INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Turn 3 Motorsport will return to Indianapolis this week for the first oval event of the season at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park’s .686-mile circuit. The customary Carb Night Classic – which has long served as a predecessor to the world famous Indianapolis 500 – will host a pair of races on Friday night for the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.
While Josh Green and Spike Kohlbecker have taken on the challenges of oval racing before, teammates Jonathan Browne and Christian Weir will get their first taste of the exciting racing style this weekend. And with championship points being worth more on the ovals, there will be a lot at stake going into the USF2000 Cooper Tires Freedom 75 and Indy Pro 2000 Cooper Tires Freedom 90.
#3 Josh Green // Indy Pro Championship SessionGuardian / Zimperium / Lionfish Tech Advisors / Mark Green / JHG Investments: “I’ve learned to love the oval and the challenge it presents. We had a test day at Indianapolis Raceway Park after the races at IMS where we did hundreds of laps across the day, and I’m super confident in where we ended up. Peter (Dempsey) and I work very well together, and I’m excited to see what sort of weekend we can produce!”
#2 Jonathan Browne // Indy Pro 2000 Championship Human Centred Movement / CRPS Awareness: “I’m looking forward to competing in my first oval race. I was able to do some testing here before going into the race weekend which helped me better prepare for what to expect. It’s going to be a new challenge for me, but I have the right people to guide me through it.”
#32 Christian Weir // USF2000 Championship ProFlo / Ferguson / eComfort.com: “Indianapolis Raceway Park might be a bit of a twister weekend for me. This is one of those weekends where I can’t really know what will happen going into it. We had strong pace during testing here, so I know I have a good platform to build my driving off of, but maximizing that at my first oval race is what will be the challenge for me. With the points on offer for this weekend, it will be a very crucial for the championship now that we are coming up on the midway point of the season, so finishing with solid points will be my main goal around this challenging oval.”
#33 Spike Kohlbecker // USF2000 Championship Ignite Autosport / Margay Racing / TierPoint / PSL / RSolution / TrueTitle / Ruckus Racing / Messmer Cares / Alvear / Cfx: “It’s time for the oval! At first thought to someone, an oval is just two turns, but when driving those turns on the limit, it is the most challenging two turns I’ve ever driven on any track. So much trust goes into the car, the team, and yourself on this type of circuit. This track requires full commitment, and I’m excited for the challenge. Let’s do this!”
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “It’s going to be a new experience for Jonathan and Christian, but hopefully Josh and Spike can lead the team with the knowledge and previous race experience they have. There are a lot of points on offer, but it’s a hard place to pass, so we have to put everything into having the right mindset for qualifying and be willing to lay it all on the line to give the best starting position for the race. The weather is going to be a bit dodgy with rainstorms on the forecast, so we will play it hour by hour and hopefully get the race in on Friday so we can enjoy Indy 500 on Sunday!”
Testing and qualifying will take place tomorrow followed by the USF2000 Cooper Tires Freedom 75 and Indy Pro 2000 Cooper Tires Freedom 90 kicking off on Friday night.