Caio Collet left little question.
The Brazilian rookie led all 35 laps from the pole to earn his first profession Indy NXT by Firestone victory Sunday within the Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. Collet drove his No. 18 HMD Motorsports entry to a 6.8091s victory over runner-up Louis Foster within the No. 26 Copart/Novara Applied sciences automobile fielded by Andretti World.
“We couldn’t have requested for a greater weekend,” Collet stated. “We led each session, pole place, quickest lap. I believe the automobile was nice since Friday. The primary lap, I felt actually, actually good. I managed to place the weekend collectively, and I’m actually, actually completely satisfied.”
Jacob Abel completed third within the No. 51 Abel Development entry fielded by Abel Motorsports.
Rookies stuffed three of the highest 5 ending positions on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports activities Automotive Course. Callum Hedge positioned fourth within the No. 17 HMD Motorsports automobile, adopted by fellow first-year driver and teammate Christian Brooks within the No. 39 HMD Motorsports machine.
Collet produced a command efficiency all weekend, incomes the “grand slam” of main each follow periods, profitable the pole and the race, and finishing the quickest lap of the race. He was by no means threatened, each initially and on the one restart of the race, on lap 4.
Foster stayed in contact through the first half of the race, staying inside 1.2s on the midway mark, however Collet inexorably pulled away over the second half, constructing a niche of three.4s by lap 29 as Foster and Abel struggled with tire put on. Collet additionally produced the quickest lap of the race within the last 5 journeys across the repaved asphalt ribbon.
Whereas Foster’s two-race win streak ended, his lead elevated within the championship together with his sixth consecutive top-two end this season. He’s first within the standings with 386 factors, adopted by Abel with 345 and Collet with 315.
There are 5 races remaining this season for the IndyCar improvement collection, with 4 on ovals. The subsequent occasion is the primary oval race of the season, the Iowa 100 this Saturday, July 13 at Iowa Speedway.
Neither Foster, Abel nor Collet – the highest three drivers within the standings – have an oval win in Indy NXT. Collet will make his first profession oval begin this Saturday at Iowa, and he is aware of his standing as a championship contender hinges on his fast adaptation to circle tracks.
“I’ll reply that query subsequent Sunday right now and see how my first oval race goes,” he stated.
