Detroit Indy Lights: Lundqvist dominates Race 1

From pole Lundqvist in the HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing entry immediately took control ahead of teammate Benjamin Pedersen in the Global Racing Group HMD car, while over the first lap, Sting Ray Robb in the top Andretti Autosport car was able to hold off a strong challenge from Danial Frost in a third HMD car.

Hunter McElrea ran fifth for Andretti, while on the second lap, teammate Matthew Brabham outbraked Jacob Abel at Turn 3 to make it three Andretti cars in the top six.

On Lap 3, Abel’s day got much worse, when Christian Rasmussen dived down his inside at Turn 7. Mounting the inside curb, Rasmussen’s tail stepped out and his left-rear bounced Abel’s car into the tire wall. Race Control regarded it as avoidable contact and sent him to the back of the field.

The Lap 6 restart saw Lundqvist, maintain his lead ahead of Pedersen, and Robb, but Frost was demoted to fifth by a brave outside move by McElrea at Turn 1. On Lap 8, Robb had a look down the inside of Pedersen, while Brabham was all over Frost.

It was Lap 15 before Robb got his next chance, and he tried around the outside of Pedersen at Turn 7. It didn’t work; the rear swung out under braking and he struck the tire wall with his left rear, bending his suspension, and sending him limping to the pits, and elevating McElrea to third. However he was 4sec behind Pedersen who in turn was 4sec behind leader Lundqvist. But McElrea’s third didn’t last long: he lost the rear under braking for Turn 7, and slid into the tire wall. The car didn’t appear badly damaged but he had to stop for a new rear wing.

Then Rasmussen, who had climbed back to fifth, appeared to make a big mistake exiting Turn 5, and understeered then oversteered into the exit wall, necessitating another yellow flag.

The green waved with four laps to go, and Lundqvist was again flawless and immediately pulled out a lead of 1.5sec. Behind Pedersen, the battle between Frost and Brabham got frantic, until with two laps to go, Frost’s car suddenly slowed allowing Brabham into the final podium spot.

Lundqvist passed the checkered flag with a 3.7sec lead over Pedersen, with Brabham a further one second back.

Behind Brabham, Christian Bogle kept it clean to score his best result yet for HMD Motorsports, while Kyffin Simpson was third for TJ Speed Motorsports, and Antonio Serravalle sixth for HMD.