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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). The third race of the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights Series was held at Long Beach, California. Competitors would race around the eleven-turn 1.968-mile temporary street circuit. Originally scheduled to be forty-five laps, the race was checkered early due to the high number of accidents.
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Carlos Munoz opened his 2013 campaign with a pole; however, he retired when the car developed a transmission issue. In round two at Barber Motorsports, the driver of the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Dallara IPS swept the weekend – pole, fastest lap, most laps led and a victory. Munoz repeated this performance at the Grand Prix of Long Beach and moved from second to lead the title chase by twenty-one points. |
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Rookie Gabby Chaves also had problems in race one at Saint Petersburg. He and Carlos Munoz made contact in turn one, with Chaves receiving the worst of it and retiring on lap-10. At Long Beach, the driver of the No. 7 CO Columbia / Curb Records Dallara IPS qualified fifth fastest. The high attrition during the race allowed him to move up the order. Chaves finished second, 2.219-seconds behind the winner, Carlos Munoz. |
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After two rounds, newcomer Sage Karam was fourth in the championship on the merit of third and fourth-place results. Driving the No. 8 Comfort Revolution / Curb Records Dallara IPS, he was gridded last for the forty-one-lap contest. However, Karam avoided much of the carnage during the race. As a result, he moved from the tenth position to capture the final spot on the rostrum. |
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Another driver benefitting from the high attrition rate at Long Beach was Jorge Goncalvez. This was his third season in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. His best result came in his debut season when he finished second at Loudon, New Hamshire. At Long Beach, Goncalvez qualified eighth fastest driving the No. 4 Belardi Auto Racing Dallara IPS. A clean performance was rewarded with a fourth-place finish. |
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Five cars in a field of ten were eliminated in round three of the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights Series at Long Beach. First among them were Peter Dempsey, Zach Veach and the points leader, Jack Hawksworth. The three of them were out of the race before turn one on the opening lap. On lap-11, Mark Moore teammates Juan Pablo Garcia and Mikael Grenier crashed in corner one when Garcia spun, ending their day. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Carlos Munoz | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 41 | - |
| 2 | 5 | Gabby Chaves | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 41 | - |
| 3 | 10 | Sage Karam | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 41 | - |
| 4 | 8 | Jorge Goncalvez | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 41 | - |
| 5 | 9 | Matthew DiLeo | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 6 | 6 | Juan Pablo Garcia | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 11 | Accident |
| 7 | 7 | Mikael Grenier | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 11 | Accident |
| 8 | 3 | Zach Veach | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 0 | Accident |
| 9 | 4 | Peter Dempsey | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 0 | Accident |
| 10 | 2 | Jack Hawksworth | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 0 | Accident |
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