Linus Lundqvist appeared to have swept to victory in a thrilling Indy Lights race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, only for a subsequent penalty to deny the championship leader of his first-ever oval win…
The race came to a head when Lundqvist made contact with Matthew Brabham while battling for the lead on lap 71 of 75, with Brabham inflicting front wing damage and Lundqvist going on to seal victory.
However, the stewards later handed Lundqvist a three-place penalty for his part in the incident, demoting him to fourth. Pole-sitter Hunter McElrea, whom Lundqvist had previously overtaken on a restart to snatch the lead, was instead declared the winner.
“Ah, such a shame – and it’s hard to lose a win you’ve sealed out on track,” says Linus Lundqvist. “It was a close fight with Matt (Brabham). I got a little bit loose through Turn 1, and I saw that he was behind me, but I got a ‘clear’ from my spotter* so I switched my lane, and unfortunately I think my rear just touched his front nose. It’s inch-perfect on ovals, and I put my trust in the spotter. Sorry to Matt for the incident.”
Despite the penalty, Lundqvist retains a solid lead in the overall standings, now sitting 77 points clear of new runner-up McElrea.
The HMD Motorsports Swede, contesting only his second-ever oval event, showcased strong pace throughout the weekend in Iowa – topping the times in Friday practice and qualifying on the front row.
“I’m proud of what we’ve done this weekend,” Linus Lundqvist concludes. “We didn’t quite know what to expect here, but the pace has been very strong again and I think we’ve literally demonstrated that we can win on ovals, too. Of course I wanted the win, but it’s been good fun here in Iowa and from a championship standpoint, it’s a solid, good weekend.”
Next up on the Indy Lights schedule is an exciting visit to Nashville, a new addition to the championship, on August 6-7.
*Spotter = team member deployed to inform the driver over real-time radio about relative position in wheel-to-wheel racing on the track.
RESULTS
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Rd. 9 | Iowa Speedway
1: Hunter McElrea (NZL), 75 laps
2: Christian Rasmussen (DEN), +1.217s
3: Matthew Brabham (AUS), +1.603s
4: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), +2.574s
5: Sting Ray Robb (USA), +4.021s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Top 5 | After 9/14 races
1: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), 383 p.
2: Hunter McElrea (NZL), 306 p.
3: Sting Ray Robb (USA), 293 p.
4: Matthew Brabham (AUS), 289 p.
5: Christian Rasmussen (DEN), 272 p.
