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The Infiniti / Indy Pro Series made its debut in mid-2002 with an inaugural season of seven races run in conjunction with the Indy Car Racing Series.
In 2008 the championship was renamed the Firestone Indy Lights Series when Firestone tires became the primary sponsor.
The twelve-race schedule kicked off at Saint Petersburg and concluded in early October at Fontana, California.
Drivers compete in the Dallara IPS, designed and manufactured for the Infiniti Pro Series. The open-wheel, single-seat racer is equipped with a ground-effect underbody and outboard wings front and rear. The monocoque chassis is constructed using carbon fiber and composites. The Dallara has a minimum weight of 1,430 pounds, which includes all lubricants and coolants used during the event, but does not include fuel or the driver. Firestone Firehawk racing tires are mounted on 15-inch diameter x 10 front and 15-inch diameter x 14 rear wheels. The car is powered by a 3.5-liter Infiniti Q45 engine which produces approximately 450 horsepower and is fitted to a Ricardo six-forward gear transmission with a sequential shifter. Infiniti Pro Series costs are tightly controlled by the Indy Racing League, with the Dallara IPS costing $137,900 (including the data acquisition system). Race eleven of twelve for the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights Series was held at Reliant Park in Houston. Drivers would compete on the ten-turn 1.683-mile temporary street course for forty laps in an event called the Grand Prix of Houston. Difficulties with the track caused officials to set the grid by Entrant points and use a single file start.
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Consistency allowed rookie Sage Karam to contend for the championship. He moved into the top spot with a victory in race six at Iowa Speedway. However, this was followed by a couple of poor results, causing him to fall to fourth in the title chase. Karam got back on form and finished second at Baltimore. Heading into Houston with the points lead, he led flag-to-flag for his third win of 2013. |
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Finishing in the runner-up position at Houston was Gabby Chaves. Chaves, who was also in his first season of the Firestone Indy Light Series, had collected eight podium results, of which one was a victory at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He was gridded third at Houston. Chaves moved into second place on lap 5, and despite a caution period, he could not challenge the winner, Sage Karam. |
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Conor Daly was making his first Firestone Indy Lights Series start of the year. The last time Daly competed in the championship was in 2011, when he won at Long Beach. He drove the No. 22 RUS Industrial / ALS Association Dallara IPS at Reliant Park for Mark Moore. Based on Owner points, Daly started in the tenth position. Passes on several competitors were rewarded with the final spot on the podium. |
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The best result for Jorge Goncalvez, prior to Houston, was a fourth-place finish at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Goncalvez had many results in the top ten and was seventh in the championship points. He started the forty-lap contest in the seventh position driving the No. 4 Venezuela Tourism / Mono Dallara IPS. Issues for Zack Veach, Juan Pablo Garcia and Jack Hawksworth allowed Goncalvez to capture fourth place. |
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With only two races remaining, four drivers were in the hunt for this year’s Firestone Indy Lights championship – Sage Karam, Gabby Chaves, Jack Hawksworth and Carlos Munoz. Munoz was in and out of the points lead many times this season. He entered Houston second in the title chase. Munoz started second and was running third when his car lost power. His retirement dropped him to fourth in the standings. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Sage Karam | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Gabby Chaves | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 3 | 10 | Conor Daly | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 4 | 7 | Jorge Goncalvez | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 5 | 11 | Axcil Jefferies | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 6 | 4 | Jack Hawksworth | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 7 | 12 | Giancarlo Serenelli | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 8 | 5 | Juan Pablo Garcia | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 38 | - |
| 9 | 8 | Peter Dempsey | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 37 | Accident |
| 10 | 6 | Zach Veach | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 33 | Off Course |
| 11 | 9 | Matthew DiLeo | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 33 | Off Course |
| 12 | 2 | Carlos Munoz | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 24 | Mechanical |
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