Alex Tagliani did not have the kind of day he was hoping for in the opening round of the 2019 NASCAR Pinty's Series held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Disappointing, was the word that came to mind when he crossed the finish line in 11th place, 10 seconds back of race winner Kevin Lacroix. The Montreal native had a day full of ups and downs in Sunday's Clarington 200, running among the leaders at the start of the race after qualifying third on Saturday.


A race contact in the last corner of lap 3 on the 3.957-km famed Ontario road course sent Tag into the pits with a right rear shredded tire and causing him to rejoin the field in 23rd and last place. But, he fought back to lead the race on lap 17 of 51 when the leaders pitted to change their General Tire rubbers. The Team 22 Racing #18 Chevrolet EpiPen-RONA/St Hubert led for the next eight laps but since Tag was off sequence with the leaders, he now had to choose the moment to pit. He did at the start of lap 36, but just as the track was going green.

"This is not the kind of situation we were looking for to start the 2019 championship hunt," said Tagliani, "but in the end, it could have been much worse with everything that went wrong today. In the opening laps, I was involved in a racing incident that shredded my right rear tire that tore parts of the body of my Chevrolet Camaro on my way to the pits. We made a few stops to repair the damage and I finally rejoined the field in last place, but still on the leader's lap.

If Ken Roczen was in a two-plus year drought, you wouldn’t have known it Saturday afternoon. 
 After nearly two-and-a-half years without a win and an uphill climb to overcome a pair of potential careerending injuries, Wiseco-sponsored rider, Ken Roczen, finally launched the proverbial monkey from his back and returned to the top step of the podium with a championship-caliber 1-2 finish to collect the overall win in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season opening Bell Helmets Hangtown Motocross Classic at Prairie City SVRA in Sacramento, Calif. 

 Roczen, a two-time Pro Motocross 450 titlist, tested his championship mettle against not only the best in the business, but against unseasonable cold and rain at the legendary California raceplex to pick up his 16th career Pro Motocross win. 

 “It’s been a very, very long time,” commented Roczen following the win. “Just overall the whole day was good. I just went out there, and it’s really difficult at the first race what to expect and where everybody’s at. Every time I went out there, I just did the best I could. It got us an overall (win), so I’m very happy, especially with how muddy and how sloppy it was. It could go the other way, too.”

 The veteran 25-year-old Team Honda HRC rider, who just signed a three-year contract extension, rewarded his team by pacing both qualifying sessions and leading all 15 laps of the first moto, taking the checkered flag by a handsome 15 seconds. 

 As a brisk, steady rain settled in the area, the 40-rider, 450 Class field met a more demanding racecourse for the second moto. Roczen rounded the first corner fifth in the running order, but the affable fan favorite found his way to the point by Lap 2. The rider of the No. 94 Honda CRF450R held down the lead for the next three circuits before yielding the top spot three laps later to eventual moto winner Eli Tomac. 

 As the laps continued to click off and the race wound down, Roczen settled into as manageable of a rhythm as conditions would allow to finish second and lock up his first overall win since 2016. 

 “I think we have more in the tank,” said Roczen who will carry the coveted red plate holding a four-point lead over Tomac in to Round 2. “With the conditions as bad as they were, I was really happy with a 1-2 finish. I had to back it down. I had a couple big moments. It was super sloppy out there. I just kind of did my thing. I went down and got stuck behind a lapper in the deepest rut possible on the last lap, so I was kind of sweating there for a little bit just because there was one more lap to go, but we made it happen in some gnarly conditions. We’re going to enjoy this overall. Me and my team have been working very hard and this is really a dream come true.” 

 Roczen’s Team Honda HRC teammate Cole Seely wasn’t as fortuitous and met his fair share of challenges at the Hangtown opener. The journeyman Honda jockey earned a respectable ninth-place
finish in the first moto, but the conditions in the second moto got the best of Seely, leaving him 18th in the final contest. Still, the Newbury Park, Calif., native managed to salvage a 14th-place overall finish, a respectable effort considering the circumstances. 

 “The opening round had its ups and downs for sure,” commented Seely, who missed most of the last two outdoor seasons with his own injuries. “I think I qualified pretty good for not having raced an outdoor in almost two years. I was happy we were able to get at least one moto in before the storm actually rolled in. I was also happy with how I rode. I felt like I managed the race well and had more energy at the end of the moto than I normally do. The second moto was tough. I fell way too many times and just didn’t have very good luck. If there was a way to build some more skill for muddy races then I would but the only time we really get to practice that is in race situations. Moving forward I think I know what I need to work on and that will help set some additional goals to push through the season.”

