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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). As has been the case for the last five years, the opening round of the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights Series was held at Saint Petersburg. Competitors would race around the fourteen-turn 1.800-mile temporary street course for forty-five laps.
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Rookie Jack Hawksworth entered the Indy Lights Series after a successful campaign in the Star Mazda Championship, where he captured the title. At Saint Petersburg, Hawksworth drove the No. 77 Lucas Oils Dallara IPS. He qualified second fastest. In the race, Hawksworth found himself chasing Carlos Munoz and Gabby Chaves. When the two made contact on lap-eleven, he inherited the lead and won. |
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Peter Dempsey made his Indy Lights Series debut in 2011. However, he has only completed a partial schedule over the last two years. His best result was a second in 2011. At Saint Petersburg, Demsey was racing the No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing Dallara IPS. He started third but could not maintain the pace set by Carlos Munoz and Gabby Chaves. However, contact between the pair allowed him to finish in the runner-up position. |
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Sage Karam was one of the many rookies in this season’s Firestone Indy Lights Series. Karam entered the series with an extensive open-wheel background that began with go-karts and advanced to the US F2000 and Star Mazda championships. He put the No. 8 Comfort Revolution / Curb Records Dallara IPS sixth on the grid. Like Hawksworth and Dempsey, Karam was a beneficiary of the Munoz / Chaves incident and finished third. |
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Mexico’s Juan Pablo Garcia made his first Firestone Indy Lights Series start in 2011; however, it wasn’t until 2012 that he competed on a full-time basis. This season Garcia was driving the No. 2 International Trucks Dallara IPS, entered by Mark Moore. He was gridded seventh for the start of the forty-five-lap contest. A pass on Zach Veach and a couple of retirements resulted in a fourth-place finish. |
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Carlos Munoz was participating in his second year of Indy Lights competition. Last season, Munoz collected five podium results, of which two were victories and he finished fifth in the championship. Last year, he retired from St Pete due to an accident. Hoping to redeem himself, Munoz put the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Dallara IPS on the pole. However, there was contact during the race and he retired on lap-34. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Jack Hawksworth | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Peter Dempsey | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 3 | 6 | Sage Karam | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 4 | 7 | Juan Pablo Garcia | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 5 | 5 | Zach Veach | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 6 | 8 | Jorge Goncalvez | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 7 | 1 | Carlos Munoz | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 43 | Transmission |
| 8 | 4 | Gabby Chaves | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 10 | Accident |
| 9 | 9 | Ethan Ringel | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 0 | Transmission |
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