MRTI: Grand Prix of St. Pete Race Two Report
GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETE, RACE TWO REPORT
NO. 83 ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT MAZDA
- 21-year-old captured a top-10 finish in seventh place on the 1.8-mile circuit
“A better race than yesterday. We definitely had speed and made some good improvements to the car over the weekend. I just wish we kind of started where we finished with that kind of pace. Qualifying hurt us a lot for those two races… I think I got third-fastest race lap today, so good job to the Andretti Autosport boys. Everyone there has done such a good job working over this weekend, and it’s just a shame I couldn’t get in the car earlier and get some more test days before we got here. But, other than that, I’m very happy. I wish we could have won both races and have the best possible outcome leading into Long Beach so I could actually have a little bit more leverage in trying to gain some sponsorship into that round. We’ll see how it goes and hopefully I’m in the next race.”
SHELBY BLACKSTOCK
NO. 51 STARSTRUCK MAZDA
- Nashville native came to the twin checkers in the 11th position after starting from the 12th grid position
“Unfortunately this weekend was extremely rough for our crew. We’ve tested well, did well in the off-season… this weekend we’ve been on the back foot. We just had a really hard weekend and we’ll go back, look at the drawing board and hopefully come back to Long Beach with a better car. Thanks to my Starstruck Andretti Autosport team for all their hard work.”
DALTON KELLETT
NO. 28 K-LINE INSULATORS USA, INC. ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT MAZDA
- Captured his second top-10 finish of the weekend coming home in the seventh position after starting P13 on the temporary street circuit in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla.
“In terms of results, Race Two was pretty much a mirror image of Race One yesterday just going from P13 to P7; there was a lot more excitement today, though. On the first lap, I was able to keep my wits about me and make a couple of passes and get through all the carnage in Turn 4. Other than that, I just kept my head down and was able to maintain pace and keep the cars following behind me. Overall, considering where we started and how qualifying went, I’d say it was a good result. I’m really looking forward to the next race in Nola with the No. 28 K-Line Insulators USA team.”
WEIRON TAN
NO. 22 WEIRON TAN ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT MAZDA
- Rolled off the grid for Race Two from the sixth position but was caught up in an incident in front of him on Lap 1 which forced his early retirement
“Race Two wasn’t the best… I did’t really have any choice. Going into Turn 4, two cars collided in front of me, and I didn’t have anywhere to go. So our Race Two was just a disaster – we didn’t even have a chance to have a go at it; it’s been a disappointing weekend. The team did what we could, we all worked hard and it didn’t pay out for us. We’ll just forget about this weekend and regroup for Nola and Barber – which we know we’re strong at – and get some valuable points from there.”