Robb Fights Back to Win for Juncos Racing at Indianapolis - Speedway Digest

Just over a month after his first Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires victory – and on his 19th birthday – Sting Ray Robb, from Payette, Idaho, stepped onto the top of the podium again this afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course. Robb’s second win for Juncos Racing allowed him to close to within 10 points of series leader Devlin DeFrancesco at the halfway mark in the season.

A dramatic race was brought to an early conclusion after last year’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship winner, Braden Eves, from New Albany, Ohio, was involved in a frightening crash in which his Exclusive Autosport Tatuus PM-18 was flipped over onto its roll hoop. Eves was taken to the Infield Care Center and transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital.

“Braden is awake, stable and undergoing further evaluation,” said Dr. Geoff Billows, INDYCAR Medical Director.

New Zealander Hunter McElrea rebounded from a disappointing result one week ago on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval to finish second for Pabst Racing. Canadian Parker Thompson rounded out the podium for DEForce Racing.

The drama began early when a concertina effect saw three cars sustain damage even before the start line and causing the first four laps to be run under caution.

After securing his first Cooper Tires Pole Award in qualifying this morning, Artem Petrov, from Saint Petersburg, Russia, held onto his advantage in the early stages for Juncos Racing. He was even able to draw out a small margin over the field while his pursuers scrabbled for position in his mirrors.

Thompson held second place initially, after Robb was shuffled back from second on the grid to fourth, only to be displaced by McElrea under braking for Turn One soon after the restart.

Robb, meanwhile, leapt from fifth to second within a couple of laps of the green flag and then quickly latched onto teammate Petrov’s tail before making his move for the lead on Lap Nine. Robb never looked back, extending his advantage to almost three seconds before the yellow flags waved again following Eves’ incident. Robb’s fine effort ensured another PFC Award for car owner Ricardo Juncos, whose team, Juncos Racing, extended its already emphatic lead in the Team Championship.

Thompson claimed his second podium finish of the season as Petrov faded to fourth. Points leader DeFrancesco, from Toronto, Ont., Canada, salvaged fifth place for Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport after qualifying a disappointing eighth and then sliding off the road at Turn Seven shortly after the start.

Colin Kaminsky (Pabst Racing), from Homer Glen, Ill., took seventh ahead of 15th-place starter Kory Enders (DEForce Racing), from Sugar Land, Texas, who earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after travel delays caused him to miss both the practice and qualifying sessions this morning.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.