 Across the paddock in the 250 Class pits, the GEICO Honda team fielded CRF250Rs for Eastern Regional 250SX Class Champion Chase Sexton, R.J. Hampshire, Christian Craig and Hunter Lawrence. While none of the Wiseco-sponsored Red Riders were able to capture podiums at the Pro Motocross opener, the potent foursome finished fifth, sixth, tenth and eleventh overall, respectively. 

 “Not what I wanted, just didn’t feel super comfortable all day,” said Sexton. “The good side was that my starts were pretty good, but I definitely wish I could have stayed up there a little better. Had a quick crash in Moto 2 and that cost me, but the conditions were pretty tough. It’s okay though, we scored good points, and we will put in the work and come out swinging for Round 2 this weekend.”

 The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship returns to Fox Raceway this weekend when the series will visit the Pala, Calif., track for the first time since the 2011. The first motos from the Lucas Oil Fox Raceway National will be televised live on MAVTV Saturday, May 25 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 1 p.m. Pacific. Live coverage of the second motos will shift to NBCSN beginning at 6 p.m. EDT, 3 p.m. Pacific. 

This coming Friday, May 24, perhaps could provide a turning point in the careers of a talented field of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires drivers as they chase glory in the 17th Annual Freedom 100 Presented by Cooper Tires at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Such was certainly the case one year ago when a thrilling victory for 18-year-old Colton Herta provided the springboard toward a full-time ride in the NTT IndyCar Series.

Round Seven of this year’s title-chase marks the first of two oval events on the 18-race calendar and a chance to impress both a live television audience on NBCSN as well as a large and enthusiastic crowd who will gather at the famed Brickyard for the traditional “Carb Day” festivities. The day also features one last opportunity for the 33 qualified drivers in Sunday’s 103rd Indianapolis 500 to fine-tune their cars prior to the race.

No fewer than 23 drivers in the Indy 500 field cut their teeth in Indy Lights – including nine former Indy Lights champions – and the stakes are high with the series champion earning a guaranteed entry in three IndyCar events in 2020, including the 104th Indy 500.

The championship chase is finely poised with a trio of rookies making the early running. The latest in a long line of Flying Dutchmen, 18-year-old Rinus VeeKay (Juncos Racing), from Hoofddorp, Netherlands, currently holds a slender one-point advantage over rising American star Oliver Askew (Andretti Autosport), from Jupiter, Fla., after six races, with Askew’s teammate, Robert Megennis, not far behind in third.

VeeKay, who is mentored by fellow countryman and two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, is coming off an emphatic victory in the most recent race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course. Askew has finished on the podium in five of the six races, including a pair of wins at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. His only blemish came in Round 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, where a clash of wheels while disputing the lead with VeeKay ended in a heavy impact with the wall.

Megennis Tops Testing
Megennis, 19, from New York, N.Y., secured his first two podium finishes in Texas, then claimed a fine maiden victory during the first of two races at Indianapolis. Megennis maintained his momentum today on the 2.5-mile oval by posting the fastest lap, 45.5202 seconds, an average speed of 197.714 mph, after a total of more than three hours of testing.

“It is just so much fun racing here,” said Megennis. “Today was everything I expected it to be, and more. Running flat out, going 200 mph, being two, three, four-wide: you don’t get that anywhere else. I ran a bunch in traffic to get used to it: There’s such a big draft here and it was a blast. Andretti Autosport gave me such a great car and we prepared so well in advance that we barely changed anything. It’s not the most important thing, to get P1 in testing, but it’s still a nice way to finish off before we come back on Thursday. I can’t thank all my partners enough for getting me out here!”

VeeKay continued his consistent form by placing second on the speed charts in each of today’s sessions. His best lap at 45.5949 was mere 0.0747 shy of Megennis’ benchmark.

“It was really fun, really cool, especially the first lap that you’re all the way flat,” said VeeKay. “Amazing. These are very high speeds and the racing is so close – the teams are so competitive, and it makes for fun racing. You really feel the speed here, but it’s never quick enough, you always want to go faster. The team gave me a great car to be able to push. I spent some time in traffic today and really learned how the car will be on Thursday, based on our qualifying sims, so I think we’re ready! It’s such a special track, so hopefully this will be a memorable week.”

