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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.
In 2014, Cooper Tires replaced Firestone as the sole tire supplier for the series.
This also resulted in a name change, and it is now titled Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires.
The series is the third and final step on the Mazda Road to Indy. The Mazda Road to Indy is the only driver development program in the world to feature a champion's scholarship at every level to advance to the next step on the ladder. The Indy Lights champion is awarded a scholarship package of nearly $1 million to assist in the ascent to the IndyCar Series. In addition, to the healthy prize fund, competitors also benefit from television coverage on the NBC Sports Network. The sixteen-race schedule kicked off at Saint Petersburg and concluded in September at Watkins Glen International.
Of significant news in the off-season was the replacement of the Infiniti-powered Dallara IPS. Since 2002, drivers have competed in the Dallara IPS, but in 2015 they would be using the Dallara IL-15 and a new engine. The open-wheel, single-seat racer has a ground-effect underbody and outboard wings front and rear. The monocoque chassis is constructed using carbon fiber honeycomb composite. The Dallara has a minimum weight of 1,400 pounds, which includes all lubricants and coolants used during the event, but does not include fuel or the driver. COOPER/INDY LIGHTS racing tires are mounted on Motegi aluminum wheels - 15-inch diameter x 10 front and 15-inch diameter x 14 rear. The car is powered by a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged Mazda AER P63 engine developed by Advanced Engine Research. The motor produces 450 horsepower with a push-to-pass feature which increases the horsepower by an additional fifty. The Dallara IL-15 is fitted with a six-speed sequential transmission. The new package is capable of 200 mph. Rounds thirteen and fourteen of the Indy Lights championship were held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Drivers would compete in two contests around the thirteen-turn 2.258-mile road course.
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Santiago Urrutia finished second in last year's Indy Lights championship. Entering the Mid-Ohio weekend, Urrutia had five podium results but was yet to collect his first victory of 2017. In the event's first race, Urrutia put the No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing Dallara IL-15 on the pole and led flag-to-flag. In the finale, he started second and finished in the runner-up position. The results moved Urrutia from sixth to third in points. |
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Frenchman Nico Jamin had five victories at Mid-Ohio in as many starts. Jamin, who had already grabbed two wins, qualified in the third spot for Saturday's contest. He battled with Colton Herta during the race but finished in the third position. The driver of the No. 27 Andretti Autosport Dallara IL-15 started third in the weekend's final race. However, he would lead thirty-seven of thirty-eight laps for the win. |
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The No. 98 Deltro Energy Dallara IL-15 was driven by second-generation driver Colton Herta. Herta is the son of former CART / IndyCar competitor Bryan Herta. The series rookie was victorious at St Pete and Barber Motorsports Park. At Mid-Ohio, he qualified second and traded positions with Nico Jamin before finishing the runner-up position. On Sunday, Herta started on the pole, but a spin resulted in a sixth-place finish. |
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2017 marked Shelby Blackstock's third season in the Indy Lights championship. In his first series visit to Mid-Ohio, Blackstock earned a third-place result. In round thirteen, he put the No. 51 Starstruck-sponsored Dallara IL-15 fourth on the grid and finished in the same position. In the final race, Blackstock started fifth, but a pass on Zachary Claman DeMelo and a spin by Colton Herta gave him a third-place result. |
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The podium for round fourteen of the 2017 Indy Lights championship at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Nico Jamin is in the center and winning for his sixth time in seven starts at Mid-Ohio. On the left side of the rostrum from Belardi Auto Racing is the runner-up, Santiago Urrutia. The final position on the podium belongs to Shelby Blackstock. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Santiago Urrutia | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 2 | 2 | Colton Herta | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 3 | 3 | Nico Jamin | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Shelby Blackstock | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 5 | 5 | Zachary Claman DeMelo | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 6 | 8 | Neil Alberico | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 7 | 9 | Dalton Kellett | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 8 | 7 | Aaron Telitz | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 9 | 10 | Ryan Norman | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 10 | 11 | Juan Piedrahita | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 11 | 12 | Matheus Leist | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 12 | 6 | Kyle Kaiser | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 13 | 14 | Garth Rickards | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 14 | 13 | Nicolas Dapero | Dallara IL-15 | 25 | Mechanical |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Nico Jamin | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 2 | 2 | Santiago Urrutia | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 3 | 5 | Shelby Blackstock | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Zachary Claman DeMelo | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 5 | 11 | Aaron Telitz | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 6 | 1 | Colton Herta | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 7 | 6 | Ryan Norman | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 8 | 7 | Nicolas Dapero | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 9 | 12 | Neil Alberico | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 10 | 13 | Matheus Leist | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 11 | 8 | Juan Piedrahita | Dallara IL-15 | 38 | - |
| 12 | 9 | Kyle Kaiser | Dallara IL-15 | 37 | - |
| 13 | 10 | Dalton Kellett | Dallara IL-15 | 37 | - |
| 14 | 14 | Garth Rickards | Dallara IL-15 | 1 | Accident |
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