Tomaselli in 11th and Sundaramoorthy in 12th.
All in all, Pabst Racing compiled strong performances and finishes in their hometown racing circuit. Considering how close the team was to scoring on their home turf last year, McElrea summed up this past weekend’s performances in precise manner.
"It was a really good weekend for the whole team,” McElrea said. “We came out with a double podium, pole position, and a race win. Whenever you can say that, it's a massive positive. Thanks so much to the whole team. They gave me an amazing car this weekend. There's no doubt in mind that we had the quickest car.
“Unfortunately, we had a little issue before the race (Round 7) which meant that it was a positive for us to get out there and grab the podium. I'm so thankful for all the guys (on the team) and Mazda Motorsports for this amazing scholarship opportunity. I can't wait for Toronto already!"
Certainly, Pabst Racing continues to make a strong showing in the championship points battle with McElrea (second), Kaminsky (third), Tomaselli (10th) and Sundaramoorthy (11th) gaining ground as the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship prepares for series-sanctioned test sessions at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 26-27 before taking to the Streets of Toronto for Rounds 8 and 9 on July 12-14.
For more information about the two-time Cooper Tires USF2000 team championship-winning Pabst Racing stable and drivers, please visit www.PabstRacing.com.