Also impressive today was Jarett Andretti aboard a fourth Andretti Autosport Dallara-AER IL-15. Andretti, 26, from Indianapolis, Ind., was fifth fastest on his first public outing in an Indy Lights car. The third-generation racer, whose father John raced 12 times at Indianapolis, will be making his Indy Lights debut this week, 50 years on from great-uncle Mario Andretti’s lone Indy 500 triumph.

“It’s hard to put into words exactly what this means,” said Andretti. “You take a glance at the Pagoda and you start to take it in. The only other time a track has hit me like that was in the 24 Hours of Daytona, when I saw the Ferris wheel at 3 a.m.! You have to take in those moments and really appreciate them. But this is totally different than any track I’ve ever been on. It was good to get the experience of running in traffic; getting better in that area will be one of the most important things. Now we’ll continue prep work, watch a lot of video and prepare as much as I can.”

Others to watch this week include Canadian Dalton Kellett (Juncos Racing), who took the pole position last year and has three consecutive podium finishes to his name at the hallowed Speedway; and USAC open-wheel star Chris Windom, from Canton, Ill., who was ninth fastest in today’s test and is due to make his long-awaited Indy Lights debut with Belardi Auto Racing.

Windom’s incredibly busy schedule this week will include the 64th Annual “Hoosier Hundred” USAC Silver Crown race at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds on Thursday night, while on Friday, after completing the Freedom 100, he will head directly to nearby Lucas Oil Raceway for the traditional Dave Steele Carb Night Classic USAC Silver Crown race.

The drivers will be back on track Thursday, May 23, for 45 minutes of practice at 10:00 a.m. EDT, followed by single-car qualifying at 1:30 p.m. The race will start at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.

The Freedom 100 Presented by Cooper Tires will air live on NBCSN and live and on demand on NBC Sports Gold. Outside the U.S., the race will be live streamed globally on RoadToIndy.TV, the Road To Indy TV App and indylights.com.

This year’s race will see an increased prize package with a total of $85,000 awarded to the top-three finishers, including $50,000 to the winner. In addition, TSOLadder.com Presented by Cooper Tires – which provides dedicated coverage of the Road to Indy – will be posting a new award to the race leader at the white flag – the #TSO1ToGo Award.

With the eyes of the open-wheel racing world centered on Indianapolis during the month of May, the future stars of the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500 gain a spotlight of their own this week as the two junior levels of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires head to Lucas Oil Raceway for the traditional Dave Steele Carb Night Classic – “The Race Before the 500” – and the Cooper Tires Freedom 90 and Freedom 75.

Competitors in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship will both have an opportunity to garner some headlines at the fast and challenging 0.686-mile high-banked oval situated just a few miles west of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Brownsburg, Ind. The action-packed evening on Friday, May 24, also will include Round Five of the USAC Silver Crown Championship in which 2016 series champion Chris Windom, from Canton, Ill., will be competing just hours after making his eagerly anticipated Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires debut in the Freedom 100 Presented by Cooper Tires at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Frost Chases First Indy Pro 2000 Win
Two drivers have dominated proceedings in the opening two weekends of the Indy Pro 2000 season. Canadian Parker Thompson (Abel Motorsports) swept both races on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., in March, while Sweden’s Rasmus Lindh (Juncos Racing) mirrored that feat a couple of weeks ago on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course.

A third contender, Danial Frost, doesn’t yet have a win to his name but the 17-year-old rookie has proven himself to be a major force. Frost, from Singapore, guided his Exclusive Autosport Tatuus PM-18 to three podium finishes in a row following a fourth-place result on his St. Petersburg debut. He then displayed sizzling pace on his oval debut during the recent open test at Lucas Oil Raceway, marking himself as a firm favorite for honors in Friday night’s Cooper Tires Freedom 90. The team will be seeking its second straight win at Lucas Oil Raceway following an emphatic victory last year for Parker Thompson.

“I did a lot of sim work before I came here, to prepare as much as possible,” said Frost, who completed more laps than anyone else, 208, and comfortably topped the speed charts in all three test sessions. “It’s difficult, coming from the road course at Indianapolis to the oval at Lucas Oil. (Turning) left the whole time is much harder than it looks from the outside! Being close to the wall, taking that line to be quick, it’s all a new thing for me.”

