Indianapolis, Ind. – Team Pelfrey, with drivers Robert Megennis, Kaylen Frederick and Ayla Agren, rang in the month of May with Frederick leading the team to a Race Two podium finish in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Pelfrey Power trio showed good pace throughout the event on the 2.439-mile road course. Despite the various weather conditions, from cold and damp, to hot and slick, it was Frederick who paced the first practice session and ended up qualifying on the front row in second position for both races. Megennis and Agren qualified seventh and tenth respectively for Race One, and fifth and 11th for Race Two.
As the first 30-minute race of the weekend got underway, the trio avoided an incident on the first lap which ultimately only allowed the drivers a frustrating 10 minutes of racing under green flag conditions. Frederick drove to another very strong second place finish, with Megennis and Agren finishing in eighth and ninth positions with passing proving to be very difficult.
After the race, Megennis and Frederick were disqualified for a violation of rule 14.28.9, which stemmed from modifications to uprights. Team Pelfrey respected the decision and would move on to Race Two with high hopes.
Race Two began with 14-year-old Frederick dropping back to third place. He later dropped all four wheels off course on the exit of turn two, dropping back to seventh with teammate Megennis capitalizing and advancing to fourth. Agren settled into her eventual 12th place result, but it was Frederick who would capitalize on a hectic late race restart, completing a last lap pass for the final podium spot, cementing his third podium finish on the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires. Megennis was involved in an unfortunate racing incident on the final lap while battling hard with Dakota Dickerson for a podium finish.
After a month-long hiatus, Team Pelfrey’s USF2000 Series team will compete at the historic Road America circuit, June 23-25. Follow @TeamPelfrey on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to date on the latest news and developments.
Robert Megennis (No. 80 Palo Alto Networks Team Pelfrey Mazda): “It was just a tough weekend for us. We had some unfortunate breaks throughout the weekend and it was a tough way to end my second weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. I want to thank Palo Alto Networks and Team Pelfrey for giving me a great opportunity and together, we’ll focus on improving before Road America.”
Kaylen Frederick (No. 81 PILOT ONE Racing Team Pelfrey Mazda): “Man, what a weekend. There were a lot of ups and downs but to come away from a circuit like this after the disqualification from yesterday’s podium result means so much to the team, my sponsors, my family and for my championship chances.”
Ayla Agren (No. 82 Team Pelfrey Mazda): “I don’t really know where to begin other than to say that I want to forget about this weekend. We just didn’t have it, but we’ll be back better than ever for Road America.”