Mid-Ohio Pro Mazda: Franzoni scores controversial win

At the start, the race immediately assumed the familiar pattern of Pro Mazda races this year. Martin and Franzoni dueling for the lead – in this instance, the Cape Motorsports’ champion ahead – followed at an increasing distance by the three Team Pelfrey cars – Nikita Lastochkin leading Carlos Cunha and TJ Fischer – and no one else in the reckoning.

Martin never pulled more than a second away, as Franzoni kept the pressure on. Sixteen seconds behind, Cunha was even closer to Lastochkin.

Sting Ray Robb (World Speed Motorsports), Jeff Green and Kris Wright ran seventh, eighth and ninth, until Robb passed Bob Kaminsky’s self-funded team.

Lapped runners condensed the gap between the leaders, but only Green appeared to be actively trying to inhibit the dueling pair. When Martin went for a move around the outside of the penultimate turn, Green hung him out to dry and Franzoni slipped past the pair of them.

A full-course yellow immediately flew, but was put away in time for one last lap sprint – too late for Martin to work out a way back past the Juncos car.

The restart allowed Cunha and Fischer to both vault past Lastochkin, allowing Cunha to grab the final spot on the podium.