DeFrancesco sets sights on return to ovals after Mid-Ohio top fives - Speedway Digest

Miami-based Italian-Canadian racer Devlin DeFrancesco came away with a pair of top-five finishes in the first of two visits by the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship to Mid-Ohio.

The 21-year-old qualified fifth and finished fifth in both races this weekend – on both occasions spending 35 laps chasing the rear of rival Linus Lundqvist.

DeFrancesco made a strong start and challenged for the fourth spot at the end of the back straight in today’s race.

Thirty-five laps later, the Indy Pro 2000 championship runner-up had to fight hard to defend against championship rival Tony Sowery but held the position as the cars crossed the finish line.

With a long break ahead for the championship, DeFrancesco will now target success at St Louis’ World Wide Technology Raceway when the series returns to action on August 19-21.

DeFrancesco won on the 1.25-mile oval last year in only his second-ever race start on an oval.

The World Wide Technology Raceway event is the only oval race scheduled on the 2021 championship calendar.

DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO
“We had a good start and was able to get alongside (David) Malukas in Turn 2, but he was able to get ahead of me in Turn 4. After that, it was a bit of a struggle for the rest of the race. We need to find a bit more speed from my side and to work hard with my engineer Mark Bryant to see if we can do better around Mid-Ohio.”
“We have a bit of a break now, but I’m really looking forward to the next race on the oval at World Wide Technology Raceway. I loved the track and took the win there last year in Indy Pro 2000 and can’t wait to try the Indy Lights car there.”

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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.