Despite that, Frost ended the test day almost a half-second faster than his closest rival, although the remainder of a closely matched field was covered by almost exactly the same margin.

Teammate Nikita Lastochkin, from Los Angeles, Calif., underlined the potency of the Exclusive Autosport team by posting the second-fastest time, narrowly edging out Mexican Moises de la Vara (DEForce Racing). Kyle Kirkwood (RP Motorsport USA), from Jupiter, Fla., who bossed last year’s USF2000 race at Lucas Oil Raceway en route to the championship, Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports), from Louisville, Ky., and series points leader Lindh also set times within a tenth of a second of Lastochkin.

Lindh’s teammate, Sting Ray Robb, from Payette, Idaho, was only another tenth of a second slower in seventh, while Thompson, last year’s winner, turned the eighth fastest time at the test.

The teams will return to Lucas Oil Raceway on Thursday, May 23, for practice (4:15 p.m.) and qualifying (6:45 p.m.), with the green flag for Friday’s 90-lap race set for 7:50 p.m. EDT after a final practice session at 4:30 p.m.

Eves Seeks to Maintain 100 Percent Record
In stark contrast to last week’s Indy Pro test at Lucas Oil Raceway, no clear favorite emerged when the USF2000 contenders conducted their own one-day test at the high-banked, high-commitment oval. In fact, 16 of the 19 cars turned laps within a third of a second of each other.

Nevertheless, given his perfect four-for-four start to the season – plus the fact his Cape Motorsports team has won five of the seven most recent events at Lucas Oil Raceway – rookie Braden Eves, from New Albany, Ohio, will have a target on his back as he attempts to keep his streak alive.

“Our test last week went pretty well,” related Eves. “We weren’t the fastest but that wasn’t the goal. We just wanted to learn about the track and make sure we are as well-prepared as possible going into the race.”

Eves, who was sixth fastest overall at the test, just 0.1336 shy of the benchmark, will have to fend off equally highly rated teammate Darren Keane, who perhaps began to turn around a difficult start to the season with a strong second-place finish two weeks ago on the Indianapolis road course. Teenager Reece Gold will drive a third Cape Motorsports Tatuus USF-17.

Fastest of all at the test was Mexican Manuel Cabrera, who is also looking to turn around his fortunes following a tough start to his campaign with Exclusive Autosport. Cabrera has a best finish of 11th to his name from the opening four races, despite showing good speed on the road course when he qualified fourth fastest for Race One. The test also was a case of good news and bad news. Cabrera set the best time of all in the first session but took no further part in the proceedings after overstepping the limit and crashing mere moments before the checkered flag.

Wisconsin-based Pabst Racing, which guided Jake Eidson to victory at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2015, also enjoyed a strong test with three of its four drivers among the top five. Yuven Sundaramoorthy, from Oconomowoc, Wis., led the way, merely 0.0033-seconds slower than Cabrera and fractionally ahead of Colin Kaminsky, from Homer Glen, Ill., and Mazda Road to Indy Scholarship winner Hunter McElrea, from Gold Coast, Australia. McElrea, who also won last year’s Australian Formula Ford Championship, has enjoyed an excellent start to his North American career with four consecutive podium finishes.

Also well to the fore in testing was 14-year-old Jak Crawford, from Houston, Texas. Crawford, who made an impressive series debut at Indianapolis with DEForce Racing, finishing fourth in Race Two, was quickest of all in the final session and ended the day with the fourth fastest time overall.

Jack William Miller, from Carmel, Ind., also found time in the final period, ending the session second fastest only to Crawford for the Indianapolis-based Miller Vinatieri Motorsports team.

The only oval event of the USF2000 season will commence with 30 minutes of practice on Thursday afternoon, followed by qualifying at 6:00 p.m. EDT. The 75-lap Cooper Tires Freedom 75 will kick off the proceedings on Friday, May 24, with the green flag set for 6:45 p.m. after a final practice session at 4:05 p.m.

Both the Cooper Tires Freedom 90 and Cooper Tires Freedom 75 will be live streamed globally on RoadToIndy.TV, the Road to Indy TV App and the series respective websites at indypro2000.com and usf2000.com.