Oconomowoc, Wis. - Pabst Racing will be among other first-time teams and drivers that will invade the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the inaugural running of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Presented by Mazda will compete for rounds 5 and 6 on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, on a new configuration of the speedway's road course.
A great amount of history will be made this May as up-and-coming drivers like Will Owen and Austin Cindric get to experience racing at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in their career. For team owner Augie Pabst, this month of May is one he has been looking forward to for several months.
"Having grown up going to the Speedway for the month of May, I have witnessed year after year how historical and magical the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is," Pabst said on Monday when asked about the upcoming races. "Now that I am able to bring my team to the track, I couldn't be more humbled or excited."
No USF2000 drivers have tested on the configuration that will be used for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. They will get the opportunity to practice on Wednesday, May 7, during two allotted hours of test time. Pabst Racing driver Will Owen is optimistic about the opportunity to race on a new track.
"I am beyond excited to drive at Indy for the first time," Owen said, in preparation for Indianapolis. "I like the idea that everyone will be reset going into the event. None of our competitors have driven the road course, so it will equalize the field."
Rookie driver Will Owen will enter the fifth and sixth rounds of the season alongside an equally optimistic teammate.
"I don't know where to begin with how excited I am to race inside the Speedway," said second-year driver Austin Cindric. "Between the history of the track and being part of new history being made, it's really cool!"
On Thursday, the teams will be given two practice sessions at 45 and 30 minutes each to prepare for qualifications. Qualifications will be on Friday, followed by the first race that afternoon at 2:30 p.m. EST. The teams will finish their weekend with round 6 on Saturday, May 10, at 10:00 a.m., and will go directly to Lucas Oil Raceway Park to prep the cars for the oval test on Tuesday. The drivers will get their chance to practice on the oval track prior to the historical Night Before the 500 race, which will take place on May 24.
Visit www.USF2000.com or www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com for more details on race times and surrounding events.
The USF2000 races will have live timing and scoring as well as commentary via the USF2000 website HERE.
Pabst Racing results and progress will be updated throughout the weekend, and fans can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
About Pabst Racing
Pabst Racing has been preparing winning racecars since 1983. The Pabst team was started by Augie Pabst Jr., former sports car racing legend from the 1950s and early 1960s who won many races and championships throughout his career. Current President Augie Pabst III (former driver as well), took over the business in 1991. By 1998 Augie III decided to focus on owning and maintaining a wide variety of winning racecars including SCCA Spec Racer, Shelby Can-Am, 911 Porsche, Ford Mustang GT-1 and primarily Van Diemen Formula 2000 cars. For more information please visit www.PabstRacing.com.
About USF2000
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda debuted in 2010 and is a revival of the highly-regarded USF2000 series which ran from 1990 through 2006, launching the careers of many of today's top drivers. Sanctioned by INDYCAR and managed by Andersen Promotions, the series is the first official step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system. The top driver in the Championship class will earn a scholarship package from Mazda to advance to the Star Mazda Championship. The series is also part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Developmental Ladder system, which assists young drivers in advancing from the Skip Barber Racing School to USF2000. For more information, please visit www.USF2000.com.